Category: Technology

The job of a catalyst is to ultimately speed up reactions, which could reduce an hour-long process into several minutes. It has recently been shown that using external magnetic fields to modulate spin states of single-atom catalysts (SACs) is highly effective —…

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineering team is another step closer to developing soft robotics and wearable systems that mimic the ability of human and plant skin to detect and self-heal injuries. Engineer Eric Markvicka, along with graduate students Ethan Krings and Patrick…

Scientists at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland have developed a powerful new tool for finding the next generation of materials needed for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing. The significant breakthrough means that, for the first time, researchers have found a way to…

Researchers from the MPIK present new experimental and theoretical results for the bound electron g-factor in lithium-like tin which has a much higher nuclear charge than any previous measurement. The experimental accuracy reached a level of 0.5 parts per billion. Using an…

Recent research points to the potential utility of a familiar sounding foe-herpes virus-in the fight against cancer. The idea: the virus has evolved to commandeer cellular machinery in order activate signaling pathways inside cells and these strategies can be repurposed to bolster…

Specialized robots that can both fly and drive typically touch down on land before attempting to transform and drive away. But when the landing terrain is rough, these robots sometimes get stuck and are unable to continue operating. Now a team of…

A research team led by Prof. Si-Young Choi from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Semiconductor Engineering at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has discovered ferroelectric phenomena occurring at a subatomic scale in the natural…

Learning to play music by ear is challenging for most musicians, but research from a team at the University of Waterloo may help musicians-in-training find the right notes. The Waterloo team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music…

Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, decreased immune function, depression, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the tools we use to monitor stress are often imprecise or expensive, relying on self-reporting questionnaires and psychiatric evaluations. Now a Tufts interdisciplinary engineer…

A new study from UBC Okanagan says students appear to be using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) responsibly, and as a way to speed up tasks, not just boost their grades. Dr. Meaghan MacNutt, who teaches professional ethics in the UBCO School of…

Plasma — the electrically charged fourth state of matter — is at the heart of many important industrial processes, including those used to make computer chips and coat materials. Simulating those plasmas can be challenging, however, because millions of math operations must…

A research team led by Professor Randolf Pohl from the Institute of Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has achieved a significant breakthrough in determining fundamental properties of atomic nuclei. For the first time, the team conducted laser spectroscopy experiments on…

Blue phosphorescent OLEDs can now last as long as the green phosphorescent OLEDs already in devices, University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated, paving the way for further improving the energy efficiency of OLED screens. “This moves the blues into the domain of…

Where did the moon’s magnetism go? Scientists have puzzled over this question for decades, ever since orbiting spacecraft picked up signs of a high magnetic field in lunar surface rocks. The moon itself has no inherent magnetism today. Now, MIT scientists may…

In biology, enzymes have evolved over millions of years to drive chemical reactions. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) now derived universal rules to enable the de novo design of optimal enzymes. As an example, they considered…

More than ten years ago, researchers at Rice University led by materials scientist Boris Yakobson predicted that boron atoms would cling too tightly to copper to form borophene, a flexible, metallic two-dimensional material with potential across electronics, energy and catalysis. Now, new…

Separating crude oil into products such as gasoline, diesel, and heating oil is an energy-intensive process that accounts for about 6 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Most of that energy goes into the heat needed to separate the components by their…

Self-driving cars which eliminate traffic jams, getting a healthcare diagnosis instantly without leaving your home, or feeling the touch of loved ones based across the continent may sound like the stuff of science fiction. But new research, led by the University of…

Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers have discovered a new class of materials — called intercrystals — with unique electronic properties that could power future technologies. Intercrystals exhibit newly discovered forms of electronic properties that could pave the way for advancements in more efficient…

In 2022 a team led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry discovered that high levels of OH radicals can be generated indoors, simply due to the presence of people and ozone. This means: People generate their own oxidation field and change…

How life arose remains a looming question in science that researchers are seeking to answer by studying the features shared among life today. Everything alive is made up of cells, and what made the first cells different from chemical reactions occurring in…

Billions of years ago, water flowed on the surface of Mars. But scientists have an incomplete picture of how the Red Planet’s water cycle worked. That could soon change after two graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin filled a…

The wealth of information provided by our senses that allows our brain to navigate the world around us is remarkable. Touch, smell, hearing, and a strong sense of balance are crucial to making it through what to us seem like easy environments…

Astronomers have discovered nearly 100 examples of massive black holes shredding and devouring stars, almost all of them where you’d expect to find massive black holes: in the star-dense cores of massive galaxies. University of California, Berkeley, astronomers have now discovered the…

What if there was an efficient method to produce a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels using the power of sunlight? A significant discovery by researchers at Tohoku University and the University of Science, Vietnam National University — Ho Chi Minh…

