Lego-like smart material lets robots change stiffness like living tissue
Robots are usually built from materials with fixed properties.
Once a robot is assembled, its stiffness, flexibility and movement patterns are largely locked in.
Engineers at...
Batteries made from “rust” could be cleaner, cheaper, and surprisingly powerful
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smartphones to electric cars, but they rely on materials that raise environmental and ethical concerns.
Metals like nickel and cobalt...
MIT engineers turn recycled plastic bottles into strong 3D-printed home frames
The plastic bottle you toss into the recycling bin today might one day help hold up the floor of a house.
Engineers at MIT are...
A one-atom-thick filter may revolutionize natural gas purification
growing role.
Both fuels are mainly made of methane, which burns more cleanly than coal or oil and is widely used for heating, electricity generation...
This mysterious particle may be proof that black holes can explode
In 2023, physicists detected something that should not have existed: a single subatomic particle called a neutrino carrying an almost unimaginable amount of energy.
This...
How microbes on rock surfaces control groundwater chemistry
Far below the Earth’s surface, deep inside cracks and pores in solid rock, vast communities of microorganisms are quietly at work.
These microscopic organisms are...
Scientists achieve near-perfect light transmission on silicon chips
Optical fiber quietly powers much of the modern world.
It carries internet traffic across oceans and cities with astonishing efficiency, letting light travel kilometers with...
This 4D-printed smart skin can transform its shape and reveal hidden images
Most synthetic materials are made to do just one or two things. Once they are created, their properties rarely change.
A research team at Penn...
Safer plastics ahead: Scientists make polyurethane without toxic chemicals
Polyurethane is one of the most widely used plastics in the world.
It appears in everything from furniture foam and insulation to coatings, adhesives, and...
Why one of Earth’s most common ocean bacteria is surprisingly fragile
One of the most abundant living organisms on Earth may also be one of the most vulnerable.
A group of ocean bacteria known as SAR11,...
This nickel catalyst could change how drugs and materials are made
Chemists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new class of nickel catalysts that could significantly change how important chemicals are made.
The...
Sponge-like gold shows powerful new light and electron effects
Gold is best known for its shine and value, but in modern science it is also an important high-tech material.
New research shows that by...
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Scientists find why deep-sea dragonfish has transparent teeth
A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego have discovered what's responsible for making the teeth of the deep-sea dragonfish...
Scientists unravel the mystery of unusual neutron star system
After more than two decades, an international research team has identified a galactic mystery source of gamma rays: a heavy neutron star with a...
U.S. bee apocalypse? Scientists uncover cause behind massive hive loss
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) believe they have uncovered the cause behind a massive and alarming collapse of honey bee colonies...
Scientists find cool uses for hair waste
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the hair that ends up in your hairbrush? It seems like not much, right?
Well, researchers at...
Scientists unravel the cycle of “forever chemicals”
A recent investigation by the team at Stockholm University has shed new light on the behavior of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as...