/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In 2023, EPFL researchers succeeded in sending and storing data using charge-free magnetic waves called spin waves, rather than traditional electron flows. The team from the Lab of Nanoscale Magnetic Materials and Magnonics, led by Dirk Grundler, in the School of Engineering, used radiofrequency signals to excite spin waves enough to reverse the magnetization state of tiny nanomagnets. /news/2025-04-earth-abundant-mineral-sustainable-spintronics.html Condensed Matter Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:04:04 EDT news664790641 New research has uncovered how a simple circadian clock network demonstrates advanced noise-filtering capabilities, enhancing our understanding of how biological circuits maintain accuracy in dynamic natural environments. /news/2025-04-circadian-clocks-robustness-environments.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:22:04 EDT news663949321 A joint research team has successfully demonstrated the complete confinement of mechanical waves within a single resonator—something long thought to be theoretically impossible. Their findings, published on April 3 in Â鶹ÒùÔºical Review Letters, mark a major breakthrough in the century-old mystery of bound states in the continuum (BIC). The team is from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) and Jeonbuk National University. /news/2025-04-century-physics-barrier-scientists-simple.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:32:03 EDT news663589921 Scientists from Skoltech, the Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics, RAS, and other research centers have refined the understanding of how plasma treatment of carbon-based electrodes affects the key characteristics of supercapacitors. These are energy storage devices that complement batteries in electric cars, trains, port cranes, and elsewhere. /news/2025-04-nitrogen-argon-plasma-boosts-carbon.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:19:04 EDT news662897941 In the quest for next-generation energy, sensing, and pigment technologies, semiconducting metal oxides like titanium dioxide (TiOâ‚‚) have emerged as essential materials due to their abundance, stability, and intriguing photophysical properties. But there's a catch: Their surfaces—where most chemical interactions occur—often behave unpredictably, limiting their performance in applications ranging from photocatalysis to solar energy harvesting. /news/2025-03-photoluminescence-nanoscale-insights-surface-metal.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:00:01 EDT news662633633 Foie gras—the fattened liver of ducks or geese—is a French delicacy prized for its rich, buttery flavor. But its production, which involves force-feeding the animals, has led to bans in several countries. /news/2025-03-faux-gras-scientists-craft-ethical.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Sun, 30 Mar 2025 10:10:01 EDT news662126926 A group of Carnegie Mellon University researchers recently devised a method allowing them to create large amounts of a material required to make two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with record high performance. Their paper, published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces in late December 2024, could lead to more efficient and tunable photodetectors, paving the way for the next generation of light-sensing and multifunctional optoelectronic devices. /news/2025-03-tellurium-boosts-2d-semiconductor-faster.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:37:03 EDT news661441021 Biological science is changing the way we harness and manage renewable energy, according to a new study by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU). /news/2025-03-power-green-energy-transition.html Plants & Animals Biotechnology Fri, 14 Mar 2025 08:46:03 EDT news661160761 An international team of researchers has discovered a new method to generate electricity using small plastic beads. By placing these beads close together and bringing them into contact, they generate more electricity than usual. This process, known as triboelectrification, is similar to the static electricity produced when rubbing a balloon against hair. /news/2025-03-scientists-smart-generate-energy-tiny.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:25:03 EDT news660914701 Researchers in Sweden report a green alternative to reduce reliance on mining graphite, the raw source behind the "wonder material" graphene. In the journal Small, researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have developed a reproducible and scalable method for producing graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets from commercial carbon fibers, marking a breakthrough in sustainable nanomaterial synthesis. /news/2025-03-graphene-production-technique-green-alternative.html Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:56:03 EST news660221761 Graphyne is a crystalline form of carbon that is distinct from both diamond and graphite. Unlike diamond, where each atom possesses four immediate neighbors, or graphite, where each atom has three, graphyne's structure combines two-coordinate and three-coordinate carbons. /news/2025-02-graphyne-carbon-potential-electronics.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 28 Feb 2025 13:27:41 EST news659971658 In a study that unlocks exciting possibilities for solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on materials known as perovskites, RIKEN researchers have refined techniques for controlling the optical and electronic properties of perovskite nanocrystals. /news/2025-02-techniques-aligning-nanocrystals-solar-cell.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:48:03 EST news659875682 Discarded food scraps, stray branches, seashells and many other natural materials are key ingredients in a new system that can pull drinkable water out of thin air developed by researchers from The University of Texas at Austin. /news/2025-02-scraps-biomass-based-hydrogel-thin.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:43:04 EST news659720582 Three RIKEN physicists have discovered how tiny tubes of carbon spit out light that is more energetic than the light shone on them. This finding could help to exploit the process in applications such as solar power and biological imaging. /news/2025-02-carbon-nanotubes.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 20 Feb 2025 08:48:04 EST news659263682 A new study led by Rice University materials scientist Lane Martin sheds light on how the extreme miniaturization of thin films affects the behavior of relaxor ferroelectrics—materials with noteworthy energy-conversion properties used in sensors, actuators and nanoelectronics. The findings reveal that as the film shrinks to dimensions comparable to the materials' internal polarization structures, their fundamental properties can shift in unexpected ways. /news/2025-02-miniaturization-thin-uncovers-goldilocks-zone.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:03:10 EST news658508581 Zaps of static electricity might be a wintertime annoyance, but to certain scientists, they represent an untapped source of energy. Using a device called a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy using triboelectric effect static. Many TENGs contain expensive, specially fabricated materials, but one team has instead used inexpensive store-bought tape, plastic and aluminum metal. The researchers report an improved version of their tape-based TENG in ACS Omega. /news/2025-01-generating-electricity-tacky-tape-version.