Anemia affects more than 2 billion people worldwide, including an estimated 83 million Americans at high risk. Now, a new app delivers reliable, accessible screening directly to consumers. A new study co-authored by Chapman University professor and founding dean of the Fowler School…

Necati Catbas doesn’t hold a medical degree, but the UCF engineering professor is more than qualified to diagnose the health of bridges using a combination of emerging technologies. Catbas collaborated with his former civil engineering student Marwan Debees ’23PhD, who now works…

Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress. In a new study, engineers have found a way to mimic the behavior of this type…

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders. The most well-known is CRISPR-Cas9, adapted for human…

A new study co-led by Mass General Brigham researchers points to a promising new type of auditory brainstem implant (ABI) that could benefit people who are deaf due to Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and other severe inner ear abnormalities that prevent them…

As concern grows over adolescent mental health, a new national study adds to the growing body of research showing that cyberbullying should be considered an adverse childhood experience (ACE) — a category of childhood trauma linked to long-term emotional, psychological and physical…

Using new observations with the ALMA telescope array in Chile, researchers have compiled the most precise map of three regions in the Milky Way’s Central Molecular Zone to date, providing valuable information on how stars form in that region. For decades, astronomers…

How should personal data be protected? What are the best uses of it? In our networked world, questions about data privacy are ubiquitous and matter for companies, policymakers, and the public. A new study by MIT researchers adds depth to the subject…

Listen to the first notes of an old, beloved song. Can you name that tune? If you can, congratulations — it’s a triumph of your associative memory, in which one piece of information (the first few notes) triggers the memory of the…

The United States population is older than it has ever been. Today, the country’s median age is 38.9, which is nearly a decade older than it was in 1980. And the number of adults older than 65 is expected to balloon from…

Biologists and chemists have a new programming language to uncover previously unknown environmental pollutants at breakneck speed — without requiring them to code. By making it easier to search massive chemical datasets, the tool has already identified toxic compounds hidden in plain…

Boccia’s appeal and rising popularity comes from its showcase as a Paralympic sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. An Osaka Metropolitan University team has developed an extended reality version of the game as a rehabilitation program,…

Small autonomous underwater vehicles, like the drones of the sea, could be very useful for studying the depths of the ocean and monitoring its changing conditions. But such nautical mini bots can be easily overpowered by turbulent ocean currents. Caltech scientists led…

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) utilizes mid-infrared spectroscopy to precisely analyze molecular components such as water vapor and sulfur dioxide in exoplanet atmospheres. The key to this analysis, where each molecule exhibits a unique spectral “fingerprint,” lies in highly sensitive photodetector…

Solid-state batteries are considered a key technology for the future: they can store more energy and do not rely on flammable materials like current lithium-ion batteries. Researchers at TUM and TUMint.Energy Research have now taken a significant step towards improving solid-state batteries.…

Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique systems reveal new pathways to economically generate ‘green’ hydrogen, a sustainable and renewable energy source, and the potential to remediate…

While things like rain or hills can keep people from cycling, a major impediment is the risk of getting hit by a car. It’s hard to identify the safest routes to ride, especially for beginner cyclists, and a key way to flag…

What happens when trailblazing engineers and industry professionals team up? The answer may transform the future of computing efficiency for modern data centers. Data centers house and use large computers to run massive amounts of data. Oftentimes, the processors can’t keep up…

Researchers at McGill University, in collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal, pioneered a new way to create hydrogels using ultrasound, eliminating the need for toxic chemical initiators. This breakthrough offers a faster, cleaner and more sustainable approach to hydrogel fabrication, and produces hydrogels that…

Augmented-reality (AR) technology is rapidly finding its way into everyday life, from education and healthcare to gaming and entertainment. However, the core AR device remains bulky and heavy, making prolonged wear uncomfortable. A breakthrough from POSTECH now promises to change that. One…

Imagine if doctors could precisely print miniature capsules capable of delivering cells needed for tissue repair exactly where they are needed inside a beating heart. A team of scientists led by Caltech has taken a significant step toward that ultimate goal, having…

Researchers at Linköping University have developed a new type of pipette that can deliver ions to individual neurons without affecting the sensitive extracellular milieu. Controlling the concentration of different ions can provide important insights into how individual braincells are affected, and how…

A new technique to extract tiny cellulose strands from cow dung and turn them into manufacturing-grade cellulose, currently used to make everything from surgical masks to food packaging, has been developed by researchers from UCL and Edinburgh Napier University. The study, published…

A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionize sustainable material design, according to a study by McGill University researchers. Their findings outline how a naturally occurring protein structure, conserved across species from Australia, Singapore and Barbados over nearly…

A new study from McGill University researchers suggests the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly analyze vast amounts of biodiversity data could revolutionize conservation efforts by enabling scientists and policymakers to make better-informed decisions. A collaboration between a computer scientist, an…

