Researchers sequence and assemble first full genome of a living organism using smartphone size device

Researchers have for the first time sequenced and assembled de novo the full genome of a living organism, the bacteria Escherichia Coli, using a genome sequencer that can fit in the palm of your hand.

A new and game-changing magnetoresistance

Material scientists have found a new kind of magnetoresistance that promises further insight into basic research and could one day be used for practical applications.

Buckle up for fast ionic conduction

Material engineers found that the performance of ion-conducting ceramic membranes that are so important in industry depends largely on their strain and buckling profiles. For the first time, scientists can now selectively manipulate the buckling profile, and thus the physical properties, allowing new technical applications of these membranes.

Researchers develop a new type of gecko-like gripper

Researchers are developing a new kind of gripper, motivated by the ability of animals like the gecko to grip and release surfaces, that is perfectly suited for the delicate work involved in semiconductor manufacturing.

Scientists see elements transform at atomic scale

Byproduct of research may lead to new way to irradiate cancer with gold-bonded isotopes.

World's thinnest lightbulb - graphene gets bright (w/video)

Engineers create bright, visible light emission from one-atom thick carbon.

Measuring discrete quantum states of metallic nanoparticles

A newly develped method only requires a single electrode to be in direct contact with a nanoparticle or molecule, thus significantly simplifying fabrication. Researchers achieved this by embedding nanoparticles on a substrate in an electric resonant circuit and sending a radio-frequency signal to the device.

A bright light for ultrafast snapshots of materials

Researchers develop a bright, high-repetition-rate laser source in the extreme UV for studies of ultrafast materials dynamics.

Researchers develop the first flexible phase-change random access memory

Researchers have developed the first flexible PRAM enabled by self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) silica nanostructures with an ultralow current operation (below one quarter of conventional PRAM without BCP) on plastic substrates.

A protective shield for sensitive catalysts: hydrogels block harmful oxygen

An international research team has found a way of protecting sensitive catalysts from oxygen-caused damage. In the future, this could facilitate the creation of hydrogen fuel cells with molecular catalysts or with biomolecules such as the hydrogenase enzyme.

Researchers grind nanotubes to get nanoribbons (w/video)

A simple way to turn carbon nanotubes into valuable graphene nanoribbons may be to grind them. The trick is to mix two types of chemically modified nanotubes. When they come into contact during grinding, they react and unzip, a process that until now has depended largely on reactions in harsh chemical solutions.

3D potential through laser annihilation

Firing pulses of a trillion x-ray photons at molecular-sized samples in time scales on the order of million-billionths of a second (femtoseconds), researchers are aiming for the Holy Grail of ultra-fast X-ray Science - single-particle 3D imaging with atomic resolution.

Solar cells in the roof and nanotechnology in the walls

It isn't cars and vehicle traffic that produce the greatest volumes of climate gas emissions - it's our own homes. But new research will soon be putting an end to all that.