This hair-thin glass microphone can hear electrical sparks before power failures happen

Researchers have created a microphone so thin it looks like a human hair, yet tough enough to survive temperatures as high as 1,000°C. Made entirely...

This computer uses light instead of electricity—and it solves problems faster than quantum machines

Researchers at Queen's University have built a new kind of computer that uses light instead of electricity—and it works at room temperature, stays stable...

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...

Your smartphones could become lifesaving radiation detectors in emergencies

After a nuclear or radiological accident, knowing who has been exposed to radiation—and how much—can save lives. But traditional ways of measuring radiation dose usually...

A one-atom-thick fix could finally unlock diamond electronics

Diamonds are famous for their beauty, but their real superpower may lie in electronics. Beyond sparkle, diamond is one of the toughest and most efficient...

Scientists print the world’s smallest infrared sensors—no silicon required

Engineers have created the smallest fully printed infrared light sensors ever made, opening a new path toward cheaper, smaller, and more flexible infrared technologies. The...

Why cooling chips to −60°c makes etching up to five times faster

After more than ten years of development, engineers have unveiled a new semiconductor etching method that could significantly speed up chip manufacturing while reducing...

Your phone battery is aging every time it charges—and scientists now know why

Batteries power modern life, from smartphones and wireless earbuds to electric vehicles, but anyone who has owned a phone for a few years knows...

Biodegradable electronics may create microplastics, scientists warn

Electronics designed to disappear after use sound like a perfect solution to the world’s growing e-waste problem. Known as transient or biodegradable electronics, these devices...