While text-to-video artificial intelligence models like OpenAI’s Sora are rapidly metamorphosing in front of our eyes, they have struggled to produce metamorphic videos. Simulating a tree sprouting or a flower blooming is harder for AI systems than generating other types of videos…

At long last, a unified theory combining gravity with the other fundamental forces — electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces — is within reach. Bringing gravity into the fold has been the goal of generations of physicists, who have struggled…

The future of electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring may soon look like a strand of hair. In place of the traditional metal electrodes, a web of wires and sticky adhesives, a team of researchers from Penn State created a hairlike device for long-term, non-invasive…

Lithium-ion batteries have been a staple in device manufacturing for years, but the liquid electrolytes they rely on to function are quite unstable, leading to fire hazards and safety concerns. Now, researchers at Penn State are pursuing a reliable alternative energy storage…

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists are one step closer to developing a brain-computer interface, or BCI, that allows people with tetraplegia to restore their lost sense of touch. While exploring a digitally represented object through their artificially created sense of…

University of California, Irvine scientists have expanded on a longstanding model governing the mechanics behind slip banding, a process that produces strain marks in metals under compression, gaining a new understanding of the behavior of advanced materials critical to energy systems, space…

A watched pot never boils, goes the old saying, but many of us have at least kept an eye on the pot, waiting for the bubbling to start. It’s satisfying to finally see the rolling boil, behind which complex physical mechanisms are…

A UNSW Sydney mathematician has discovered a new method to tackle algebra’s oldest challenge — solving higher polynomial equations. Polynomials are equations involving a variable raised to powers, such as the degree two polynomial: 1+ 4x — 3×2 = 0. The equations…

A team led by Rice University bioscientist Caroline Ajo-Franklin has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen. The findings, published in Cell last month, could enable…

AI generated essays don’t yet live up to the efforts of real students – according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UK). A new study published today compared the work of 145 real students with essays generated by ChatGPT.…

Every second counts when it comes to detecting and treating heart attacks. That’s where a new technology from the University of Mississippi comes in to identify heart attacks faster and more accurately than traditional methods. In a study published in Intelligent Systems,…

Scientists aren’t comedians, but it turns out a joke or two can go a long way. That’s according to a new University of Georgia study that found when researchers use humor in their communication — particularly online — audiences are more likely…

Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates autonomously, can climb slopes at angles of up to 80 degrees, and can carry…

An international team of scientists led by a Rutgers University-New Brunswick astrophysicist has discovered a potentially star-forming cloud that is one of the largest single structures in the sky and among the closest to the sun and Earth ever to be detected.…

Researchers have developed a new therapy that can be injected intravenously right after a heart attack to promote healing and prevent heart failure. The therapy both prompts the immune system to encourage tissue repair and promotes survival of heart muscle cells after…

Using the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), an international team of researchers has discovered that super-Earth exoplanets are more common across the universe than previously thought, according to a new study. By studying light anomalies made by the newly found planet’s host…

A recent global survey of 156 institutions reveals strong interest in VR-haptic technology for dental training, yet significant barriers impede widespread adoption. The study was led by the University of Eastern Finland and published in Frontiers in Dental Medicine. Combining virtual reality…

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a remarkable process that can create clean hydrogen fuel — a potential part of a solution to our climate change crisis. The problem lies in scaling up this reaction from a lab experiment to large scale…

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, researchers at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) have identified a breakthrough that could make AI technologies faster and more efficient. Professor Seyoung Kim and Dr. Hyunjeong Kwak from the Departments of Materials Science…

An interdisciplinary research team from the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), the InnoHK Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health (InnoHK D24H), and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has unveiled the world’s first…

Historically, the vast majority of pharmaceutical drugs have been meticulously designed down to the atomic level. The specific location of each atom within the drug molecule is a critical factor in determining how well it works and how safe it is. In…

In the intricate world of quantum physics, where particles interact in ways that seem to defy the standard rules of space and time, lies a profound mystery that continues to captivate scientists: the nature of deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs). These elusive…

Every breath we take, every meal we eat, and every environment we encounter leaves a molecular fingerprint in our bodies — a hidden record of our lifelong exposures. Researchers in the field of exposomics explain how cutting-edge technologies are unlocking this biological…

Programmers can now use large language models (LLMs) to generate computer code more quickly. However, this only makes programmers’ lives easier if that code follows the rules of the programming language and doesn’t cause a computer to crash. Some methods exist for…

Inspired by the movements of a tiny parasitic worm, Georgia Tech engineers have created a 5-inch soft robot that can jump as high as a basketball hoop. Their device, a silicone rod with a carbon-fiber spine, can leap 10 feet high even…

MIT researchers have created a periodic table that shows how more than 20 classical machine-learning algorithms are connected. The new framework sheds light on how scientists could fuse strategies from different methods to improve existing AI models or come up with new…

