Detecting nanoplastics in fractions of a second using modified Raman spectroscopy
Microplastics are tiny, barely visible plastic particles that can harm the environment, for example, if they are eaten by animals. However, it has been difficult to assess the effect of even smaller particles, which can hardly be detected using conve.....»»
Achieving UV nonlinearity with a wide bandgap semiconductor waveguide
The field of ultrafast nonlinear photonics has now become the focus of numerous studies, as it enables a host of applications in advanced on-chip spectroscopy and information processing. The latter in particular requires a strongly intensity-dependen.....»»
After Years of Detecting Land Mines, A Heroic Rat Is Hanging Up His Sniffer
A heroic rat named Magawa is retiring from sniffing out dozens of land mines in Cambodia for the last five years. NPR reports: Magawa is a Tanzanian-born African giant pouched rat who was trained by APOPO to sniff out explosives. With careful trainin.....»»
The biodegradable battery that"s 3D printed, disposable and made of paper
The fabrication device for the battery revolution looks quite unconspicuous: It is a modified, commercially available 3D printer, located in a room in the Empa laboratory building. But the real innovation lies within the recipe for the gelatinous ink.....»»
Stripes give away Majoranas
Majorana particles have been getting bad publicity: a claimed discovery in ultracold nanowires had to be retracted. Now Leiden physicists open up a new door to detecting Majoranas in a different experimental system, the Fu-Kane heterostructure, they.....»»
Novel SERS sensor helps to detect aldehyde gases
Prof. Huang Qing's group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) gas sensor to detect aldehyde with high sensitivity and selectivity, which provided a new detection method for study.....»»
Instagram pivots to include more news content in feeds after backlash over Palestinian censorship
After facing some criticism over what users perceived to be a muffling of new information from the Israeli-Palestinian border, Instagram has modified the algorithm curating newsfeeds to include more news content than before......»»
Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time
For some 30 years, scientists have used superconducting materials to record the tiniest specks of light imaginable—individual photons, or single particles of light. However, these detectors, which consist of ultracold wires only about one-thousandt.....»»
Researchers model new method of generating gamma-ray combs
Skoltech researchers used the resources of the university's Zhores supercomputer to study a new method of generating gamma-ray combs for nuclear and X-ray photonics and spectroscopy of new materials. The paper was published in the journal Physical Re.....»»
Xiaomi Shows Off Phone That Can Charge To 100% In 8 Minutes
Xiaomi's at it again: The company's new fast charging technology can get a smartphone from 0 to 100 percent battery in less than 8 minutes. From a report: The 200W wired charging tech, used on a modified Xiaomi MI 11 Pro with a 4,000mAh battery, gets.....»»
Genetically modified salmon head to US dinner plates
The inaugural harvest of genetically modified salmon began this week after the pandemic delayed the sale of the first such altered animal to be cleared for human consumption in the United States, company officials said......»»
Effects of nanoplastics on Canadian and Guadeloupean oysters
Oysters' exposure to plastics is concerning, particularly because these materials can accumulate and release metals which are then absorbed by the mollusks. According to a recent study published in the journal Chemosphere, the combined presence of na.....»»
Shedding new light: A new type of immunosensor for immunoassay tests
Immunosensors are widely used in immunoassays to detect antigens. One such immunosensor is a quenchbody (Q-body), which contains a modified antibody fragment with a quenched fluorescent dye. When an antigen binds to the Q-body, the dye leaves the ant.....»»
Crops can adapt to grow in the shade
After detecting the proximity of vegetation, some plants, including most of the crops we eat, can plan for conditions of shade in their surroundings and modify their structure and growth to prosper with less light. This has been verified by a researc.....»»
Detecting organic salts on Mars is key to finding evidence of life there
Finding evidence there was once life on Mars isn't as simple a flipping open a tricorder to scan for life signs. It's a matter of careful, painstaking research......»»
Sniffing Labrador retrievers join Thai coronavirus fight
Thailand has started deploying a canine virus-detecting squad in hopes of quickly identifying people with COVID-19 as the country faces a surge in cases, with clusters at construction sites, crowded slum communities and large markets......»»
The first electric Popemobile will be a Fisker Ocean SUV
Fisker Inc., the EV startup-turned publicly traded company, is working on a modified version of its all-electric Ocean SUV for Pope Francis. The company said Friday that it plans to deliver to the Vatican late next year a Popemobile based on its upco.....»»
Novel Raman method captures target molecules in small gaps actively
Recently, Professor Yang Liangbao, from the Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), developed a general surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method for actively capturing target molecules in sma.....»»
Survival of migrating juvenile salmon depends on stream flow thresholds
Juvenile salmon migrating to the sea in the Sacramento River face a gauntlet of hazards in an environment drastically modified by humans, especially with respect to historical patterns of stream flow. Many studies have shown that survival rates of ju.....»»
Nuclear terrorism could be intercepted by neutron-gamma detector that pinpoints source
Scanning technology aimed at detecting small amounts of nuclear materials was unveiled by scientists in Sweden today, with the hope of preventing acts of nuclear terrorism......»»
First Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in U.S. Are Hatching Now
As Aedes aegypti mosquitoes increase their range because of warming climate, genetic manipulation of the disease-carrying species could gain wider appeal -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»