nanotechnology

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Scientists Get Plants to Trigger Email Alerts

'Plants are very good analytical chemists'

(Newser) - A 2016 study about scientists receiving alerts from spinach went viral this week, bringing fresh attention to the emerging field of plant nanobionics—and sparking plenty of jokes about getting email from your leafy greens. In the study published in the journal Nature Materials , MIT researchers explained that they had...

Chilling New Material Appears to Be 'Alive'

Cornell University scientists point to a future of 'lifelike' robots

(Newser) - Scientists have created a new material—some are calling it a little machine—that's oddly lifelike and points to a possible future in which robots are "alive," TheNextWeb reports. In Science Robotics , Cornell engineers say they've invented a biomaterial based on artificial DNA that has its...

See the World's First Graphene Dress

Has LED lights that change color based on wearer's breathing

(Newser) - Two scientists first isolated graphene in 2004 and went on to win a Nobel prize for bringing to the world's attention a "wonder material" that conducts electricity better than anything else and has the potential to revolutionize fields from computing to travel, recounts the Guardian . It's a...

Scientists Create 'Super Black' That Our Eye Can't See

Nanotubes absorb 99.96% of light

(Newser) - Imagine an object so black that you could stare right at it and see nothing at all. That object can now exist, thanks to a British nanotechnology company. Surrey Nanosystems has created a new "super black" coating that absorbs 99.96% of light, which is to say, all light...

Scientists: Beware of Silver in Everyday Items

Nanoparticles are used to ward off bacteria—but at what risk?

(Newser) - Silver nanoparticles are used in all kinds of products—from odor-fighting socks to self-sanitizing toothbrushes—but some researchers fear they may be bad for the environment and our personal health, the New York Times reports. First, the good news: Microscopic particles of silver kill off bacteria, which is why they'...

Sick? Next-Gen Generators Are Viruses
 Next-Gen 
 Generators 
 Are Viruses 
how sick
May 16, 2012 8:01 AM CDT

Next-Gen Generators Are Viruses

Device uses viruses to harvest electricity from movement

(Newser) - Scientists have unveiled what they say could be the forerunner of many virus-powered gadgets. A team at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has created a tiny generator powered by a benign virus, reports the BBC . When a finger touches an electrode coated with viruses, they converted...

Futurist: We'll Accept Computers as Human

Maybe even partners

(Newser) - Computers could get all our transistors going in the very near future when we finally accept them as "human," predicts a well-known futurist. Inventor and author Ray Kurzweil believes that humans and technology are blurring—he points to the bionic smartphones attached to nearly every human's hand—...

20 Predictions for Life in 100 Years

Futurologists discuss thought communication, global currency

(Newser) - The world 100 years from now: What will it look like? What will humans be up to? What will robots be up to? BBC News collected century-long forecasts from readers, then let futurologists Ian Pearson and Patrick Tucker evaluate the predictions. A selection from the top 20:

Team Creates Lightest Material on the Planet

'Ultralight metallic microlattice' 100 times lighter than Styrofoam

(Newser) - A University of California team says it has created a material lighter than any other on Earth. The team's "ultralight metallic microlattice" is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam, and can sit atop a fluffy dandelion without crushing its seeds, the Los Angeles Times reports. The material is 99....

This 'Tattoo' Is a Computer
 This 'Tattoo' Is 
 a Computer 
Aug 12, 2011 4:46 AM CDT

This 'Tattoo' Is a Computer

Skin-like device could revolutionize medicine, gaming

(Newser) - Scientists have blurred the line between man and machine with a revolutionary new device. The "electronic tattoo" sticks to the skin like a temporary tattoo, moving and wrinkling like skin does. The device, created by researchers seeking to create less obtrusive medical monitors for premature babies, monitors vital signs,...

New Nanotech Could Lead to Heart-Powered Phones

First commercially viable nanogenerators unveiled

(Newser) - Scientists say a big leap forward in nanotechnology has put them on the road to creating electronics that won't run out of juice until their owners do. Researchers say they have made the first commercially viable nanogenerators, which can use tiny movements like a pinch of a finger or even...

Scientists Write Periodic Table on Strand of Hair

Playful birthday present illustrates nanotech capabilities

(Newser) - Scientists have written the entire periodic table of elements on a strand of human hair, the Daily Mail reports. In a playful example of "nano-writing," Nottingham University scientists etched the symbols of all 118 elements onto a hair belonging to colleague Martyn Poliakoff as a birthday present. The...

Team Builds Robot Skin
 Team Builds Robot Skin 
Sep 13, 2010 4:16 AM CDT

Team Builds Robot Skin

May eventually be used on robots, artificial limbs

(Newser) - Scientists have developed a new type of artificial skin, which may one day cover robots or bring sensation to prosthetic limbs. This "robot skin," or e-skin made of semi-conductor materials, is flexible and is pressure sensitive, reports the Telegraph. The findings suggest researchers may be able to build...

Spider Silk Discovery Opens Way to Super Matter

Method may "make it possible to build bricks from straw'

(Newser) - Spider silk is yielding secrets that could pave the way for incredibly strong building materials, researchers say. MIT scientists found that the silk uses a unique crystal structure that makes it both strong and able to bend without breaking. They believe it is possible to copy that structure to turn...

Scientists Create 'Paper Battery'

Say technique could someday help fuel electric cars, electronics

(Newser) - Scientists at Stanford University say they’ve created a “paper battery” by coating paper with ink made from silver and carbon nanowires. Earlier research showed those materials can create a battery 10 times as strong as the now-standard lithium-ion variety. The new result: a cheap, powerful and, above all,...

'Nanobees' Sting Cancer Cells
 'Nanobees' Sting Cancer Cells 
Sep 29, 2009 4:58 AM CDT

'Nanobees' Sting Cancer Cells

Scientists abuzz over treatment using bee venom and nanoparticles

(Newser) - Scientists working to harness the power of bee venom in the fight against cancer have created "nanobees" that can actually sting a tumor to death. Melittin, an ingredient in bee venom with anti-tumor properties, was attached to tiny spheres that sought out and attacked cancerous cells in mice. Previous...

Scientists Upgrade Century-Old X-Ray Tech

(Newser) - A team of University of North Carolina scientists are working to bring X-ray technology into the 21st century, the Economist reports. The X-ray machines commonly used today rely on vacuum-tube technology little changed from a century ago, but physicist Otto Zhou and his colleagues have used nanotechnology to create smaller,...

Tiny New Fibers Draw Power From Wind, Flowing Blood

(Newser) - Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing...

Silicon Valley Spawns High-Tech University

'Singularity University' to tackle questions about future, technology

(Newser) - The future’s so bright, we’re going to need special training to get ready. That’s the point of Singularity University, a Silicon Valley institution founded by trio of forward thinkers, reports CNET. It won’t be a regular university; instead, Singularity—staffed by Nobel winners and other luminaries—...

Tiny Particles in Cosmetics Are Creating 'Nanophobes'

Tiny particles in skin-care products could damage organs: scientists

(Newser) - Though nanotechnology—relying on microscopic components—is common in many industries, scientists and consumers are worrying about the effects of nanoparticles in cosmetics, the New York Times reports. The fear is that the particles—50,000 times thinner than hair—can penetrate the skin and create havoc in our organs....

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