Cornell University researchers have developed a new robotic framework powered by artificial intelligence — called RHyME (Retrieval for Hybrid Imitation under Mismatched Execution) — that allows robots to learn tasks by watching a single how-to video. Robots can be finicky learners. Historically,…

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that kills more than a million people worldwide every year. The pathogen that causes the disease, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is deadly in part because of its complex outer envelope, which helps it evade immune responses of infected…

Visit ancient Mars — a surprisingly temperate planet where snow or rain falls from the sky, and rivers rush down valleys to feed hundreds of lakes. A new study from geologists at the University of Colorado Boulder paints this picture of a…

Sticking to an exercise routine is a challenge many people face. But a University of Mississippi research team is using machine learning to uncover what keeps individuals committed to their workouts. The team — Seungbak Lee and Ju-Pil Choe, both doctoral students…

A team of Rice University researchers has developed a new way to control light interactions using a specially engineered structure called a 3D photonic-crystal cavity. Their work, published in the journal Nature Communications, lays the foundation for technologies that could enable transformative…

When you see a bag of carrots at the grocery store, does your mind go to potatoes and parsnips or buffalo wings and celery? It depends, of course, on whether you’re making a hearty winter stew or getting ready to watch the…

Researchers have developed a new coronagraph — an optical device that blocks out light from a bright source — that could make it possible to see distant exoplanets obscured by light from their parent stars. The new device could reveal exoplanets beyond…

For scientists who want to learn about the geological history of a planet, river deltas are a great place to start. Deltas gather sediment from a large area into one place, which can be studied to reveal climate and tectonic histories or…

In a recent study, an international team of physicists, led by Prof. JO Gyu-Boong from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made a significant observation of the BKT phase transition in a 2D…

A new smart insole system that monitors how people walk in real time could help users improve posture and provide early warnings for conditions from plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s disease. Constructed using 22 small pressure sensors and fueled by small solar panels…

Why do comets and their meteoroid streams weave in and out of Earth’s orbit and their orbits disperse over time? In a paper published online in the journal Icarus this week, two SETI Institute researchers show that this is not due to…

A new study by Brown University researchers suggests that gold nanoparticles — microscopic bits of gold thousands of times thinner than a human hair — might one day be used to help restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other retinal…

Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, have detected the chemical fingerprints…

Engineers have developed a building material that uses the root-like mycelium of a fungus and bacteria cells. Their results, publishing April 16 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports Physical Science, show that this material — which is manufactured with living cells…

Imagine a Slushee™ composed of ammonia and water encased in a hard shell of water ice. Now picture these ice-encrusted slushballs, dubbed “mushballs,” raining down like hailstones during a thunderstorm, illuminated by intense flashes of lightning. Planetary scientists at the University of…

Tightly connected communities tend to be more resilient when facing extreme events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods or wildfires, says Jose Ramirez-Marquez, who develops metrics to analyze, quantify and ultimately improve performance of urban systems. Ramirez-Marquez, associate professor and division director of…

Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax are often prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures. While these drugs can be effective as a short-term treatment, researchers are trying to better understand the impact of benzodiazepines after extended use. Some experts believe long-term use…

Researchers at Washington State University have developed a new forecasting model that helps companies more accurately estimate how many customers are interested in a product — even when key data is missing. Published in the journal Production and Operations Management, the study…

A joint research team from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) and Jeonbuk National University has successfully demonstrated the complete confinement of mechanical waves within a single resonator — something long thought to be theoretically impossible. Their findings, published on April…

A new approach to streaming technology may significantly improve how users experience virtual reality and augmented reality environments, according to a study from NYU Tandon School of Engineering. The research — presented in a paper at the 16th ACM Multimedia Systems Conference…

Australian technology developed at RMIT University could enable more sustainable and cheaper production of bio-oils to replace petroleum-based products in electronic, construction and automotive applications. The technology, known as PYROCOTM, uses high temperatures without oxygen to convert treated sewage (biosolids) into a…

The process of discovering molecules that have the properties needed to create new medicines and materials is cumbersome and expensive, consuming vast computational resources and months of human labor to narrow down the enormous space of potential candidates. Large language models (LLMs)…

Much as a pilot might practice maneuvers in a flight simulator, scientists might soon be able to perform experiments on a realistic simulation of the mouse brain. In a new study, Stanford Medicine researchers and collaborators used an artificial intelligence model to…

Although we know that supermassive black holes (millions of times the mass of our Sun) lurk at the centre of most galaxies, their very nature makes them difficult to spot and study. In contrast to the popular idea of black holes constantly…

Astronomers have peered back in time to find what looks like a population of ‘hidden’ galaxies that could hold the key to unlocking some of the universe’s secrets. If their existence is confirmed it would “effectively break current models of galaxy numbers…

