/ 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. A team of planetary scientists has developed a promising new way to peer beneath the dusty surface of Mars and other planetary bodies. /news/2025-05-beneath-blasted-craters-probe-martian.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 14 May 2025 12:56:04 EDT news666446162 A new study uncovers how fine-tuning the interactions between two distinct network-forming species within a soft gel enables programmable control over its structure and mechanical properties. The findings reveal a powerful framework for engineering next-generation soft materials with customizable behaviors, inspired by the complexity of biological tissues. /news/2025-05-programmable-network-gels-interspecies-interactions.html Soft Matter Tue, 06 May 2025 16:56:02 EDT news665769361 Plant-based seafood alternatives should have similar flavors, textures and nutritional content to the foods they mimic. And recreating the properties of fried calamari rings, which have a neutral flavor and a firm, chewy texture after being cooked, has been a challenge. /news/2025-04-based-calamari-rivals-real-seafood.html Biotechnology Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:49:25 EDT news664717760 Rice University researchers have revealed novel sequence-structure-property relationships for customizing engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling more precise control over their structure and how they respond to deformation forces like stretching or compression. /news/2025-02-customized-materials-genetic-tweaks-enable.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:11:04 EST news657983461 A biomaterial that can mimic certain behaviors within biological tissues could advance regenerative medicine, disease modeling, soft robotics and more, according to researchers at Penn State. /news/2025-02-biomaterial-regenerative-medicine-scientists-acellular.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:35:03 EST news657804901 Tissue engineering utilizes 3D printing and bioink to grow human cells on scaffolds, creating replacements for damaged tissues like skin, cartilage, and even organs. A team of researchers led by Professor Insup Noh from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, has developed a bioink using nanocellulose derived from Kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) as the scaffold material. /news/2025-02-kombucha-derived-bioink-personalized-tissue.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:36:04 EST news657801362 In contrast to conventional organic synthesis, mechanochemistry does not use solvents that eventually become industrial wastes. Thus, mechanochemistry is environmentally friendly and enables us to perform organic synthesis using reactants that poorly dissolve into common solvents. /news/2025-01-mechanochemical-synthesis-theory-reaction.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 24 Jan 2025 11:35:03 EST news656940902 A new method based on optical tweezers can measure viscoelasticity of biological materials in a simpler and more versatile way. In an article published in Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers report three novel results in the field of mechanobiology, including the finding that viscoelasticity of tissues inside living animals changes with age. /news/2025-01-optical-tweezer-technique-reveals-disease.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:56:05 EST news655563361 In bird colonies, schools of fish and cycling pelotons, significant interactions occur between individuals through the surrounding fluid. These interactions are well understood in fluids such as air and water, but what happens when objects move through something like sand? It turns out that similar interactions occur in granular materials—things like soil or sand—and they play a crucial role in everyday contexts. Think of plows cutting through farmland, animals burrowing underground, roots pushing through soil, or even robots exploring the surface of Mars. /news/2024-12-cooperation-intruders-side-granular-media.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Soft Matter Sat, 28 Dec 2024 10:40:01 EST news654514369 Currently employed computational methods to simulate materials and their mechanical behavior are based on molecular dynamics (MD) with atomistic force-fields. These methods provide an excellent description of the thermodynamically stable phases of materials with arbitrary chemical and microstructural complexity. /news/2024-12-scientists-hardest-problems-atomic-scale.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:17:08 EST news652961823 Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new method to 3D print sturdy silicone structures that are bigger, taller, thinner and more porous than ever before. /news/2024-12-fast-silicone-ink-doors-3d.html Materials Science Mon, 02 Dec 2024 13:38:24 EST news652369098 If you have a meticulous skincare routine, you know that personal skincare products (PSCPs) are a big business. The PSCP industry will reach $74.12 billion USD by 2027, with an annual growth rate of 8.64%. With such competition, companies are always looking to engineer themselves an edge, producing products that perform better without the downsides of current offerings. /news/2024-11-proteins-higher-sustainable-skincare-products.html Biochemistry Polymers Wed, 20 Nov 2024 12:21:03 EST news651327661 Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most widely used and versatile plastic materials globally, prized for its cost-effectiveness, lightweight properties and ease of formability. These characteristics make PE indispensable across a broad spectrum of applications, from packaging materials to structural plastics. /news/2024-11-polyethylene-functionalization-antibacterial-properties-sustainable.html Biochemistry Polymers Sat, 09 Nov 2024 13:10:01 EST news650286438 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune and the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune have shown that the macroscopic deformation of amorphous solids is controlled by structural defects within the material. /news/2024-10-key-role-defects-amorphous-solid.html Condensed Matter Soft Matter Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:20:05 EDT news648465594 Along coastal California, the possibility of earthquakes and landslides is commonly prefaced by the phrase, "not if, but when." This precarious reality is now a bit more predictable thanks to researchers at UC Santa Cruz and The University of Texas at Austin, who found that conditions known to cause slip along fault lines deep underground also lead to landslides above. /news/2024-10-landslides-motion.html Earth Sciences Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:50:05 EDT news648312601 With strong bactericidal properties, graphene has the potential to become a game changer in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So far there have been no efficient ways to control these properties—and thus no way to make use of graphene's potential in health care. /news/2024-09-graphene-spike-mat-ordinary-fridge.