NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recorded breath-taking new images of the iconic Ring Nebula, also known as Messier 57. The images, released today by an international team of astronomers led by Professor Mike Barlow (UCL, UK) and Dr Nick Cox (ACRI-ST, France), with Professor Albert Zijlstra of The University of Manchester, showcase the nebula’s intricate and ethereal beauty in unprecedented detail, providing scientists and the public with a mesmerizing view of this celestial wonder. For many sky enthusiasts,…
Highlights: Since its inception in 2014, Insilico Medicine has developed multiple AI models for predicting the probability of success of clinical trials focusing on Phase II to Phase III transition probabilities. To validate the models, it pursued three strategies – retrospective, quasi-prospective, and prospective validation. In 2016, it deposited on a preprint server the first date-stamped article with the predictions of clinical trials. The publication titled “Prediction of clinical trials outcomes based on target choice and clinical trial design with…
Biofilms are highly resistant communities of bacteria that pose a major challenge in the treatment of infections. While studying biofilm formation in laboratory conditions has been extensively conducted, understanding their development in the complex environment of the human respiratory tract has remained elusive. A team of researchers led by Alexandre Persat at EPFL have now cracked the problem by successfully developing organoids called AirGels. Organoids are miniature, self-organized 3D tissues grown from stem cells to mimic actual body tissues and…
Discovery inspired by experiments of Einstein and de Haas. A common metal paper clip will stick to a magnet. Scientists classify such iron-containing materials as ferromagnets. A little over a century ago, physicists Albert Einstein and Wander de Haas reported a surprising effect with a ferromagnet. If you suspend an iron cylinder from a wire and expose it to a magnetic field, it will start rotating if you simply reverse the direction of the magnetic field. “Einstein and de Haas’s…
Researchers used ultrafast electron diffraction to image the structure of the pericyclic minimum, the “transition state” of electrocyclic reactions. The Science In chemical reactions, molecules proceed during their transformation from reactants into reaction products through a critical geometry. In chemistry, geometry refers to the arrangement of atoms in a molecule. Scientists often call critical geometry in reactions a transition state. This state has an almost incomprehensibly short lifetime of less than one millionth of one millionth of a second. Scientists recently…
– but shortens their lifespans. Tinkering with the makeup of inexpensive LED lights boosted their brightness and efficiency, but the new lights only lasted a few minutes. Chances are, the screen you’re reading from glows thanks to light-emitting diodes – commonly known as LEDs. This widespread technology provides energy-efficient indoor lighting and increasingly illuminates our computer monitors, TVs, and smartphone screens. Unfortunately, it also requires a relatively laborious and expensive manufacturing process. Hoping to address this shortcoming, Stanford researchers tested…
Fundamental discovery and new technique could lead to better, safer rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power smartphones, electric vehicles and storage for solar and wind energy, among other technologies. They descend from another technology, the lithium-metal battery, that hasn’t been developed or adopted as broadly. There’s a reason for that: While lithium-metal batteries have the potential to hold about double the energy that lithium-ion batteries can, they also present a far greater risk of catching fire or even exploding. Now,…
Hydrogen from electrolysis with renewable energies is considered a key element of the energy transition. By means of catalysts, water is split into its components hydrogen and oxygen. The electrochemical reaction requires precious metals such as platinum, iridium or ruthenium as catalysts. How the recycling of these metals can be improved has been examined for three years by a European research project with the participation of TU Bergakademie Freiberg. “Since the expensive precious metals in electrolysis cells cannot yet be…
CISPA Faculty Dr. Michael Schwarz has been researching side-channel attacks for years. He was involved, among other things, in the discovery of Platypus and Meltdown. These are cyberattacks in which data is stolen via a detour, the so-called side-channel. Side-channel attacks exploit information that the Central Processing Unit (CPU) reveals involuntarily during processing, such as runtime behavior or power consumption. With Collide+Power, Michael Schwarz, his PhD student Lukas Gerlach, and a group of researchers at TU Graz, have now discovered…
Chemical protective suits (CSA) protect against contact with chemical, biological or radioactive substances. The suits easily weigh in at 25 kilograms. New materials and an improved design make them more comfortable to wear. Integrated sensors monitor vital functions. In the event of hazards from chemical, biological or radioactive substances, chemical protective suits (CSA) protect people from physical contact. CSAs consist of breathing apparatus, head protection, carrying frames and the suit itself. This adds up to a weight of around 25…
With a new, user-friendly interface, researchers can quickly design many cellular metamaterial structures that have unique mechanical properties. Engineers are constantly searching for materials with novel, desirable property combinations. For example, an ultra-strong, lightweight material could be used to make airplanes and cars more fuel-efficient, or a material that is porous and biomechanically friendly could be useful for bone implants. Cellular metamaterials — artificial structures composed of units, or cells, that repeat in various patterns — can help achieve these…
…make self-driving cars safer – and cheaper. The combined radar expertise of Fraunhofer IZM is making the sensors needed for self-driving cars not just cheaper, but more reliable and accurate at the same time. The researchers joined a group of industry partners to design a radar system with an angular resolution of below one degree at 180° coverage. One advantage of the system: Autonomous cars need fewer than half of the radars they need nowadays. This feat was made possible…
Earth’s earliest history still holds mysteries for geologists, and ancient craters could provide some answers — scientists are racing against time to find them. Earth’s oldest craters could give scientists critical information about the structure of the early Earth and the composition of bodies in the solar system as well as help to interpret crater records on other planets. But geologists can’t find them, and they might never be able to, according to a new study. The study was published…
The new technique uses laser pulses to slice diamond into thin wafers, paving the way for its adoption as a next-generation semiconductor material. Silicon-based materials are currently the undisputed leaders in the field of semiconductors. Even so, scientists around the world are actively trying to find superior alternatives for next-generation electronics and high-power systems. Interestingly, diamonds are among the most promising materials for applications such as fast telecommunications and power conversion in electric vehicles and power plants. Despite their attractive…
Using AR glasses for online lectures. Online offers by universities are mostly limited to playing back videos of lecturers’ presentations. There aren’t any opportunities for direct interaction. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI, want to change that with their VoluProf project. This project involves 32 cameras recording the lecturer’s presentation from all angles. The video data is used to generate a photo-realistic animated avatar that appears lifelike via AR glasses, and can even answer questions. Almost all…
Terahertz measurement system for slush skins. According to the Government Statistics Office, more than 358,000 people were injured in traffic accidents in Germany in 2022. Airbags often prevent more serious injuries. They are hidden behind a plastic panel called a slush skin. For the skin to tear open along the right lines, it is perforated meticulously after manufacture. For the airbag to fully deploy in an emergency, the material and the intended tear lines must be matched as closely as…
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