Finding could revolutionize electronics, quantum computing. An advance in a topological insulator material — whose interior behaves like an electrical insulator but whose surface behaves like a conductor — could revolutionize the fields of next-generation electronics and quantum computing, according to scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Discovered in the 1980s, a topological material is a new phase of material whose discoverers received a Nobel Prize in 2016. Using only an electric field, ORNL researchers have transformed a normal insulator into a magnetic…
– reliable and real-time thanks to Artificial Intelligence. What about predicting with high certainty whether a component meets the quality requirements even while a machining step is in progress? Artificial Intelligence (AI) makes it possible. The AI solutions developed at Fraunhofer IWU represent an improvement over previous in-line inspection systems, eliminating the need for time-consuming removal for testing purposes. Such quality forecasts during processing can be integrated into many industrial manufacturing processes, often in combination with existing, cost-effective sensors. However,…
… for sustainable & efficient aircraft production at SIAE 2023. Automated machining and assembly of large lightweight structures on a 1:1 scale The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Materials IFAM in Stade, Germany, will present automation solutions for sustainable aircraft production at the International Aerospace Exhibition SIAE (“Paris Air Show”) in Paris-Le Bourget from June 19 to 25, 2023, at the Fraunhofer AVIATION & SPACE booth on the joint booth of the German Aerospace Industries Association, BDLI (Hall 2C…
– resistant to a bacterial disease outbreak in Africa. The “Healthy Crops” international research consortium led by Professor Dr Wolf B. Frommer from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) is developing disease-resistant rice varieties. In the scientific journal eLife, the authors now report on the discovery of a recent bacterial outbreak in Tanzania – and describe how they modified an African rice variety to make it resistant to the pathogen. Bacterial blight of rice, which is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas…
Researchers find natural gene variant that allows barley to flower earlier. A tiny mutation in the genetic material of barley ensures that those plants develop faster and thus flower earlier than established barley varieties. At the same time, plant yields remain the same, a team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) reports in the “Journal of Experimental Botany”. According to the researchers, this is advantageous as the plants could potentially adapt better to the effects of climate change and continue…
Understanding neuronal communication with ultra-thin fiber-based endo-microscope. In order to investigate the activity of neuronal structures as well as the interaction of nerve cells, minimally invasive technologies providing images from delicate deep-brain tissues are required. A new hair-thin endo-microscope, developed by an international team with the participation of Leibniz IPHT, promises extremely gentle in-depth observations. It offers the potential to investigate areas of the brain in great detail and to study the onset and progression of severe neuronal diseases. The…
Microscopic imaging of magnetic fields, enabled by quantum sensing, allows the measurement of the unique magnetic fingerprint of objects. This opens the door for fundamentally new applications in various fields such as materials testing or biomedicine. Fraunhofer IAF has developed an innovative method using fast camera images in the form of an improved wide-field magnetometer. The system offers a unique compromise of sensitivity, resolution and speed. It will be presented at LASER World of QUANTUM 2023 as part of the…
Scott Forth receives $1.6 million grant to explore how chromosomes are segregated during cell division. It is a scary fact that one in two women and one in three men in the United States will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. One of the hallmarks of many cancers is the occurrence of errors during the cell division process called mitosis. Therefore, critical to enhancing treatments or perhaps even finding a cure for cancer and other diseases, is developing…
The aim of proton radiation therapy in fighting cancer is to kill as many tumor cells as possible while also protecting the surrounding healthy tissue. As there is yet no direct method for mapping the beam range during dose delivery, physicians work with safety margins around the tumor that affect the conformity of dose distribution and reduce accurate targeting. Dresden scientists led by Prof. Aswin L. Hoffmann have succeeded in visualizing the proton beam’s trajectory in a fluid-filled phantom using…
Robot is made of metal and yet is soft and flexible. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have developed a magnetically controlled soft medical robot with a unique, flexible structure inspired by the body of a pangolin. The robot is freely movable despite built-in hard metal components. Thus, depending on the magnetic field, it can adapt its shape to be able to move and can emit heat when needed, allowing for functionalities such as selective…
Robots able to accomplish tasks after watching people perform them in any environment. New work from Carnegie Mellon University has enabled robots to learn household chores by watching videos of people performing everyday tasks in their homes. The research could help improve the utility of robots in the home, allowing them to assist people with tasks like cooking and cleaning. Two robots successfully learned 12 tasks including opening a drawer, oven door and lid; taking a pot off the stove;…
… hampered by a lack of accurate simulations of human behavior. Algorithms that accurately reflect the behaviour of road users – vital for the safe roll out of driverless vehicles – are still not available, warn scientists. They say there is “formidable complexity” in developing software that can predict the way people behave and interact on the roads, be they pedestrians, motorists or bike riders. To improve the modelling, a research team led by Professor Gustav Markkula from the Institute…
Princeton researchers used data from NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to deduce that a catastrophic event likely created the prolific Geminids meteoroid stream. The Geminids meteoroids light up the sky as they race past Earth each winter, producing one of the most intense meteor showers in our night sky. Mysteries surrounding the origin of this meteoroid stream have long fascinated scientists because, while most meteor showers are created when a comet emits a tail of ice and dust, the Geminids stem…
The techniques used for this “off-the-shelf” solution can be extended to improve the quality of life for cancer patients facing debilitating side effects from chemotherapy and radiation therapy. FINDINGS Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses, have developed universal donor stem cells that could one day provide lifesaving therapy to children with lethal brain conditions, such as Canavan…
A new material developed by MIT engineers exhibits “record-breaking” vapor absorption. MIT engineers have synthesized a superabsorbent material that can soak up a record amount of moisture from the air, even in desert-like conditions. As the material absorbs water vapor, it can swell to make room for more moisture. Even in very dry conditions, with 30 percent relative humidity, the material can pull vapor from the air and hold in the moisture without leaking. The water could then be heated…
Researchers slow down and scan multiple times individual DNA molecules. EPFL researchers have achieved near-perfect control over the manipulation of individual molecules, allowing them to be identified and characterized with unprecedented precision. Aleksandra Radenovic, head of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology in the School of Engineering, has worked for years to improve nanopore technology, which involves passing a molecule like DNA through a tiny pore in a membrane to measure an ionic current. Scientists can determine DNA’s sequence of nucleotides – which…
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