Collaborate Disseminate
Pathogens like bacteria and viruses are extremely good at evolving in response to drugs, which can render vaccines ineffective. But now, researchers at ETH Zurich have found a way to weaponize that ability against them, forcing the bugs down harmless e… Continue reading Experimental vaccine forces bacteria down an evolutionary dead end
Graphene just keeps getting weirder. Engineers at ETH Zurich have now managed to tweak the overachieving material so that some parts of a flake can be an electrical insulator while other areas act as a superconductor, just nanometers apart. The team de… Continue reading Magic angle makes graphene simultaneously superconducting and insulating
Restoring post-agricultural land to tropical forest can be challenging, as the pasture grasses tend to choke out the native trees. A new study, however, indicates that waste from the coffee industry gives those trees a fighting chance.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Coffee waste used to reclaim formerly farmed land
Currently, if you want a VR setup to “know” what your individual fingers are doing, you either have to wear special gloves or place your hands directly in front of a camera. A new system, however, keeps tabs on the fingers via a simple wristband.Contin… Continue reading VR wristband tracks finger-taps via vibrating wrist bones
There are untold energy sources all around us, if we can just figure out how to tap into them. Swiss researchers have now demonstrated an environmentally friendly way to make spongy wood flooring that can generate electricity with every step.Continue R… Continue reading Spongy wood nanogenerators make for energy-harvesting smart floors
Although various groups are already working on nanoparticles that could be used for directed drug delivery via the bloodstream, most of those particles are designed to “go with the flow.” Now, however, Swiss researchers have created ones that can actua… Continue reading Ultrasound and magnetism let drug-delivery nanobeads travel upstream
For patients with an injured or compromised trachea, the insertion of a stent is often required in order to keep their airway open. A new type of airway stent should remain in place better than others, and will biodegrade when no longer needed.Continue… Continue reading Life-saving 3D-printed airway stent biodegrades when its job is done
In 1959, a group of Russian hikers died under mysterious circumstances – and their story, now known as the Dyatlov Pass incident, has intrigued the world ever since. There’s been no shortage of theories about what happened, but none have been able to f… Continue reading Mystery Dyatlov Pass deaths may be explained by new scientific theory
When a rope is heated – either by friction or by fire – it may lose its structural integrity, subsequently breaking when put under load. A new surface coating, however, could cause ropes to change color if they’ve been overheated, providing a warning t… Continue reading Safety coating causes heat-damaged ropes to change color
We don’t know how much time passed between the invention of the wheel and someone putting wheels on their feet, but we expect that was a great moment of discovery: combining the ability to roll off at speed and our leg’s ability to quickly adapt to changing terrain. Now that …read more