Graphene: "Miracle material" singled out for COVID conspiracies
Graphene, a Nobel Prize-awarded material with promising applications for greener energy and nanomedicine, has been the topic of much disinformation by coronavirus anti-vaxxers claiming it can be used to "magnetize" and "control" people......»»
Managing space debris through space law
It's becoming increasingly crowded in the orbits around Earth that are popular for space travel. And that's not just due to satellites—there's also more waste material, which is compromising safety. Ph.D. candidate Zhuang Tian is conducting researc.....»»
Angiosperms study provides insights into genome evolution after whole-genome duplications
Whole-genome duplication (WGD, or polyploidy) is a common and frequent occurrence in plants, providing raw genetic material for evolution. Homoeologs (duplicate genes from a WGD) often diverge in expression levels, while some still maintain similar (.....»»
Virtual learning linked to rise in chronic absenteeism, study finds
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of chronic absenteeism have nearly doubled across the nation for students in kindergarten through grade 12......»»
Physicists capture first thickness-dependent transitions in two-dimensional magnetic material
A team of physicists from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Texas Tech University (TTH), and the University of Michigan (UMich), has made an important discovery in the study of van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials, a special class of materials wit.....»»
Adding an alternating magnetic field to layers of twisted graphene creates even more exotic properties
Magnetic fields can engineer flat bands in twisted graphene layers to create a new playground for exotic physics, RIKEN physicists have shown......»»
Optoelectronic diamond device reveals an unexpected phenomenon reminiscent of lightning in slow motion
Diamond is in many ways the ultimate material. Besides its enduring aesthetic value, diamond is also a highly versatile industrial material. While its claim as the hardest substance known to science has been usurped by ultra-rare minerals and newly d.....»»
Combining aesthetics with fire-resistance for improved wood protection
Wood is a popular material for construction and furniture making due to its availability, easy processing, and strong mechanical properties. However, its flammability poses significant risks, particularly in historical buildings......»»
Schools urged to teach children how to spot conspiracies and fake news
Young people are as engaged and interested in current affairs as ever, but social media is siloing their opinions and making fake news hard to spot, and schools are the places to tackle this, according to a conspiracy theory expert......»»
Polymer foam aims to transform oil spill cleanup
University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new material that can absorb more than eight times its weight in oil, offering a new solution in preventing groundwater contamination from spills or accidents. The study, "Fabrication of Triblock El.....»»
Exploring peptide clumping for improved drug and material solutions
Scientists from China have investigated how short peptide chains aggregate together in order to deepen our understanding of the process which is crucial for drug stability and material development......»»
Perception and deception in times of crisis: Characteristics of messages and sources that allow information to spread
The COVID-19 pandemic not only gave us a global health crisis but also an infodemic, a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe the overwhelming flood of information—both accurate and misleading—that inundated media channels.....»»
US: Alaska man busted with 10,000+ child sex abuse images despite his many encrypted apps
Encryption alone won't save you from the feds. Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Yuichiro Chino) The rise in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has been one of the darkest Internet trends, but after years of covering CSAM.....»»
Mark Zuckerberg regrets not pushing back on Biden’s COVID “pressure” campaign
Facebook is "ready to push back" on government takedown requests, Meta CEO says. Enlarge / Mark Zuckerberg. (credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg) After years of bickering with the Biden administration about vacci.....»»
Biomass-based polymer can capture and release CO₂ without high pressure or extreme temperatures
A new, biomass-based material developed by FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers can be used to repeatedly capture and release carbon dioxide......»»
Superconductivity study confirms existence of edge supercurrents
Topological materials are materials that have unusual properties that arise because their wavefunction—the physical law guiding the electrons—is knotted or twisted. Where the topological material meets the surrounding space, the wavefunction must.....»»
Researchers develop high-entropy non-covalent cyclic peptide glass for smart functional materials
Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a sustainable, biodegradable, biorecyclable material: high-entropy non-covalent cyclic peptide (HECP) glass. This innovative glass features.....»»
COVID shot now or later? Just getting it at all is great, officials respond.
As the summer wave peaks, officials are prepping for the coming winter wave. Enlarge / A 13-year-old celebrates getting the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Hartford, Connecticut, on May 13, 2021. (credit: Getty | JOSEPH PRE.....»»
Langbeinites show talents as 3D quantum spin liquids
A 3D quantum spin liquid has been discovered in the vicinity of a member of the langbeinite family. The material's specific crystalline structure and the resulting magnetic interactions induce an unusual behavior that can be traced back to an island.....»»
Unconventional interface superconductor could benefit quantum computing
A multi-institutional team of scientists in the United States, led by physicist Peng Wei at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a new superconductor material that could potentially be used in quantum computing and be a candidate "t.....»»
FDA Approves New Covid Vaccines Amid Summer Surge
The updated vaccines target the currently circulating KP.2 variant......»»