Scientists create new composite that makes brittle ceramics bend, not break
Ceramics are known for being extremely strong and heat-resistant, but they also have a major weakness: they break easily.
Metals, on the other hand, can...
Scientists build a copper material that stays the same size at any temperature
In many high-precision technologies, even tiny temperature changes can cause serious problems.
Optical instruments, cryogenic systems, and sensitive sensors all rely on materials that do...
Engineers find a way to watch desalination membranes clog in real time
As freshwater shortages worsen around the world, desalination—turning seawater into drinkable water—is becoming increasingly important.
But the technology that powers most desalination plants has a...
Scientists create brain-like device that remembers for hours and then decomposes
Scientists in South Korea have created an artificial synapse that works with extremely low energy, remembers information for an unusually long time, and naturally...
This stretchable invisibility cloak hides objects even as they move
In the Harry Potter stories, an invisibility cloak can hide a person even while they walk, bend, or run.
In the real world, scientists have...
This shape-shifting wheel could help robots explore the moon’s hidden caves
Exploring the Moon’s surface is challenging enough, but reaching what lies beneath it is even harder.
Deep pits and long lava tubes on the Moon...
Why some rotating machines waste the most energy at a specific speed
Many machines we rely on every day—from industrial mixers and cooling systems to power transmission devices—use rotating parts to move liquids.
In many real-world systems,...
We think of mushrooms as food. But mycelium-based blocks could be the future of...
When mushrooms make the news, it's often for grim reasons—a mysterious poisoning, toxic species in the bush, or high-profile court cases.
But the mushroom itself...
Scientists create smart fabrics that defy physics and absorb impact
Most of us expect materials to behave in a familiar way. When you pull on fabric, it stretches longer and becomes thinner.
This is true...
Why the next generation of robots will have tendons instead of motors
At the Soft Robotics Lab at ETH Zurich, the scene looks less like a traditional engineering workshop and more like a child’s playroom mixed...