FLUID, an open-source, 3D-printed robot, offers an affordable and customizable solution for automated material synthesis, making advanced research accessible to more scientists. A team of researchers led by Professor Keisuke Takahashi at the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, have created FLUID (Flowing…

Insect-scale robots can squeeze into places their larger counterparts can’t, like deep into a collapsed building to search for survivors after an earthquake. However, as they move through the rubble, tiny crawling robots might encounter tall obstacles they can’t climb over or…

Wear and tear on plastic products releases small to nearly invisible plastic particles, which could impact people’s health when consumed or inhaled. To make these particles biodegradable, researchers created plastics from plant starch instead of petroleum. An initial study published in ACS’…

When it comes to upgrading electrical and broadband infrastructure, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that a “dig once” approach is nearly 40% more cost effective than replacing them separately. The study also found that the greatest benefit comes…

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the UK’s first long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK’s first long-distance quantum-secured video call. The team, from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, created the network, which uses standard fibreoptic infrastructure,…

When you think of termites, you probably don’t imagine them aboard yachts, cabin cruisers, sailboats or other watercraft floating across oceans. A new study by a University of Florida scientist reveals that termites are not simply spreading through natural processes of building…

What if we spend decades building advanced telescopes to search for life on other planets and come up emptyhanded? A recent study led by ETH Zurich researchers including corresponding author and SETI Institute affiliate, Dr. Daniel Angerhausen, tackled this question, exploring what…

University of Warwick astronomers have discovered an extremely rare, high mass, compact binary star system only ~150 light years away. These two stars are on a collision course to explode as a type 1a supernova, appearing 10 times brighter than the moon…

Collaborative research led by investigators at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center defines a novel approach to understanding how certain proteins called transcription factors determine which genetic programs will drive cell growth and maturation. The method, called “Perturb-multiome,” uses CRISPR to…

A chemical reaction that’s vital to a range of commercial and industrial goods may soon be initiated more effectively and less expensively thanks to a collaboration that included Oregon State University College of Engineering researchers. The study, published in Nature, involves hydrogenation…

Fast-charging lithium-ion batteries are ubiquitous, powering everything from cellphones and laptops to electric vehicles. They’re also notorious for overheating or catching fire. Now, with an innovative computational model, a University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineer has gained new understanding of a phenomenon that…

Quantum states can only be prepared and observed under highly controlled conditions. A research team from Innsbruck, Austria, has now succeeded in creating so-called hot Schrödinger cat states in a superconducting microwave resonator. The study, recently published in Science Advances, shows that…

Groundbreaking research by physicists at The City College of New York is being credited for a novel discovery regarding the interaction of electronic excitations via spin waves. The finding by the Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP) team headed by physicist…

A research team from TU Graz and the Vellore Institute of Technology in India is developing a 3D-printed skin imitation equipped with living cells in order to test nanoparticles from cosmetics without animal testing. Directive 2010/63/EU laid down restrictions on animal testing…

For a long time, scientists thought that only actively star-forming galaxies should be observed in the very early Universe. The James Webb space telescope now reveals that galaxies stopped forming stars earlier than expected. A recent discovery by an international team, led…

When we move, it’s harder for existing wearable devices to accurately track our heart activity. But University of Missouri researchers found that a starfish’s five-arm shape helps solve this problem.  Inspired by how a starfish flips itself over — shrinking one of…

It’s (going to be) electric. But how soon? How quickly our society can maximize the benefit of electrification hinges on finding cheaper, higher performance batteries — a reality closer to hand through new research from Virginia Tech. A team of chemists led…

Almost a decade ago, Harvard engineers unveiled the world’s first visible-spectrum metasurfaces — ultra-thin, flat devices patterned with nanoscale structures that could precisely control the behavior of light. A powerful alternative to traditional, bulky optical components, metasurfaces today enable compact, lightweight, multifunctional…

Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led byJames Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials…

Mental health care can be difficult to access in the U.S. Insurance coverage is spotty and there aren’t enough mental health professionals to cover the nation’s need, leading to long waits and costly care. Enter artificial intelligence (AI). AI mental health apps,…

Scientists have long sought to unravel the mysteries of strange metals — materials that defy conventional rules of electricity and magnetism. Now, a team of physicists at Rice University has made a breakthrough in this area using a tool from quantum information…

Researchers at the University of Tokyo reveal the way our legs adapt to fast movements. When people hop at high speeds, key muscle fibers in the calf shorten rather than lengthen as forces increase, which they call “negative stiffness.” This counterintuitive process…

How gravity causes a perfectly spherical ball to roll down an inclined plane is part of elementary school physics canon. But the world is messier than a textbook. Scientists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)…

