Vibrating grains might create new designer coatings
This laser ultrasonic setup allows the team to observe vibrations of microscale granular crystals. (Credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington) On the microscale, granular materials interact in remarkably complex ways. That complexity makes them one...
Grime-proof coating repels just about everything
A researcher pours hexadecane oil onto a glass slide with a superomniphobic coating. The petroleum based, highly viscous lubricant slides easily off the slide, opening up applications like self-cleaning windows, ink jet printers, and microfluidic...
Fabric can repair itself and neutralize toxins
(Credit: Penn State Research ) Engineers are developing fabrics for protective suits that not only self-heal but also shield people from toxic materials. They make the fabrics by dipping them in a series of liquids to create layers...
Slow-release hydrogel doses tumors with drugs
An immunotherapy drug embedded in a slow-release hydrogel appears to be highly effective at killing cancer cells, according to new research. STINGel combines a new class of immunotherapy drugs called stimulator of interferon gene (STING)...
Sugar cubes solve big problem with lithium metal batteries
Sugar cubes are a key component of a new substrate that can prevent dendrites from degrading and ultimately destroying lithium metal batteries. Lithium, a soft metal, has the ability to store far more energy than...
Volcanic lakes may hold trove of lithium for batteries
Researchers have found a new method for finding lithium, used in the lithium-ion batteries that power modern electronics, in supervolcanic lake deposits. While most of the lithium used to make batteries comes from Australia and...
Hepatitis-infected kidneys don’t infect transplant recipients
In a small study, doctors have successfully transplanted kidneys infected with hepatitis C into non-infected patients without causing them to contract the disease. “Figuring out how to use these kidneys is a way to do...
Light-activated drugs could kill cancer with fewer side effects
Light-activated cancer drugs that don’t cause the toxic side effects of current chemotherapy treatments are closer to becoming a reality, a new study suggests. Researchers say they now know more about how a pioneering platinum-based...
Scientists control tiny ‘factories’ in engineered cells
Researchers have discovered how to dynamically manage the allocation of essential resources inside engineered cells. The research could advance the potential of synthetically programming cells to combat disease and produce new drugs. They developed a way...
Light-bending gel makes holograms much cheaper
Inexpensive nanoparticles in a gel can replace traditional materials used to create holograms at a much lower cost, researchers report. Holograms can be created by using magnetic fields to alter the path of light, but...
Flu pandemic risk spikes in spring not winter
You might expect that the risk of a new flu pandemic—or worldwide disease outbreak—is greatest at the peak of the flu season in winter, when viruses are most abundant and most likely to spread. Instead,...
DNA is key ingredient in color-changing metamaterial
Researchers have developed a technique for creating new kinds of optical materials and devices that could lead to light-bending and cloaking devices. “Chemists and physicists will be able to build an almost infinite number of new...
There may be at least 5 kinds of depression and anxiety
Researchers have identified five new categories of mental illness that cut across current diagnoses of anxiety and depression. The five categories, which researchers define by their specific symptoms and areas of brain activation, are: tension,...
