The US military will test an aircraft that flies without mechanical control surfaces like flaps and rudders, potentially boosting stealth characteristics ​The US military will test an aircraft that flies without mechanical control surfaces like flaps and rudders, potentially boosting stealth characteristics The US military will test an aircraft that flies without mechanical control surfaces like …

Could DARPA’s enigmatic X-65 plane revolutionise aircraft design? Read More »

Researchers have simplified the operation of an important class of chemical transformation: synthesis of beta-lactams, the intricate scaffold of many antibiotics. Their experimental protocol minimizes the toxicity that is a common feature of similar Fischer-carbene synthetic methodologies, and was used to synthesize the scaffold of the thienamycin antibiotic in high yield. This work is an …

One-step synthesis of the most common, yet highly intricate, antibiotic molecular scaffold Read More »

An insight into preventing perovskite semiconductors from degrading quickly could help enable solar cells estimated to be two to four times cheaper than today’s thin-film solar panels. ​An insight into preventing perovskite semiconductors from degrading quickly could help enable solar cells estimated to be two to four times cheaper than today’s thin-film solar panels. An insight …

Bulky additives could make cheaper solar cells last longer Read More »

Researchers have merged nonlinear optics with electron microscopy, unlocking new capabilities in material studies and the control of electron beams. ​Researchers have merged nonlinear optics with electron microscopy, unlocking new capabilities in material studies and the control of electron beams. Researchers have merged nonlinear optics with electron microscopy, unlocking new capabilities in material studies and the …

Bridging light and electrons Read More »

The world is filled with a myriad of sounds and vibrations — the gentle tones of a piano drifting down the hall, the relaxing purr of a cat laying on your chest, the annoying hum of the office lights. Imagine being able to selectively tune out noises of a certain frequency. Researchers have now synthesized …

Molecularly designing polymer networks to control sound damping Read More »

Astronomers have made the rare discovery of a small, cold exoplanet and its massive outer companion — shedding light on the formation of planets like Earth. ​Astronomers have made the rare discovery of a small, cold exoplanet and its massive outer companion — shedding light on the formation of planets like Earth. Astronomers have made the …

Astronomers make rare exoplanet discovery, and a giant leap in detecting Earth-like bodies Read More »

Researchers have developed a neural implant that provides information about activity deep inside the brain while sitting on its surface. The implant is made up of a thin, transparent and flexible polymer strip that is packed with a dense array of graphene electrodes. The technology, tested in transgenic mice, brings the researchers a step closer …

Transparent brain implant can read deep neural activity from the surface Read More »

Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible. Using machine learning and computational modeling, researchers have found about half a dozen good candidates for solvents that can extract materials on the …

Potential solvents identified for building on moon and Mars Read More »

Astrophysicists have confirmed the accuracy of an analytical model that can unlock key information about supermassive black holes and the stars they engulf. ​Astrophysicists have confirmed the accuracy of an analytical model that can unlock key information about supermassive black holes and the stars they engulf. Astrophysicists have confirmed the accuracy of an analytical model that …

Close encounters of the supermassive black hole kind Read More »

Beta Pictoris, a young planetary system located just 63 light-years away, continues to intrigue scientists even after decades of in-depth study. It possesses the first dust disk imaged around another star — a disk of debris produced by collisions between asteroids, comets, and planetesimals. Observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a second debris disk …

NASA’s Webb discovers dusty ‘cat’s tail’ in Beta Pictoris System Read More »