Science
The latest in science news, from the depths of space to the quantum realm.
Camera captures the world as animals see it, with up to 99% accuracy
January 25, 2024
It’s easy to forget that most animals don’t see the world the way humans do. In fact, many perceive colors that are invisible to us. But now, for the first time, scientists have found a way to capture footage as seen by animals, and it's mesmerizing.
Energy
-
WaveRoller sea-floor generator approaches commercial deployment
February 02, 2024Wave energy remains one of the least-exploited clean energy options, with huge potential as part of a green energy grid. Finland's AW Energy is preparing to field a contender at scale – the Waveroller – which sits on the sea bed generating up to 1 MW. -
Quantum dot solar cells break efficiency record, silicon in its sights
January 30, 2024One of the most promising, emerging solar cell technologies has received a major efficiency boost. Engineers at UNIST in South Korea have created quantum dot solar cells with a world record efficiency of 18.1%. -
Battery-free sensor harnesses the power of speech
January 29, 2024Researchers developed a battery-less sensor that reacts to particular sounds, like spoken words, producing vibrational energy to power an electronic device. It could power medical devices like cochlear implants or monitor buildings for faults.
Load More
Medical
-
Could heat therapies relieve depression? Scientists believe so
February 05, 2024People suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) are also more likely to have higher body temperatures, finds the largest study of its kind – and surprisingly, one suggested treatment is to heat the body up even more, with saunas and hot yoga. -
New drug could prevent both eye & kidney complications in diabetics
February 04, 2024Researchers have identified a novel inhibitor drug that, when given to mice, prevented both eye and kidney complications commonly seen in diabetics. Further research is being done to advance the drug to clinical trials. -
New molecule triggers burst of white blood cells to fight infections
February 04, 2024White blood cell numbers can be cut by health conditions or treatments like chemotherapy. Yale scientists have now discovered a molecule that can be given to quickly boost their numbers back up, to help fight off infections without antibiotics.
Load More
Space
-
Earth may actually have once been flat – kinda, a long time ago
February 06, 2024Flat-Earthers might have been right all along – they were just a few billion years late. Scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have found that newly formed planets might take on a flatter shape, before rounding out. -
Huge X-ray image covers half the universe, including a million sources
February 04, 2024Astronomers have mapped out half the universe in X-ray light, using a space telescope called eROSITA. The new map, which contains almost a million X-ray sources, is the basis of dozens of new scientific papers, with many more to come. -
Japan's Moon lander goes into what may be its final sleep as Sun sets
February 01, 2024Japan's SLIM Moon lander has gone back into sleep mode as the Sun sets on its landing site. The robotic spacecraft began to lose power as the lunar day came to its end and it now faces the freezing cold 14-day lunar night, which it may not survive.
Load More
Materials
-
Nano-scale inks could lighten airliners by hundreds of kilograms
January 30, 2024Kobe University researchers have created a new "structural color ink," just 100-200 nanometers thick, that shows bright colors from wide viewing angles, without fading, while weighing less than half a gram per square meter (0.002 oz per square foot). -
Graphene replaces sand to make lighter, stronger concrete
January 28, 2024Thanks to our high demand for concrete, the world may eventually run out of accessible sand. Scientists at Rice University have now shown that substituting graphene can not only save sand, but makes concrete lighter, stronger and tougher. -
Airborne infection risk plummets in face of metal nanoparticle spray
January 25, 2024As recent history proves, airborne respiratory infections are not to be trifled with. Now, a new sprayable coating applied to standard air filters might give us a leg up in the war against the pathogens that cause these diseases.
Load More
Biology
-
In Aussie first, 'Speckles’ the dolphin shows off extremely rare skin
February 05, 2024Scientists have had a career-making moment, capturing on film a dolphin with such a rare skin condition that only five other recorded examples exist. The dramatic black-and-white look, or piebaldism, has never been seen on a dolphin in Australian waters. -
Synthetic microbes gang up to safely smash weeds and fuel wheat growth
February 05, 2024Herbicides were once touted as ‘miracle’ chemicals, but their days may be numbered as researchers work on targeted SynComs, microbial sharp-shooters that can take out weed infestations, enrich soil and, importantly, are safe for us and the environment. -
Using a cell-phone vibrator, team builds a $7 tumor-creation device
February 01, 2024In the hunt for cancer cures, researchers work with structures known as tumor spheroids. A new method of producing these structures has emerged using simple parts, which could lead to the cheap, reliable generation of these valuable research tools.
Load More
Environment
-
Recent mega-hurricanes prompt calls for a new Category 6
February 05, 2024Climate change will trigger stronger storms more often, and the threat may not be properly communicated. Now, scientists at Berkeley Lab suggest there’s room for a Category 6 on the scale – with five storms in the past decade reaching that strength. -
How to decarbonize 85% of all industry using today's technology
February 01, 2024The industrial sector is responsible for about 25% of global CO2 emissions – or about 9.3 billion metric tonnes per year and growing. But a team at the University of Leeds says we don't need to wait for magical new tech to clean most of it up. -
Mushroom-derived membranes may make for greener oil-spill cleanups
January 31, 2024When it comes to cleaning up marine oil spills, it's best if you can use a material that separates the oil from the seawater. Scientists have created a new organic membrane which does exactly that, and it's derived from oyster mushrooms.
Load More
Physics
-
Some stars could swallow black holes – here's how we can find them
December 18, 2023Black holes are famous for gobbling up everything – but could they ever be swallowed whole? A new study suggests stars could capture very small black holes. There might even be a way to find them, and if so, they could help us understand dark matter. -
Tantalum cold spray boosts potential of fusion reactor chambers
December 15, 2023The insides of nuclear fusion reactors are violent and chaotic places. A new cold-spray coating can take the heat and also trap some rogue hydrogen particles at the same time, potentially making for smaller, better plasma chambers. -
Ancient stars may have forged superheavy elements unknown to science
December 10, 2023Scientists have uncovered hints of a world of new elements beyond the periodic table. A new study has found that ancient stars may have been producing extremely heavy elements that remain unknown to science.
Load More
Electronics
-
Eye-tracking window tech tells sightseers about what they're looking at
January 05, 2024If you're on a sightseeing tour in a bus, you really don't want to be looking away from the passing attractions to Google them on your smartphone. The AR Interactive Vehicle Display is intended to help, by showing relevant information on the vehicle's window glass. -
Diamond data storage breakthrough writes and rewrites down to single atom
December 05, 2023Diamond is a promising material for data storage, and now scientists have demonstrated a new way to cram more data onto it, down to a single atom. The technique bypasses a physical limit by writing data to the same spots in different-colored light. -
"Superatomic" material beats silicon for fastest semiconductor ever
October 31, 2023Scientists have found that a “superatomic” material is the fastest and most efficient semiconductor ever. Taking advantage of a tortoise-and-hare mechanism, the new material can transport energy much faster than silicon.
Load More
Quantum Computing
-
Diamond-stretching technique makes qubits more stable and controllable
November 30, 2023Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in quantum communications, thanks to a new diamond-stretching technique they say greatly increases the temperatures at which qubits remain entangled, while also making them microwave-controllable. -
Perovskite LED unlocks next-level quantum random number generation
September 05, 2023Random numbers are critical to encryption algorithms, but they're nigh-on impossible for computers to generate. Now, Swedish researchers say they've created a new, super-secure quantum random number generator using cheap perovskite LEDs. -
Silicon quantum computing surpasses 99% accuracy in three studies
January 19, 2022Three teams of scientists have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable, error-free quantum computers.
Load More