News
Scientists use atomic switches to reliably connect individual molecules to electrodes
14+ hour, 23+ min ago (783+ words) Researchers in Japan have created silver based atomic switches that trap an acetylene molecule between metal atoms and let it carry current. The junctions form at about 0.3 volts and show clear molecular vibrations and quantized conductance, pointing toward scalable molecular…...
Researchers convert recycled household plastics into anti-cancer medication
5+ day, 22+ hour ago (905+ words) You see PET plastics every day, even if you do not notice them. They show up as drink bottles, food packaging, and synthetic fabrics. More than 80 million tons of PET, short for polyethylene terephthalate, are produced each year. A lot…...
A heat-loving amoeba smashes the temperature record for complex life
1+ week, 4+ day ago (879+ words) Scientists have discovered a single-celled amoeba that grows at temperatures once thought impossible for complex life, pushing the known limits of eukaryotic survival. (CREDIT: Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0) Scientists had previously assumed that no eukaryotic life could survive temperatures above approximately…...
Life may have begun in sticky gels long before the first cells formed
1+ week, 5+ day ago (1181+ words) New research suggests life began in sticky gels that protected early chemistry before cells existed. (CREDIT: ChemSystemsChem) For decades, scientists have searched for clues to how life first emerged on Earth. Many theories focus on simple molecules reacting in water…...
Neutrinos may explain why anything exists at all, study finds
3+ week, 18+ hour ago (853+ words) The Universe should not exist. At least, not according to simple physics. After the Big Bang, equal parts matter and antimatter should have formed, then wiped each other out in flashes of energy. Instead, matter won. Stars, galaxies and people…...
Fermilab experiment finds no evidence for a fourth neutrino, ending a long-debated theory
3+ week, 2+ day ago (849+ words) The inside of the MiniBooNE neutrino detector. A precision test at Fermilab finds no sign of a fourth neutrino, ruling out the simplest sterile model. (CREDIT: Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0) Now one of the most careful tests yet says that simple…...
Scientists engineer microbe that mass-produces camouflage pigment
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (538+ words) Scientists create a microbe that makes cephalopod pigment at record levels, opening doors to sustainable materials. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) A remarkable advancement in microbial engineering has put a previously obscure natural pigment in the spotlight. If you've kept up with research…...
Scientists create new engine that runs on the cold of space
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (722+ words) Professor Jeremy Munday has developed an experimental engine that can generate mechanical power from the temperature difference between the Earth and deep space when placed outdoors at night. (CREDIT Mario Rodriguez for UC Davis College of Engineering) Solar panels do…...
A flash of light just redefined what we know about matter
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (728+ words) Laser light flips magnetism in common crystal, no heat required. (CREDIT: AI-generated / The Brighter Side of News) A flash of light hits a simple iron crystal. In the space of a trillionth of a second, its magnetic behavior shifts, as…...
Oceans in the fire: How magma and hydrogen forge massive quantities of planetary water
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (922+ words) New research shows that hydrogen interacting with molten rock inside young planets can create vast amounts of water. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) In the beginning, when planets were newborn, they glowed like furnaces, vast oceans of molten rock wrapped in heavy blankets…...