Lasers, devices that emit light in one direction, with photons traveling at one specific frequency and all with the same phase (coherent), govern the way we communicate today. Although lasers are known to most people as little torches emitting high purity color beams, the workhorse of lasers is actually in the infrared part of spectrum, where our eyes cannot see. The reason for this is that optical fibers are highly transparent to the infrared (1.3-1.6 um), allowing efficient optical transmission…
A team from Bristol’s Quantum Engineering labs has shown how to protect qubits from errors using photons in a silicon chip. Quantum computers are gaining pace. They promise to provide exponentially more computing power for certain very tricky problems. They do this by exploiting the peculiar behaviour of quantum particles, such as photons of light. However, quantum states of particles are very fragile. The quantum bits, or qubits, that underpin quantum computing pick up errors very easily and are damaged…
New telescope will see planetary neighbors’ atmospheres. When the world’s most powerful telescope launches into space this year, scientists will learn whether Earth-sized planets in our ‘solar neighborhood’ have a key prerequisite for life — an atmosphere. These planets orbit an M-dwarf, the smallest and most common type of star in the galaxy. Scientists do not currently know how common it is for Earth-like planets around this type of star to have characteristics that would make them habitable. “As a…
Researchers have developed a clean and cost-effective way to upcycle used plastic, transforming it into valuable nanomaterials and high-quality fuel. Key points New tech produces carbon nanotubes and clean liquid fuel from used plastic Smart solution for upcycling plastic and agricultural waste simultaneously Circular economy approach to help turn two massive waste streams into genuine revenue Globally only about 20% of waste plastics are recycled. Boosting that figure remains a challenge as recycling plastic cleanly can be expensive and usually…
Single-use diagnostic tests often aren’t practical for health professionals or patients in resource-limited areas, where cost and waste disposal are big concerns. So, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have turned to a surprising material, Tootsie Roll® candy, to develop an inexpensive and low-waste device. The candy was used as an electrode, the part of the sensor that detects salt and electrolyte levels in saliva, to monitor ovulation status or kidney health. Disposable test strips have advanced the speed and accuracy…
Mercury is released by coal combustion and mining activities to the atmosphere as a gaseous pollutant. Following global dispersal, mercury deposits partly to the ocean where it accumulates within the marine food chain—with grave consequences for human health and nutrition. A new study published in Nature on 29 September 2021 reveals that, contrary to earlier hypotheses, rainwater is not the primary deposition vector of this mercury; rather, the ocean breathes mercury, so to speak.1 This research also suggests that the…
Scientists develop a convenient approach to spot microscopic scratches on transparent surfaces using a laser and a polarization camera. Transparent materials have become an essential component in a wide variety of technological applications, ranging from everyday electronics like tablets and smartphones to more sophisticated uses in solar panels, medicine, and optics. Just as for any other product to be mass-produced, quality control is important for these materials, and several techniques have been developed to detect microscopic scratches or imperfections. One…
University of Delaware research yields new clues into potential impact of diet on Alzheimer’s. Worms don’t wiggle when they have Alzheimer’s disease. Yet something helped worms with the disease hold onto their wiggle in Professor Jessica Tanis’s lab at the University of Delaware. In solving the mystery, Tanis and her team have yielded new clues into the potential impact of diet on Alzheimer’s, the dreaded degenerative brain disease afflicting more than 6 million Americans. A few years ago, Tanis and…
Sequencing multiple RNA base modifications simultaneously. Researchers from Osaka University have been able to simultaneously detect two types of microRNA modification while sequencing single RNA molecules. After a gene is transcribed into RNA, modifications can occur to the subunits or “bases” that make up the RNA molecule, which can affect its structure and function. The study of these changes is known as “epitranscriptomics.” These base modifications can occur to most types of RNA molecule, including microRNAs. Now, a research group…
Printing metals onto cloth makes for comfortable, low-cost, and effective biosensors. Bioelectrical sensors on the skin can be used to measure electrical signals in the body, like heart activity and muscle contraction. While that provides valuable information for clinicians, current bioelectrical sensor technology can be ineffective, uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult to manufacture. In APL Materials, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Utah and Gyeongsang National University in South Korea have developed a bioelectrical sensor that is convenient and…
MHH in charge of new hepatitis guideline Viral and non-viral liver diseases are often detected late or not at all. As the symptoms are mostly unspecific, the disease progresses in secret and is only diagnosed when the stage of liver cirrhosis or liver cell cancer is reached. In order to detect and treat infections with hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses as early as possible, the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, G-BA) has included screening for both viruses as a…
Chemists at the University of Jena are developing a way of melting normally unmeltable metal-organic framework compounds – so-called MOFs. This allows the melt-based production of glass components for applications in energy and environmental technology. Glasses are an indispensable part of everyday life. One of the most important reasons for this is that glass objects can be manufactured almost universally and inexpensively in a wide variety of shapes and sizes using their corresponding melts. Processing in the (viscous) liquid phase…
Researchers at Texas A&M have fine-tuned the process for creating defect-free metal parts using a laser bed powder fusion 3D printing technique. In the last few decades, metal 3D printing has spearheaded the efforts in creating custom parts of intricate shapes and high functionality. But as additive manufacturers have included more alloys for their 3D printing needs, so have the challenges in creating uniform, defect-free parts. A new study by Texas A&M University researchers has further refined the process of…
Strongest and toughest glass known developed by McGill University scientists. Scientists from McGill University develop stronger and tougher glass, inspired by the inner layer of mollusk shells. Instead of shattering upon impact, the new material has the resiliency of plastic and could be used to improve cell phone screens in the future, among other applications. While techniques like tempering and laminating can help reinforce glass, they are costly and no longer work once the surface is damaged. “Until now there…
– new and early detection method for side effects on the heart muscle. Novel immunotherapies with “checkpoint inhibitors” (immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI)) have revolutionized the treatment of cancer in recent years and led to improved therapy results. The therapy is designed to “unleash” the patient’s own immune system so that cancer cells can be better recognized and attacked. A study by an interdisciplinary group of researchers at Bonn University Hospital (UKB) has shown that the novel cancer therapy can subclinically…
Experiments will give scientists a closer look at how exploding stars create world’s heaviest elements. How do the chemical elements, the building blocks of our universe, get built? This question has been at the core of nuclear physics for the better part of a century. At the beginning of the 20th century, scientists discovered that elements have a central core or nucleus. These nuclei consist of various numbers of protons and neutrons. Now, scientists at Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope…
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