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:38:43 EST news657463120 A research team led by Dr. David Helman from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has developed a novel machine learning model employing hyperspectral imaging to assess the quality of tomatoes before harvest. Hyperspectral images of specific ranges of light wavelengths, known as spectral bands, are used to study objects' properties based on how they reflect light. /news/2025-01-harvest-smarter-harder-machine-tomato.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:55:02 EST news656870101 A combined team of chemists and nano-scientists at Cornell University has developed a wireless microelectronic device powered by light that can convert a well plate into an array of small electrochemical reactors. /news/2025-01-wireless-electrochemical-synthesis-microelectronics-plate.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 09 Jan 2025 13:31:44 EST news655651899 Heat management at the nanoscale has long been a cornerstone of advanced technological applications, ranging from high-performance electronics to quantum computing. Addressing this critical challenge, we have been deeply intrigued by the emerging field of thermotronics, which focuses on manipulating heat flux in ways analogous to how electronics control electric energy. Among its most promising advancements are quantum thermal diodes, which enable directional heat control, and quantum thermal transistors, which regulate heat flow with precision. /news/2024-12-advancing-unidirectional-era-quantum-thermal.html Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:32:36 EST news654514302 Researchers at Rice University have made a meaningful advance in the simulation of molecular electron transfer—a fundamental process underpinning countless physical, chemical and biological processes. The study, published in Science Advances, details the use of a trapped-ion quantum simulator to model electron transfer dynamics with unprecedented tunability, unlocking new opportunities for scientific exploration in fields ranging from molecular electronics to photosynthesis. /news/2024-12-significant-quantum-simulation-molecular-electron.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 20 Dec 2024 16:22:03 EST news653934117 To effectively adapt to change, living organisms rely on their ability to rapidly detect and process sensory information in their surroundings. The sensory information available at a given time continuously changes, which means that it can typically only be observed partially and for a limited amount of time. /news/2024-10-theoretical-framework-biological.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 31 Oct 2024 11:03:43 EDT news649591406 A thermoelectric material that can be used in wearable devices such as smart clothing and maintains stable thermal energy performance even in extreme environments has been developed by a team of Korean researchers. It has dramatically resolved the dilemma of striking the balance between achieving good performance and the mechanical flexibility of thermoelectric materials, which has been a long-standing challenge in the field of thermoelectric materials, and has also proven the possibility of commercialization. /news/2024-10-flexible-thermoelectric-fibers-wearables-stable.html Nanomaterials Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:07:54 EDT news648832071 Antiferromagnets are materials in which the magnetic moments of neighboring atoms are aligned in an alternating pattern, resulting in no net macroscopic magnetism. These materials have interesting properties that could be favorable for the development of spintronic and electronic devices. /news/2024-09-antiferromagnetic-diode-effect-layered-mnbite.html Condensed Matter Sun, 22 Sep 2024 07:30:01 EDT news646053501 Along the shores of East Africa's Lake Victoria, in Kenya, women fisherfolk including those known for being victims of sexual exploitation, are harnessing the Internet of Things (IoT) to help them counter their abusers while enhancing their incomes, writes Joseph Davis Weddi. /news/2024-08-internet-fish-empowering-lake-victoria.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 21 Aug 2024 16:45:06 EDT news643477501 Solar has emerged in recent years as the fastest growing renewable energy source in the United States, spurred in part by great improvements in technology that help turn light from the sun into electricity more efficiently. /news/2024-07-faster-mechanism-energy-conversion-devices.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 09 Jul 2024 10:05:45 EDT news639738342 Recently a super-strain nanoporous material, barium calcium zirconium titanate composition (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 (BCZT) was created, which showcases an extraordinary piezoelectric response (d33 ≈7500 pm V-1) . This value represents an order of magnitude greater than the traditional piezoelectric materials like lead zirconate titanate (PZT). /news/2024-06-breakthrough-nanoporous-material-giant-piezoelectric.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:14:12 EDT news638615649 A team of international scientists led by the University of Ottawa have gone back to the kitchen cupboard to create a recipe that combines organic material and light to create quantum states. /news/2024-06-qa-method-confines-material-hybrid.html Optics & Photonics Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:17:00 EDT news638104614 From the air you breathe to the seafood you eat, marine algae have some involvement—they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis and feed fish and shellfish. One day, marine algae could also be used to make widely available eco-friendly plastics or fuel. /news/2024-06-harvest-acid-seawater-beneficial-algae.html Environment Fri, 14 Jun 2024 11:10:01 EDT news637581701 Scientists at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), have employed artificial intelligence techniques to improve the design and production of nanofibers used in wearable nanofiber acoustic energy harvesters (NAEH). These acoustic devices capture sound energy from the environment and convert it into electrical energy, which can then be applied in useful devices, such as hearing aids. /news/2024-06-nanofibrous-acoustic-energy-harvesters-ai.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Jun 2024 11:03:40 EDT news636631416 In line with global efforts towards sustainability, the development of energy harvesting technologies has become a top research priority. Although renewable energy sources like wind and solar power have recently taken the spotlight, waste heat also stands as a largely untapped source of energy. Using thermoelectric materials, industrial waste heat can be harvested and converted into electrical energy, which can help increase the efficiency of industrial processes. /news/2024-05-carbon-nanotube-yarns-generate-electricity.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 May 2024 16:12:03 EDT news636131519