Materials Science
- Physics
How freezing a soap bubble turns it into a ‘snow globe’
Frigid air makes soap bubbles shimmering orbs thanks to surface tension.
- Materials Science
New 3-D printed materials harness the power of bacteria
The three-dimensional materials contain live bacteria and could generate wound dressings or clean up pollutants.
- Materials Science
This material does weird things under pressure
A new metamaterial has a seemingly impossible property: It swells when squeezed.
- Materials Science
Nobel Prize–winning technique illuminates the fibers that set off battery fires
Scientists get a closer look at the filaments that ruin lithium-ion batteries from the inside out.
- Life
A new material may one day keep mussels off piers and boat hulls
Mussels don’t stick to a new lubricant-infused silicone material.
- Tech
Watch this cuttlefish-inspired ‘skin’ morph into a 3-D shape
New silicone material mimics cephalopod shape-shifting for quick camouflage.
- Physics
Jennifer Dionne harnesses light to illuminate nano landscapes
Nanophotonics research by materials scientist Jennifer Dionne could lead to improved drugs, cancer tests or invisibility cloaks.
- Chemistry
Chong Liu one-ups plant photosynthesis
Chong Liu mixes bacteria and inorganics into systems that can generate clean energy better than a leaf.
- Materials Science
Tiny ‘supraballs’ put a new spin on creating long-lasting color
Nano-sized balls of melanin and silica generate durable colors.
- Animals
Animal goo inspires better glue
Researchers are turning to nature to create adhesives that work in the wet environment of the human body.
- Tech
New antennas are up to a hundredth the size of today’s devices
A new type of antenna could be used in tiny electronics for wearable tech, injectable medical devices and more.
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