Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Chemistry
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills
Recycling plastics is really hard, and usually creates low-quality materials that aren’t good for much. Chemists are trying to change that.
- Tech
A robot arm toting a Venus flytrap can grab delicate objects
By attaching electrodes to the plant’s leaves, researchers found a way to snap its traps shut on command.
- Chemistry
Zinc-air batteries are typically single-use. A new design could change that
Swapping out the electrolyte in zinc-air batteries helps these next-gen power sources last longer.
- Chemistry
A new iron-based catalyst converts carbon dioxide into jet fuel
Jet fuel made from carbon dioxide could one day reduce pollution from air travel.
- Planetary Science
Farming on Mars will be a lot harder than ‘The Martian’ made it seem
Lab experiments developing and testing fake Martian dirt are proving just how difficult it would be to farm on the Red Planet.
- Earth
Technology and natural hazards clash to create ‘natech’ disasters
Hurricanes, wildfires and nature’s other extreme events are increasingly causing damage to infrastructure crucial for safety and communication.
- Tech
A smartwatch app alerts users with hearing loss to nearby sounds
With a new smartwatch app, users who are deaf or hard of hearing can get alerts that an alarm is going off or someone is knocking at the door.
- Astronomy
Turning space images into music makes astronomy more accessible
Music created from telescope data helps people with blindness and visual impairments experience the wonders of astronomy, and could aid research.
- Tech
A new thermometer measures temperature with sound
An acoustic thermometer takes temperature by listening to the faint hum that objects give off when they get hot.
- Neuroscience
Tiny, magnetically controlled robots coax nerve cells to grow connections
Research using microrobots and nerve cells from rats could point to new treatments for people with nerve injuries.
- Tech
A Game Boy look-alike runs on solar panels and button smashes
A new prototype console that looks and feels like the original Game Boy harnesses user-generated energy to run without batteries.
- Computing
How next-gen computer generated maps detect partisan gerrymandering
The U.S. census will trigger a new round of redistricting beginning in 2021. Researchers have developed numerous tests to identify gerrymandering.
