Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
These new superthin antennas are made from metallic nanomaterials
Superthin antennas could bring household devices and wearable technology online.
- Materials Science
High-tech ‘skins’ turn everyday objects into robots
Robotic skins turn inanimate objects into multipurpose machines.
- Tech
A sensor inspired by an African thumb piano could root out bogus medicines
An inexpensive, user-friendly device that’s based on an mbira could help identify counterfeit and contaminated medications.
- Tech
This flying robot could reveal secrets of the aerial world of insects
A new winged robot with the exceptional agility of a fruit fly could lend insight into animal flight.
- Materials Science
Here’s how graphene could make future electronics superfast
Graphene-based electronics that operate at terahertz frequencies would be much speedier successors to today’s silicon-based devices.
- Astronomy
‘Accessory to War’ probes the uneasy alliance between space science and the military
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang’s ‘Accessory to War’ grapples with the millennia-old partnership between space science and warfare.
- Physics
The strength of gravity has been measured to new precision
Researchers have measured Newton’s gravitational constant, known as Big G, with the greatest precision yet.
- Particle Physics
Electrons surf protons’ waves in a new kind of particle accelerator
For the first time, scientists accelerated electrons using plasma waves from proton beams.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum computer simulates two types of bizarre materials
In calculations involving about 2,000 quantum bits, a D-Wave machine reproduced the behavior of exotic substances.
- Chemistry
Lithium-oxygen batteries are getting an energy boost
A new version of the lithium-oxygen battery could pack more energy and last longer than its predecessors.
- Particle Physics
Ghostly antineutrinos could help ferret out nuclear tests
Antineutrino detectors could one day help reveal stealthy nuclear blasts.
- Tech
Here’s what robots could learn from fire ants
Fire ants’ secret to success is prioritizing efficiency over fairness. Robot teams could use that strategy to work more efficiently in tight, crowded quarters.
