Synthetic biologists design transcriptional circuits that allow single-cell microbes to form networks that spur collective action, even in large communities. The work could lead to engineered microbes that treat conditions in gut microbiomes or communicate with bioelectronics.
Read moreSensitive synthetic skin enables robots to sense their own bodies and surroundings – a crucial capability if they are to be in close contact with people. Inspired by human skin, a team has developed a system combining artificial skin with control algorithms and used it to create the first autonomous humanoid robot with full-body artificial skin.
Read moreScientists have investigated a simple biomimetic light-harvesting system using advanced spectroscopy combined with a microfluidic platform. The double-walled nanotubes work very efficiently at low light intensities, while they are able to get rid of excess energy at high intensities. These properties are useful in the design of novel materials for the harvesting and transport of photon energy.
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This year's Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth's place in the cosmos," with one half to James Peebles "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology" and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star."
Scientists have synthesized magnetically-doped quantum dots that capture the kinetic energy of electrons created by ultraviolet light before it's wasted as heat.
Read moreAccurately measuring frequencies of light is required for timekeeping and many science experiments and technologies. Frequency combs, invented in 2000, are used to complete these measurements. However, most of them are large and cumbersome. In 2009, researchers developed a way to make much smaller combs, but they came with their own challenges. New research finds that a novel way of generating frequency combs could address these challenges, leading to compact frequency combs with untold applications.
Read moreA research team develops an eco-friendly device that uses solar energy to catalyze an electrochemical oxidation reaction with high efficiency.
Read moreThe cryptocurrency Bitcoin is limited by its astronomical electricity consumption and outsized carbon footprint. A nearly zero-energy alternative sounds too good to be true, but as a professor explains, it all comes down to our understanding of what makes transactions secure.
Read moreA group of researchers developed a highly sensitive rectifying element in the form of a nanowire backward diode, which can covert low-power microwaves into electricity. The new technology is expected that the newly-developed nanowire backward diode will be applied in using plentiful ambient radio wave energy in 5G communications, serving as a stable power source of sensors and contributing to battery-free sensors.
Read moreBeing able to accurately forecast how much solar energy reaches the surface of the Earth is key to guiding decisions for running solar power plants and new work looks to provide a standard of reference to the field. A researcher proposes an improved way to assess day-ahead solar forecasting, which combines two popular reference methods for weather forecasting, namely persistence and climatology. His approach provides a new way to gauge the skill of a forecaster.
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