/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Our everyday lives are so riddled with electronics that we hardly notice them anymore. When we casually reach for our smartphone, we rarely think about how complex this device is. Hundreds of tiny components work together within it—each of them a high-precision masterpiece of engineering. /news/2025-06-electron-shower-technique-advanced-piezoelectric.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:13:04 EDT news668344381 Researchers have detailed the physics behind a phenomenon that allows them to create spin in liquid droplets using ultrasound waves, which concentrates solid particles suspended in the liquid. The discovery will allow researchers to engineer technologies that make use of the technique to develop applications in fields such as biomedical testing and drug development. /news/2025-05-physics-advance-solid-liquid.html Soft Matter Wed, 21 May 2025 11:37:03 EDT news667046221 A research team led by Dr. Lim Sang-kyu in DGIST's Department of Energy and Environmental Technology has developed a smart fiber sensor that can detect natural disasters such as landslides in real time. The new fiber is based on piezoelectric technology, which converts pressure into electricity. Its three-dimensional (3D) structure dramatically improves performance, facilitating the implementation of a self-powered sensor system that can operate without an external power source. /news/2025-05-high-piezoelectric-fiber-sensor-real.html Nanomaterials Mon, 19 May 2025 11:50:10 EDT news666874206 The use of light signals to connect electronic components is a key element of today's data communication technologies, because of the speed and efficiency that only optical devices can guarantee. Photonic integrated circuits, which use photons instead of electrons to encode and transmit information, are found in many computing technologies. Most are currently based on silicon—a good solution because it is already used for electronic circuits, but with a limited bandwidth. /news/2025-05-pockels-effect-advance-optoelectronic-technology.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Wed, 07 May 2025 15:20:14 EDT news665850002 Wurtzite-structured crystals, characterized by their hexagonal symmetry, are widely valued for their unique electronic and piezoelectric properties—their ability to generate an electric charge when subjected to mechanical stress. Among these, gallium nitride (GaN), a key material in blue light-emitting diodes, and aluminum nitride (AlN), used in high-frequency radio frequency (RF) filters in smartphones, are prominent examples. These materials play a crucial role in advanced semiconductors, sensors, and actuators. /news/2025-04-wurtzite-mgsin-thin-electronic-properties.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:17:04 EDT news665241421 Ultrasound imaging is one of the most widely used diagnostic tools in modern medicine. Behind its noninvasive magic lies a class of materials known as piezoelectric single crystals, which can convert electrical signals into mechanical vibrations and vice versa. /news/2025-04-real-visualization-nanoscale-domain-response.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:40:02 EDT news664540162 A research team at Clarkson University has developed a method to effectively destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on spent sorbents, addressing a critical environmental challenge. /news/2025-04-solvent-free-method-destroy-pfas.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 10 Apr 2025 04:36:08 EDT news663478564 Researchers from Tsinghua University, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the University of Wollongong (Australia), and the Hefei Institutes of Â鶹ÒùÔºical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have achieved an ultrahigh electrostrain of 1.9% in (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. /news/2025-03-high-electrostrain-free-piezoceramics.html Condensed Matter Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:31:02 EDT news661087861 Are subterranean lifeforms viable on Mars? A new interpretation of Martian seismic data by scientists Ikuo Katayama of Hiroshima University and Yuya Akamatsu of Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics suggests the presence of water below the surface of Mars. "If liquid water exists on Mars," Katayama says, "the presence of microbial activity" is possible. /news/2025-03-seismic-clues-marsquakes-liquid-life.html Planetary Sciences Sat, 08 Mar 2025 05:35:51 EST news660634545 From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields—a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect—supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields. /news/2025-02-illuminates-path-superior-electro-optic.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:11:08 EST news659722252 While most multiferroics can't operate above room temperature, a team of researchers at Tohoku University demonstrated that terbium oxide Tb2(MoO4)3 works as a multiferroic even at 160°C. /news/2025-01-multiferroic-material-function-160c-doors.html Condensed Matter Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:33:04 EST news657534782 A unique propagation phenomenon of acoustic waves has been discovered, paving the way for developing advanced communication technologies using acoustic devices. /news/2025-01-acoustic-phenomenon.html Nanophysics Wed, 29 Jan 2025 09:34:51 EST news657365688 Researchers have developed a new method for quickly detecting and identifying very low concentrations of gases. The new approach, called coherently controlled quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy, could form the basis for highly sensitive real-time sensors for applications such as environmental monitoring, breath analysis and chemical process control. /news/2025-01-photoacoustic-spectroscopy-approach-real-gas.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:00:01 EST news655551994 In a new study published in Nature, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and collaborators show that the efficacy of a commonly used piezoelectric ceramic material can be dramatically increased just by reducing its thickness and by preventing atomic defects inadvertently formed during manufacturing. /news/2025-01-small-boost-efficacy-piezoceramics.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Jan 2025 09:50:03 EST news655638601 Numerous memory types for computing devices have emerged in recent years, aiming to overcome the limitations imposed by traditional random access memory (RAM). Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) is one such memory type which offers several advantages over conventional RAM, including its non-volatility, high speed, increased storage capacity and enhanced endurance. /news/2025-01-smarter-memory-generation-ram-energy.html Condensed Matter Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:56:47 EST news655466203 To a leaf, a falling raindrop is equivalent in mass to a bowling ball dropping on a person—so how does the leaf survive? New research elucidates the raindrop's impact and the physical dynamics that help the leaf respond, with potential applications for agriculture and renewable-energy harvesting. /news/2024-12-resilience-raindrops-insights-energy-harvesting.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Soft Matter Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:38:03 EST news654183481 Developing reliable methods to replace dead or damaged tissue is one of the primary goals of regenerative medicine. With steady advances in tissue engineering and biomedicine, scientists are almost at a point where growing cell sheets in the lab and transplanting them onto damaged or diseased organs is becoming a reality rather than fiction. /news/2024-12-scientists-ultrasound-based-technique-tool.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 05 Dec 2024 09:53:26 EST news652614800 A discovery by an international team of scientists has revealed room-temperature ferroelectric and resistive switching behaviors in single-element tellurium (Te) nanowires, paving the way for advancements in ultrahigh-density data storage and neuromorphic computing. /news/2024-11-tellurium-nanowires-potential-room-temperature.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 29 Nov 2024 11:51:17 EST news652103473 Researchers at University of Limerick in Ireland have developed a new method of growing organic crystals that can be used for energy-harvesting applications. /news/2024-11-method-generating-eco-friendly-energy.html Condensed Matter Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:56:13 EST news651254168 A team of physicists at ETH Zürich has built the first-ever working mechanical qubit. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their novel idea for creating such a qubit and how well it has worked during testing. /news/2024-11-physicists-fully-mechanical-qubit.html Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Fri, 15 Nov 2024 10:10:01 EST news650885412 Amidst the ongoing surge in demand for bio-MEMS, wearable/implantable electronics and bio-tissue therapeutics, the pursuit of piezoelectric biomaterials has become a priority, thanks to their remarkable electromechanical properties, biocompatibility, and bioresorbability. /news/2024-11-high-thermal-electric-aerosol-piezoelectric.html Nanomaterials Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:25:43 EST news650564736 Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and at the University of Magdeburg in Germany have developed a novel type of nanomechanical resonator that combines two important features: high mechanical quality and piezoelectricity. This development could open doors to new possibilities in quantum sensing technologies. /news/2024-11-high-quality-nanomechanical-resonators-built.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:15:04 EST news650013301 In the context of sensory modalities, eyes work like tiny antennae, picking up light, electromagnetic waves traveling at blistering speeds. When humans look at the world, their eyes catch these waves and convert them into signals the brain reads as colors, shapes, and movement. It's a seamless process, that allows people to see details clearly even when there's a lot happening around them. /news/2024-10-klein-tunneling-acoustic-filtration.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:00:41 EDT news648478837 Novel magnetic nanodiscs could provide a much less invasive way of stimulating parts of the brain, paving the way for stimulation therapies without implants or genetic modification, MIT researchers report. /news/2024-10-magnetoelectric-nanodiscs-remote-brain-implants.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 11 Oct 2024 05:00:02 EDT news647793238 Step aside hard, rigid materials. There is a new soft, sustainable electroactive material in town—and it's poised to open new possibilities for medical devices, wearable technology and human-computer interfaces. /news/2024-10-peptides-plastics-combine-energy-efficient.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 09 Oct 2024 11:00:01 EDT news647686220 Playing a monotonous sound stimulates the activity of a fungus that promotes plant growth, according to a study released on Wednesday, raising the possibility that playing music could benefit crops and gardens. /news/2024-10-music-boost-fungus.html Plants & Animals Wed, 02 Oct 2024 05:01:11 EDT news647063986 What do firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, water-repellent textiles and pesticides all have in common? They all contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS—human-made chemicals that don't break down naturally. It's no wonder, then, that PFAS are now contaminating soil and water and can also be detected in the bodies of humans and animals. The dangers are well known: these forever chemicals can damage the liver, trigger hormonal disorders and cause cancer, to mention just a few of their effects. /news/2024-09-method-chemicals-nanoparticles-ultrasound.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 13 Sep 2024 09:29:23 EDT news645438559 A study led by the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative method that overcomes the limitations of traditional additive manufacturing (3D printing), significantly simplifying and accelerating the production of geometrically complex cellular ceramics. /news/2024-09-method-cellular-ceramic.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:23:04 EDT news645196982 Scientists have long been fascinated by the formation of gold nuggets, often found nestled within quartz veins. New research led by Monash University geologists suggests that the process might be even more electrifying than we previously thought—literally. /news/2024-09-electricity-generated-earthquakes-secret-giant.html Earth Sciences Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:00:01 EDT news644485921 Mars has a notoriously inhospitable environment, with temperatures that fluctuate dramatically over the course of a Martian day and average minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its surface is mostly covered in red dust, with terrain typified by craters, canyons, and volcanoes. And its atmosphere is extremely thin, comprising only about 1% of the density of Earth's. /news/2024-08-anemometer-tracks-speedier-precise-mars.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 13 Aug 2024 11:00:01 EDT news642756421