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:50:12 EDT news646401006 Plastics have long been a mainstay in modern manufacturing, but their environmental impact has increased demand for eco-friendly alternatives. Researchers at The University of Warwick have made significant progress in the search for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. /news/2024-08-small-molecule-eutectics-potential-plastics.html Polymers Materials Science Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:24:03 EDT news643303441 Thomas Edison went through thousands of materials before he finally found the right tungsten filament to create a working lightbulb. This type of trial-and-error research continues today and is responsible for countless inventions that improve our world. Battery systems that help power our lives in many seen (and unseen) ways are one example. /news/2024-08-electrons-complex-fluids.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:29:27 EDT news642936564 Mantle convection and associated plate tectonics of planets like the Earth are governed by the deformation of mantle rocks. This deformation occurs through the motion of defects in the crystal lattices of minerals. Thus, the physical properties of these structural defects under pressure have profound implications on the dynamics of Earth-like planets. /news/2024-07-grain-boundaries-weaken-planetary-interiors.html Planetary Sciences Wed, 17 Jul 2024 10:07:37 EDT news640429652 The shearing of fluids—meaning the sliding of fluid layers over each other under shear forces—is an important concept in nature and in rheology, the science that studies the flow behavior of matter, including liquids and soft solids. Shear forces are lateral forces applied parallel to a material, inducing deformation or slippage between its layers. /news/2024-04-physics-complex-fluids-polymers-unexpected.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Soft Matter Thu, 04 Apr 2024 11:28:03 EDT news631448881 When we take a stroll on the beach, we walk on the sand without any trouble. The sand appears solid and is difficult to compress. When we put the same sand grains in an hourglass, they behave very differently: the sand flows like a liquid. /news/2024-04-easy-compression-team-granular-materials.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:30:02 EDT news631366199 In a win for chemistry, inventors at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed a closed-loop path for synthesizing an exceptionally tough carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, or CFRP, and later recovering all of its starting materials. /news/2024-02-full-recovery-materials-tough-polymer.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:10:07 EST news626627401 In the latest study by Prof. Dr. Leonid Ionov, Professor of Biofabrication, and his team at the University of Bayreuth, various types of hydrogels were extensively tested for the 3D printing of tissues. A hydrogel is a water-retaining and also water-insoluble polymer. In addition, the cell containing–hydrogels, also known as bioink, are combined with fibers to create a composite material. /news/2024-02-3d-technology-tissue-combine-hydrogels.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 07 Feb 2024 09:28:04 EST news626520482 Tiny things matter—for instance, one amino acid can completely alter the architecture of the cell. Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Warwick investigated the structure and mechanics of the main component of the cell's cytoskeleton: a protein known as actin. Actin is found in all living cells, with a range of important functions—from muscle contraction to cell signaling and shape. /news/2023-12-big-impacts-small-reveals-filament.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 22 Dec 2023 10:40:32 EST news622464024 Stretchable polymeric fibers have significant impact, although their production requires rigorous environmental methods and resource consumption. The process is challenging for elastic polymers with reduced spinnability and high performance, such as silicones, polydimethylsiloxane, and ecoflex. /news/2023-11-hydrogel-assisted-microfluidic-stretchable-fibers-fluidic.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Mon, 06 Nov 2023 09:32:21 EST news618485536 New research by the University of Liverpool's Chemistry Department represents an important breakthrough in the field of polymer science. /news/2023-09-chemists-long-standing-polymer-science-puzzle.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Mon, 18 Sep 2023 11:49:19 EDT news614256555 American beach town boardwalks often boast numerous storefronts advertising saltwater taffies. The candy calls to mind summer vacations, a rainbow assortment of colors and flavors, and a sweetness that sticks to the roof of your mouth. /news/2023-09-sweet-physics-saltwater-taffy.html Soft Matter Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:00:01 EDT news613727544 A team of microbiologists and chemists at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering, working with colleagues from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research and Rheology and Technology (SMaRT), KU Leuven, all in Belgium, has developed a replacement for bisphenol A, a compound used to make plastics. /news/2023-09-lignin-catalyst-alternative-bisphenol-bpa.html Polymers Fri, 08 Sep 2023 10:10:01 EDT news613385024 Semicrystalline polymers are solids that are assumed to flow only above their melting temperature. In a new study published in Science Advances, Chien-Hua Tu and a research team at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany and the University of Ioannina Greece confined crystals within nanoscopic cylindrical pores to show the flowing nature of semicrystalline polymers below their melting point, alongside an intermediate state of viscosity to the melt and crystal states. /news/2023-05-crystals-semicrystalline-polymer-shown-temperatures.html Condensed Matter Fri, 19 May 2023 09:20:01 EDT news603706233 Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a useful technique that has been widely utilized in our lives, ranging from reconstructive plastic surgery to artificial organ production. However, many biopolymers, such as nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and proteins, cannot be readily constructed into a desired 3D shape at the submicron- or nanoscale due to their inherent rheological and structural properties. Can we truly achieve the free-form and high-resolution structuring of various biomolecules using 3D printing technology? /news/2023-04-era-3d-dnas-proteins.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:56:03 EDT news600533761