Clothes that can mimic the feeling of being touched, touch displays that provide haptic feedback to users, or even ultralight loudspeakers. These are just some of the devices made possible using thin silicone films that can be precisely controlled so that they…

Novel artificial neurons learn independently and are more strongly modeled on their biological counterparts. A team of researchers from the Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks (CIDBN) at the University of Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and…

Leveraging the power of AI and machine learning technologies, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine developed a more effective model for predicting how patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer will respond to chemotherapy. The model harnesses whole-slide tumor imaging data and gene expression analyses…

Researchers have discovered a groundbreaking use of terahertz (THz) imaging to visualize cochlear structures in mice, offering non-invasive, high-resolution diagnostics. By creating 3D reconstructions, this technology opens new possibilities for diagnosing hearing loss and other conditions. THz imaging could lead to miniaturized…

A tiny magnetic robot which can take 3D scans from deep within the body, that could revolutionise early cancer detection, has been developed by researchers. The team, led by engineers from the University of Leeds, say this is the first time it…

In a new paper, researchers at North Carolina State University show proof of concept for a system that, in a single cycle, actively removes microplastics from water. The findings, described in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, hold the potential for advances in…

Every year, millions of tires end up in landfills, creating an environmental crisis with far-reaching consequences. In the United States alone, over 274 million tires were scrapped in 2021, with nearly a fifth of them being discarded into landfills. The accumulation of…

Interferometers, devices that can modulate aspects of light, play the important role of modulating and switching light signals in fiber-optic communications networks and are frequently used for gas sensing and optical computing. Now, applied physicists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School…

Deep below Earth’s surface, rock and mineral formations lay hidden with a secret brilliance. Under a black light, the chemicals fossilized within shine in brilliant hues of pink, blue and green. Scientists are using these fluorescent features to understand how the caves…

Next time you cross a crowded plaza, crosswalk, or airport concourse, take note of the pedestrian flow. Are people walking in orderly lanes, single-file, to their respective destinations? Or is it a haphazard tangle of personal trajectories, as people dodge and weave…

American students have been falling behind in math for decades — with test scores that consistently rank in the bottom 25% globally compared to students in other developed countries — and the COVID-19 pandemic made the situation worse. Previous research has shown…

Existing tax policies during the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources will lead to major energy injustices and skewed priorities, new research published in Climate Policyshows. The peer-reviewed study found that electricity serving primary needs, such as heating or lighting,…

Researchers at University of Toronto Engineering, led by Professor Yu Zou, are leveraging machine learning to improve additive manufacturing, also commonly known as 3D printing. In a new paper, published in the journal of Additive Manufacturing, the team introduces a new framework…

Traditionally, chemists have relied on well-established but limiting methods to synthesize these molecules. The new research, co-authored by Kevin Brown, the James F. Jackson Professor of Chemistry in the College, and Professors Xiaotian Qi, Wang Wang, and Bodi Zhao of Wuhan University,…

A study from Hiroshima University found that when people were told to imagine their virtual bodies in pain, their brains resisted the illusion of ownership. Their findings could provide insights into why some people may struggle with feeling connected to their own…

An Aston University researcher has conducted the first experimental demonstration of intricate and previously theorised behaviours in the fundamental patterns that govern oscillatory systems in nature and technology. Synchronisation regions, also known as Arnold’s tongues because of the shape they take when…

Redox reactions form the basis of many fundamental processes of life. Without them, neither cellular respiration nor photosynthesis could take place. Redox reactions also play a crucial role in applications in the domains of chemistry, biochemistry, and the use of light for…

Great recipes require the perfect combination of ingredients — biotechnology recipes are no exception. Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have discovered the ideal genetic “recipe” to turn yeast into a tiny yet powerful eco-friendly factory that converts methanol into D-lactic acid, a…

Two different teams of astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. The discovery, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a…

Existing research indicates that the accuracy of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis hovers between 55% and 78% in the first five years of assessment. That’s partly because Parkinson’s sibling movement disorders share similarities, sometimes making a definitive diagnosis initially difficult. Although Parkinson’s disease…

Engineers have designed robots that crawl, swim, fly and even slither like a snake, but no robot can hold a candle to a squirrel, which can parkour through a thicket of branches, leap across perilous gaps and execute pinpoint landings on the…

A first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence (AI)-based neural network can rapidly analyse and interpret millions of cells from a patient sample, predicting molecular changes in the tissue. It can potentially pinpoint where personalised treatments could be most effective for conditions such as cancer. NicheCompass…

A new analysis of 105-year-old data on the effectiveness of ‘dazzle’ camouflage on battleships in World War I by Aston University researchers Professor Tim Meese and Dr Samantha Strong has found that while dazzle had some effect, the ‘horizon effect’ had far…

A predator’s gotta eat, but sometimes what they eat harms people sharing the landscape, and that often leads to the carnivore’s death. Fortified corrals are one strategy used in Tanzania to protect both livestock and vulnerable carnivore species. But then where do…

