Shape-shifting materials with infinite possibilities
Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any possible shape, paving the way for a new type of multifunctional material that could be.....»»
The effects of climate variability on children"s migration and childcare practices in sub-Saharan Africa
Shifting weather caused by climate change, especially drought and heat, is linked to a rise in the number of children being raised outside of their biological parents' households in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study led by researchers at Penn.....»»
Materials follow the "Rule of Four," but scientists don"t know why yet
Scientists are normally happy to find regularities and correlations in their data—but only if they can explain them. Otherwise, they worry that those patterns might just be revealing some flaw in the data itself, so-called experimental artifacts......»»
LA"s water supplies are in good shape: But is the city ready for the next drought?
California's second wet winter in a row has left L.A's water supplies in good shape for at least another year, but the inevitable return to dry conditions could once again put the city's residents in a precarious position......»»
New device harnesses sweat power for fitness trackers
A small amount of sweat could be all that's needed to power fitness trackers of the future, new research led by Deakin University's Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) reveals......»»
Capturing DNA origami folding with a new dynamic model
Most people are familiar with the DNA double-helix. Its twisted ladder shape forms because the long pieces of DNA that make up our genome are exactly complementary—every adenine paired to a thymine, and every cytosine paired to a guanine. Sequences.....»»
Thermal properties of new 2D materials for microchips can now be measured well
Making ever smaller and more powerful chips requires new ultrathin materials: 2D materials that are only 1 atom thick, or even just a couple of atoms. Think about graphene or ultra-thin silicon membrane for instance......»»
Vibrations of granular materials: Theoretical physicists shed light on an everyday scientific mystery
Coffee beans in a jar and piles of rice or sand are examples of granular matter: materials composed of large numbers of macroscopic—rather than atomic scale—particles. Although granular matter is extremely familiar in everyday life, it represents.....»»
Researchers identify genetic variant that helped shape human skull base evolution
Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull. The evolutionary changes underlying these features were significant in allowing the evolution o.....»»
Atom-by-atom: Imaging structural transformations in 2D materials
Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism.....»»
Dual-beamline photoelectron momentum microscopy upgrade advances valence orbital analysis
The world's first dual-beamline photoelectron momentum microscope has been developed at the UVSOR Synchrotron Facility, Japan. This innovative experimental station brings breakthroughs in studying the behavior of electrons in materials governing mate.....»»
A new spin on materials analysis: Benefits of probing electron spin states at much higher resolution and efficiency
Electron spin states can now be probed at much higher resolution and more efficiently, opening new opportunities in materials analysis and data processing technologies......»»
A powerful technique for tracking a protein"s fleeting shape changes
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a powerful, new technique to generate "movies" of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second......»»
Spintronics: A new path to room temperature swirling spin textures
In some materials, spins form complex magnetic structures within the nanometer and micrometer scale in which the magnetization direction twists and curls along specific directions. Examples of such structures are magnetic bubbles, skyrmions, and magn.....»»
New plastic coating discovery gives greater functionality to 3D printing
Scientists and engineers have developed a new coating for plastic particles that are used in 3D printing, which significantly increases their functionality and opens up new possibilities for commercial application......»»
From defects to order: Spontaneously emerging crystal arrangements in perovskite halides
Perovskites are among the most extensively studied materials in modern materials science. Their often unique and exotic properties, which stem from perovskite's peculiar crystal structure, could find revolutionary applications in various cutting-edge.....»»
New research could enable more—and more efficient—synthesis of metastable materials
Ion exchange is a powerful technique for converting one material to another when synthesizing new products. In this process, scientists know what reactants lead to what products, but how the process works—the exact pathway of how one material can b.....»»
Nissan"s new "game changer" solid-state EV battery plant takes shape
Nissan is quickly constructing its first plant to start pilot production of breakthrough solid-state batteries next March, stepping closer to a technology the Japanese carmaker calls a “game changer” for next-generation EVs it plans to introduce.....»»
Research revives 1800s photos
Researchers from Western University developed techniques for creating images from old, badly tarnished photographs. These techniques could also be used to study other historic artifacts and fossils and prevent corrosion in modern materials......»»
Researchers control quantum properties of 2D materials with tailored light
A team of scientists has developed a method that harnesses the structure of light to twist and tweak the properties of quantum materials. Their results, published today in Nature, pave the way for advancements in next generation quantum electronics,.....»»
A rechargeable nanotorch: Afterglow luminescence imaging tracks cell-based microrobots in real time
An afterglow luminescent nanoprobe opens up new possibilities for imaging living cells. As a research team reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, their new "nanotorch" can continue to luminesce for more than 10 days after a s.....»»