/ 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. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could continuously monitor the molecular state of our body? Consider the solutions that could enable, from optimized drug delivery to early detection of deadly diseases like cancer. /news/2025-05-nanoscale-biosensor-scientists-molecules-real.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 23 May 2025 05:00:09 EDT news667148933 On a wave-battered rock in the northern Pacific Ocean, a fish called the sculpin grips the surface firmly to maintain stability in its harsh environment. Unlike sea urchins, which use their glue-secreting tube feet to adhere to their surroundings, sculpins manage to grip without a specialized adhesive organ like tube feet or the suction cups of octopuses. /news/2025-04-microscopic-fin-features-sculpins-turbulent.html Plants & Animals Cell & Microbiology Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:41:04 EDT news664641661 Associate Professor Konstantinos Vogiatzis' lab in the Department of Chemistry is leveraging computational chemistry to address excess carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The work is published in the journal ChemÂ鶹ÒùÔºChem. /news/2025-03-dipeptides-carbon-dioxide-capture-reveals.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:42:04 EDT news661603322 From smartphones to wind turbines, rare earth elements (REEs) are an essential part of the hardware in many advanced technologies. These elements, which include the lanthanides along with scandium and yttrium, are the backbone of industries that rely on unique properties such as luminescence, magnetism and catalytic ability. In fact, as our world moves toward more sustainable energy solutions and increasingly sophisticated technologies, the demand for REEs is projected to grow substantially. /news/2025-03-eco-friendly-rare-earth-element.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:48:25 EDT news660998893 When spiders spin their webs, they use their hind legs to pull silk threads from their spinnerets. This pulling action doesn't just help the spider release the silk, it's also a crucial step in strengthening the silk fibers for a more durable web. /news/2025-03-spider-silk-stronger-aligning-protein.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:00:07 EST news660500402 Within the animal kingdom, mussels are masters of underwater adhesion. The marine mollusks cluster atop rocks and along the bottoms of ships, and hold fast against the ocean's waves thanks to a gluey plaque they secrete through their foot. These tenacious adhesive structures have prompted scientists in recent years to design similar bioinspired, waterproof adhesives. /news/2025-02-mimics-mussels-mucus-bacterial-buildup.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 17 Feb 2025 15:47:58 EST news659029672 Researchers have been trying to find new ways to produce and replicate the various useful features observed in nature. Fine hairs and fibers, which are ubiquitous in nature, are useful for various applications ranging from sensory hairs to the fibers that give hagfish slime its unique consistency. /news/2025-02-3d-technique-replicates-nature-delicate.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:36:43 EST news658676198 A carnation-like nanostructure could someday be used in bandages to promote wound healing. Researchers report in ACS Applied Bio Materials that laboratory tests of their nanoflower-coated dressings demonstrate antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and biocompatible properties. /news/2025-01-delicate-nanoflower-downright-deadly-bacteria.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:27:04 EST news657552422 The chameleon, a lizard known for its color-changing skin, is the inspiration behind a new electromagnetic material that could someday make vehicles and aircraft "invisible" to radar. /news/2025-01-electromagnetic-material-shifting-chameleon.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:27:19 EST news656764027 Polymer-grade propylene (>99.5%) is an important raw material in the chemical industry. Producing propylene inevitably generates propane as a byproduct in the product steam. And producing polymer-grade propylene requires the critical step of separating propylene from propane. Due to extremely similar physical and chemical properties of the two molecules, this step is energy-intensive. /news/2025-01-nature-mof-membrane-durable-solution.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 15 Jan 2025 14:15:04 EST news656172902 Beneath the ocean's surface, simple marine animals called sea sponges grow delicate glass skeletons that are as intricate as they are strong. These natural structures are made of a material called silica—also known as bioglass—that is both lightweight and incredibly durable, allowing the sea sponges to thrive in harsh marine environments. /news/2024-12-sea-sponge-microlenses-possibilities-optics.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Mon, 16 Dec 2024 08:39:04 EST news653560741 A tiny, four-fingered "hand" folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment. /news/2024-11-nanorobot-dna-viruses-diagnostics-blocks.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 27 Nov 2024 14:38:04 EST news651940682 Miriam Filippi, a researcher in the field of soft robotics working on developing bioinspired artificial muscle tissues, believes we can make human activities more ecologically sound by harnessing the power of living cells for bio-hybrid materials. /news/2024-10-biofabrication-sustainable-rethink-current.html Biotechnology Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:56:52 EDT news648381409 Humans are by no means alone in the search for more sustainable materials. Nature, too, has been "working" on the problem of sustainability, and it's been at it for a great deal longer. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science show how design tricks employed by ancient creatures such as scorpions and sponges can help optimize the resilience of human-made materials, ultimately advancing sustainable design. /news/2024-10-uncrackable-scorpions-sponges-sustainable.