Made to order: Researchers discover a new form of crystalline matter

Scientists recently discovered a new form of crystalline-like matter in strongly magnetized dusty plasma. A feature of dusty plasmas is that under the proper conditions, usually at higher gas pressures, the dust particles can form self-organized, hexagonal structures - a configuration known as a 'plasma crystal'.

Imitating synapses of the human brain with graphene could lead to smarter electronics

Scientists report the development of a first-of-its-kind synthetic synapse that mimics the plasticity of the real thing, bringing us one step closer to human-like artificial intelligence.

Pairing snake venom with nanofibers could make surgery safer for patients on blood thinners

Preventing blood clots with drugs such as heparin has become a common practice for fighting some heart and lung conditions, and for certain surgeries. But patients who take them also need their blood to clot to heal incisions made during operations. Researchers are developing a new way to tackle this problem - by pairing snake venom with nanofibers.

Dendrimer technology gets a grip on cell proteins, could improve cancer treatment

Researchers have devised a way to capture the finer details of complex cell processes by using tiny synthetic particles known as dendrimers, a technology that could lead to more targeted treatment for cancer.

Nanopores could take the salt out of seawater

A nanometer-thick sheet of molybdenum disulfide riddled with nanopores is specially designed to let high volumes of water through but keep salt and other contaminates out, a process called desalination.

How to control shape, structure of DNA and RNA with gold nanoparticles (w/video)

Researchers have used computational modelling to shed light on precisely how charged gold nanoparticles influence the structure of DNA and RNA - which may lead to new techniques for manipulating these genetic materials.

Sound waves could power hard disk drives of the future

Researchers have been using simulations to explore ways of making racetrack memory more efficient and stumbled upon a surprising solution using sound waves.

A pregnancy test-like method allows the quick and cheap quantification of Parathyroid Hormone-like Hormone

New work describes for the first time the application of lateral-flow immunoassays for the detection of this protein taking advantage of paper based nanobiosensors properties.

Biometamaterials: Inspiration from the surface of leaves

Researchers have fabricated a new 'biometamaterial' using a lotus leaf as a template. The new substance is capable of almost total absorption of light across the entire visible spectrum.

Using high-performance computing to drive alloy design

A new initiative in the U.S. is to develop new high-performance alloys.