Science

Of all the moons in the Solar System, Europa is perhaps one of the most fascinating. With a thick ice shell surrounding a subsurface ocean, astrobiologists hope maybe there is life down there! Finding a way through the ice to explore what’s below is one of the biggest challenges. It’s possible however that the vital chemicals from life could find their way to the surface and through out into space. A new paper proposes an ultraviolet laser could be used to cause amino acids to fluoresce giving away their presence.

The closest single star to our own Solar System is Barnard’s Star. It’s 6 light years away and astronomers have just found four new mini-Earth planets in orbit around this red dwarf star. The discovery was made with the MAROON-X instrument on the Gemini North telescope which makes use of the radial velocity method to detect exoplanets. One planet was found in August 2024, the other three were only just added.

Researchers created 'growth printing,' which mimics tree trunks' outward expansion to print polymer parts quickly and efficiently without the molds and expensive equipment typically associated with 3D printing.

Scientists are using artificial intelligence to better capture how healthy cells surrounding tumors influence cancer cell behavior and how those interactions can inform treatments.

Young stars grow by gobbling up nearby gas and dust. Over time, they can become extremely massive. The most massive stars we know of have up to 200 solar masses. But the flow of matter isn't a one-way street. Instead, young protostars eject some of the matter back into space with powerful jets.

Saturn has dozens of new moons, bringing it to a total of 274. All of the new moons are between 2 and 4 kilometres wide, but at what point is a rock too small to be a moon?

Saturn has dozens of new moons, bringing it to a total of 274. All of the new moons are between 2 and 4 kilometres wide, but at what point is a rock too small to be a moon?

Analysis of samples brought back to Earth from the asteroid Bennu reveal that it has a bizarre chemical make-up and is unusually magnetic

Microplastics have been found almost everywhere that scientists have looked for them. Now these bits of plastic -- from 1 to 62 micrometers long -- have been found in the filtered solutions used for medical intravenous (IV) infusions. The researchers estimate that thousands of plastic particles could be delivered directly to a person's bloodstream from a single 8.4-ounce (250-milliliter) bag of infusion fluid.

Astronomers have revealed new evidence that there are not just one but four tiny planets circling around Barnard's Star, the second-nearest star system to Earth.

Farming arose on multiple continents among populations with radically different cultures and environments and with no means of communicating with each other – how did it crop up independently at about the same time?

Where there's water, there are waves. But what if you could bend water waves to your will to move floating objects? Scientists have now developed a technique to merge waves in a water tank to produce complex patterns, such as twisting loops and swirling vortices. Some patterns acted like tweezers or a 'tractor beam' to hold a floating ball in place. Other patterns made the ball spin and move precisely in a circular path. In the future, the technique could be scaled down to precisely move particles the size of cells for experiments, or scaled up to guide boats along a desired path on the water.

Cost, technical performance and environmental impact -- these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society.

Researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics -- and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

Researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics -- and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

Imagine a microscopic locomotive moving back and forth along a track, propelling itself without any external force. At the molecular level, this concept forms the foundation of molecular motors -- intricate systems that could enable advanced materials, targeted drug delivery, and the development of nanoscale robotics.

Researchers have discovered a new method to generate electricity using small plastic beads. By placing these beads close together and bringing them into contact, they generate more electricity than usual. This process, known as triboelectrification, is similar to the static electricity produced when rubbing a balloon against hair.

An international collaboration has shown that additive manufacturing offers a realistic way to build large-scale plastic scintillator detectors for particle physics experiments.

A new strategy for recycling spent lithium-ion batteries is based on a hydrometallurgical process in neutral solution. This allows for the extraction of lithium and other valuable metals in an environmentally friendly, highly efficient, and inexpensive way. The leaching efficiency is improved by a solid-solid reduction mechanism, known as the battery effect, as well as the addition of the amino acid glycine.

Researchers have discovered that water generates an electrical charge up to 10 times greater than previously understood when it moves across a surface. The team observed when a water droplet became stuck on a tiny bump or rough spot, the force built up until it 'jumped or slipped' past an obstacle, creating an irreversible charge that had not been reported before. The new understanding of this phenomenon paves the way for surface design with controlled electrification, with potential applications ranging from improving safety in fuel-holding systems to boosting energy storage and charging rates.