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:36:05 EDT news647789761 An international research team led by Brandeis University has achieved a major breakthrough in the field of active matter physics, as detailed in a study published this week in Â鶹ÒùÔºical Review X. This pioneering research offers the first experimental validation of a key theoretical prediction about 3D active nematic liquid crystals by trapping them within cell-sized spherical droplets. /news/2024-10-scientists-unprecedented.html Soft Matter Fri, 04 Oct 2024 11:15:58 EDT news647259355 Scientists have developed a bioinspired yarn capable of harvesting water from fog, providing an innovative solution to water scarcity in arid regions. By imitating the alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterns seen in desert beetles and the water-transporting abilities of micro/nanoscale one-dimensional spider silk, this double-strand yarn accelerates droplet formation, offering a promising approach to tackling the global water crisis. /news/2024-09-bioinspired-yarn-harvest-fog.html Polymers Materials Science Mon, 30 Sep 2024 15:34:37 EDT news646929270 Presenting the world's smallest (and scrappiest) scuba diver: A species of semi-aquatic lizard produces a special bubble over its nostrils to breathe underwater and avoid predators, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. /news/2024-09-scuba-lizards-underwater-predators.html Plants & Animals Ecology Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:00:01 EDT news645722401 Water polluted with heavy metals can pose a threat when consumed by humans and aquatic life. Sugar-derived polymers from plants remove these metals but often require other substances to adjust their stability or solubility in water. /news/2024-09-carbohydrate-polymers-sweet-solution-purification.html Polymers Materials Science Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:02:57 EDT news645271371 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 No molecule stands alone—they need others, at least when it comes to being able to display useful photophysical, electronic, and chemical properties. When individual molecules combine into an aggregate, or a complex of two or more molecules, they become much more than the sum of their individual parts. /news/2024-08-molecular-aggregates-solar-energy-applications.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 23 Aug 2024 10:54:04 EDT news643629241 The deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, the molecular system that carries the genetic information of living organisms, can transcribe and amplify information using its two helical strands. Creating such artificial molecular systems that match or surpass DNA in functionality is of great interest to scientists. Double-helical foldamers are one such molecular system. /news/2024-08-breakthrough-molecular-bioinspired-helix-switchable.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 08 Aug 2024 09:04:36 EDT news642326672 Trillions of periodical cicadas—several species of the genus Magicicada that emerge every 13 or 17 years—broke soil across the Eastern U.S. this summer. News outlets likened the event to Armageddon, an apocalypse or an invasion. But what about using words like mesmerizing? Mysterious? Magical? /news/2024-07-cicada-wings-insects-antimicrobial-properties.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:14:04 EDT news641121242 While the COVID-19 vaccines introduced many people to RNA-based medicines, RNA oligonucleotides have already been on the market for years to treat diseases like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and amyloidosis. RNA therapies offer many advantages over traditional small molecule drugs, including their ability to address almost any genetic component within cells and to guide gene editing tools like CRISPR to their targets. /news/2024-07-rna-drugs-enzymatic-synthesis-method.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 12 Jul 2024 05:00:01 EDT news639932341 Gallium nitride (GaN)-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have transformed the lighting industry by replacing conventional lighting technologies with superior energy efficiency, longer operating life and greater environmental sustainability. In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the trend toward miniaturization of LEDs, driven by display devices, augmented reality, virtual reality, and other emerging technologies. /news/2024-07-flexible-nanoimprint-lithography-enables-efficient.html Nanomaterials Mon, 08 Jul 2024 16:03:53 EDT news639673431 With the development of intelligent biomedical engineering, the application of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has become increasingly widespread. However, existing 3D printing technologies mainly focus on inorganic or polymer materials, limiting their applications in biocompatibility and biodegradability. Due to these challenges, there is a need for in-depth research on biocompatible and functional materials. /news/2024-06-lab-life-3d-bioprinting-unveils.html Polymers Materials Science Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:07:57 EDT news636638874 Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) in collaboration with the University of Freiburg have developed a biohybrid robot, which consists of a flour-based capsule created using 3D microfabrication techniques, and two natural appendages from oat fruit capable of moving in response to air humidity. /news/2024-05-biohybrid-robot-flour-oats-biodegradable.html Ecology Biotechnology Mon, 13 May 2024 12:53:28 EDT news634823606 Bouligand structures, found in natural materials like fish scales, lobster peritoneum and bones, are known for providing exceptional mechanical properties to biomaterials. While progress has been made in creating bioinspired materials, most research has focused on putting the fibers together. A deeper understanding of how the fibers interact to enhance the mechanical functions is needed now. /news/2024-05-bioinspired-bouligand-mechanical-properties.html Biochemistry Materials Science Tue, 07 May 2024 01:33:56 EDT news634264433 Currently, membrane materials play an important role in tissue repair, especially polysaccharide-based membranes, attracting much attention due to their excellent biological properties. However, poor mechanical properties of polysaccharide-based membranes under wet conditions severely limit their in vivo applications. The fabrication of polysaccharide-based membranes with both robust wet mechanical properties and excellent biological properties remains challenging and is worth exploring. /news/2024-04-polysaccharide-based-membranes-high-mechanical.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:16:03 EDT news631973761 Leafhoppers, a common backyard insect, secrete and coat themselves in tiny mysterious particles that could provide both the inspiration and the instructions for next-generation technology, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. /news/2024-03-backyard-insect-invisibility-devices-gen.html Nanomaterials Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:00:01 EDT news629973358 Therapeutic cancer vaccines are a form of immunotherapy in the making that could not only destroy cancer cells in patients, but keep a cancer from coming back and spreading. Multiple therapeutic cancer vaccines are being studied in clinical trials, but despite their promise, they are not routinely used yet by clinical oncologists to treat their patients. /news/2024-03-dna-origami-based-vaccine-platform.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:23:06 EDT news629716982