A combination of cosmic processes shapes the formation of one of the most common types of planets outside of our solar system, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State. The research team used data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet…

In 2024, Empa researchers and their partners successfully for the first time realized a so-called one-dimensional alternating Heisenberg model with a synthetic material. This theoretical quantum-physical model, known for nearly a century, describes a linear chain of spins — a type of…

With artificial photosynthesis, humankind could utilize solar energy to bind carbon dioxide and produce hydrogen. Chemists have taken this one step further: They have synthesized a stack of dyes that comes very close to the photosynthetic apparatus of plants. It absorbs light…

Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have constructed the first detailed 3D map of the properties of cosmic dust in our home galaxy. For their map, the astronomers used 130 million spectra from ESA’s Gaia mission, results from the LAMOST…

Researchers have advanced a decades-old challenge in the field of organic semiconductors, opening new possibilities for the future of electronics. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Eindhoven University of Technology, have created an organic semiconductor that forces electrons…

A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has made significant strides in understanding the ionization of atoms and molecules, a fundamental process in physics that has implications for various fields including x-ray generation and plasma physics. Think about atoms —…

Astronomers have discovered two exoplanets around TOI-1453, a star about 250 light years away. These two exoplanets, a super-Earth and a sub-Neptune, are common in the galaxy, yet are absent from our system. This discovery paves the way for future atmospheric studies…

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have performed the first imaging of embryos using cameras designed for quantum measurements. The University’s Centre of Light for Life academics investigated how to best use ultrasensitive camera technology, including the latest generation of cameras that…

Many people will soon load up Easter baskets with chocolate candy for children and adults to enjoy. On its own, dark chocolate has health benefits, such as antioxidants that neutralize damaging free radicals. And a report in ACS Food Science & Technology…

For years, cities have been taking on efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yet little has been done to verify if such work has the intended outcome. New research from the University of Kansas found that completing…

Physicists have created a new computer code that could speed up the design of the complicated magnets that shape the plasma in stellarators, making the systems simpler and more affordable to build. Like engineers who design high-performance Formula One race cars, scientists…

Charging forward at top speed, a garden snail slimes up 1 millimeter of pavement per second. By this logic, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology researchers’ new 3D printing process speeds past existing methods — at a snail’s pace. Researchers in…

Empa researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or…

University of Florida researchers are addressing a critical gap in medical genetic research — ensuring it better represents and benefits people of all backgrounds. Their work, led by Kiley Graim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science…

It is widely believed that Earth’s atmosphere has been rich in oxygen for about 2.5 billion years due to a relatively rapid increase in microorganisms capable of performing photosynthesis. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, provide a mechanism to explain…

Producing high-performance titanium alloy parts — whether for spacecraft, submarines or medical devices — has long been a slow, resource-intensive process. Even with advanced metal 3D-printing techniques, finding the right manufacturing conditions has required extensive testing and fine-tuning. What if these parts…

Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (also known as bird flu) have created a need for rapid and sensitive detection methods to mitigate its spread. Now, researchers in ACS Sensors have developed a prototype sensor that detects a type of influenza…

A group of researchers from Tohoku University developed a method for synthesizing a special type of polymer that has applications for reducing greenhouse gas emissions — a major concern amidst a period of rapid climate change. Porous organic polymers (POPs) are like…

Hyperspectral imaging is a technology that detects slight differences in color to pinpoint the characteristics and conditions of an object. While a normal camera creates images using red, green, and blue, a hyperspectral camera can obtain over 100 images in the visible…

When spiders spin their webs, they use their hind legs to pull silk threads from their spinnerets. This pulling action doesn’t just help the spider release the silk, it’s also a crucial step in strengthening the silk fibers for a more durable…

We all encounter gels in daily life — from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair, to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It…

A phone screen you can’t scratch no matter how many times you drop it. Glasses that prevent glare. A windshield that doesn’t get dusty. These are all possibilities thanks to a new way to produce sapphire. Researchers at The University of Texas…

A new study by researchers including those at the University of Tokyo revealed that atmospheric gravity waves play a crucial role in driving latitudinal air currents on Mars, particularly at high altitudes. The findings, based on long-term atmospheric data, offer a fresh…

The shape of a planet’s orbit is one of its fundamental properties, along with its size and distance from its host star. Earth has a nearly circular orbit, but some planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, have very elliptical orbits. UCLA…

Scientists from UNSW Sydney have located a potential new exoplanet — a planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system — using a technique known as ‘transit timing variation’. In research highlighted in a new paper, published today in The…

UC Santa Barbara researchers are working to move cold atom quantum experiments and applications from the laboratory tabletop to chip-based systems, opening new possibilities for sensing, precision timekeeping, quantum computing and fundamental science measurements. “We’re at the tipping point,” said electrical and…

The puzzle of predicting how three gravitationally bound bodies move in space has challenged mathematicians for centuries, and has most recently been popularized in the novel and television show “3 Body Problem.” There’s no problem, however, with what a team of researchers…

For decades, scientists have relied on electrodes and dyes to track the electrical activity of living cells. Now, engineers at the University of California San Diego have discovered that quantum materials just a single atom thick can do the job — using…

Research shows that AI language models, such as ChatGPT, are sensitive to emotional content. Especially if it is negative, such as stories of trauma or statements about depression. When people are scared, it affects their cognitive and social biases: they tend to…

In the race to meet the growing global demand for lithium — a critical component in batteries for electric vehicles — a team of researchers from Rice University’s Elimelech lab has developed a breakthrough lithium extraction method that could reshape the industry.…

An NYU Tandon School of Engineering-led research team has developed a way for self-driving vehicles to share their knowledge about road conditions indirectly, making it possible for each vehicle to learn from the experiences of others even when they rarely meet on…

Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays are the highest-energy particles in the universe, whose energies are more than a million times what can be achieved by humans. But while the existence of UHECRs has been known for 60 years, researchers have not succeeded in…

Novel technology intends to redefine the virtual reality experience by expanding to incorporate a new sensory connection: taste. The interface, dubbed ‘e-Taste’, uses a combination of sensors and wireless chemical dispensers to facilitate the remote perception of taste — what scientists call…

Curtin University researchers have developed a new technique to make glass water-repellent, a feature that could improve safety in vehicles, reduce cleaning costs for buildings and enhance filtration systems. The research, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, shows how an innovative…

What if your electronic devices could adapt on the fly to temperature, pressure, or impact? Thanks to a new breakthrough in downsizing quantum materials, that idea is becoming a reality. In an article published this month in Applied Physics Express, a multi-institutional…

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a groundbreaking titanium-aluminum (Ti-Al)-based superelastic alloy. This new material is not only lightweight but also strong, offering the unique superelastic capability to function across a broad temperature range — from as low as -269°C, the temperature…

Astronomical surveys have discovered nearly 6,000 exoplanets, including many habitable planets, which may harbor liquid water on their surfaces. The search for life on such planets is one of the most significant scientific endeavors of this century, with direct imaging observation projects…

Springtails, smallbugs often found crawling through leaf litter and garden soil, are expert jumpers. Inspired by these hopping hexapods, roboticists in theHarvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have made a walking, jumping robot that pushes the boundaries…

From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields — a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect — supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in…

New observations of 2024 YR4 conducted with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and facilities around the world have all but ruled out an impact of the asteroid with our planet. The asteroid has been closely monitored in the…

Keeping work surfaces clean during meat processing is a challenge. Bacteria from meat can attach, grow, and build up to create a biofilm that is difficult to remove, even on stainless steel surfaces used in industrial facilities. It can also aggregate, clumping…

Using an approach called DNA origami, scientists at Caltech have developed a technique that could lead to cheaper, reusable biomarker sensors for quickly detecting proteins in bodily fluids, eliminating the need to send samples out to lab centers for testing. “Our work…

An international team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Wuhan University and other institutions published a research paper titled “Underlying rules of evolutionary urban systems in Africa” in leading international research journal Nature Cities. From the perspective of complex systems, the…

Scientists have now mapped the forces acting inside a proton, showing in unprecedented detail how quarks — the tiny particles within — respond when hit by high-energy photons. The international team includes experts from the University of Adelaide who are exploring the…

Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly large language models like GPT-4, has shown impressive performance on reasoning tasks. But does AI truly understand abstract concepts, or is it just mimicking patterns? A new study from the University of Amsterdam and the Santa Fe Institute…

Agricultural fertilizers are critical for feeding the world’s population, restoring soil fertility and sustaining crops. Excessive and inefficient use of those resources can present an environmental threat, contaminating waterways and generating greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. Now, researchers reporting in ACS…

Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes, and sometimes two instruments, ingeniously recombined, can accomplish feats that neither could have done on its own. Such is the case with a hybrid microscope, born at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL),…

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and TU Dresden are blurring the lines between robotics and materials, with a proof-of-concept material-like collective of robots with behaviors inspired by biology. “We’ve figured out a way for robots to behave more like a material,” said…

A novel system developed by Janelia researchers that chases larval zebrafish around an arena with predator robots is enabling scientists to understand how these days-old fish quickly learn in the real world. Larval zebrafish are an invaluable tool for neuroscientists, who use…

Rapid, localized heat management is essential for electronic devices and could have applications ranging from wearable materials to burn treatment. While so-called thermoelectric materials convert temperature differences to electrical voltage and vice versa, their efficiency is often limited, and their production is…