Demonstration of ultrafast and energy-efficient all-optical switching with graphene and plasmonic waveguides

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Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT, Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Jun Sawada) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech, Headquarter: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; President: Kazuya Masu) have demonstrated an ultrafast all-optical switching operation with the lowest energy consumption ever reported for all-optical switching at less than one picosecond (one trillionth of a second). … Read more

Australian desalination plant attracts fish

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With growing populations and climate uncertainty, water security is a global concern. Many nations operate desalination plants, which remove salt from seawater to make it drinkable. These facilities typically discharge excess salt as hypersaline brine back into the ocean, with uncertain ecological effects. Now, researchers in Environmental Science & Technology report that a large desalination plant in … Read more

Artificial intelligence identifies previously unknown features associated with cancer recurrence

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Artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by the RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP) in Japan has successfully found features in pathology images from human cancer patients, without annotation, that could be understood by human doctors. Further, the AI identified features relevant to cancer prognosis that were not previously noted by pathologists, leading to a … Read more

Preparing for extreme sea levels depends on location, time, UCF study finds

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Sometimes to understand the present, it takes looking to the past. That’s the approach University of Central Florida coastal researchers are taking to pinpoint the causes of extreme sea level changes. Using historical data from tide gauges that line U.S. coasts, the researchers created an extreme sea level indicator that identifies how much of a … Read more

Healing rays: Whoopi’s quick to mend

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‘Whoopi’ the manta ray – a regular visitor to Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef – has helped University of Queensland and Murdoch University scientists study rays’ impressive ability to heal. Whoopi, who has swum with thousands of tourists WA’s over the years, was hit by a boat in 2015, suffering propeller cuts measuring up to 20 … Read more

New tool reveals DNA structures that influence disease

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Disruption of certain DNA structures – called topologically associating domains, or TADs – is linked with the development of disease, including some cancers. With its newly created algorithm that quickly locates and helps elucidate the complex functions of TADs, an international team of researchers is making it easier to study these important structures and help … Read more

Suction cups that don’t fall off

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The aquatic larvae of the net-winged midge have the unique ability to move around at ease on rocks in torrential rivers using super-strong suction organs. Powerful modern imaging techniques have now revealed the structure of these organs in intricate detail, providing an insight into how they work so reliably. The findings, reported in the journal BMC … Read more

Meerkat mobs do ‘war dance’ to protect territory

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Meerkat clans perform a ‘war dance’ to frighten opponents and protect their territory, according to a new UCL and University of Cambridge study. Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, this is the first empirical study to reveal intergroup aggression. The researchers, who monitored hundreds of these intergroup encounters over 11 years, show that meetings … Read more

Consider marine life when implementing offshore renewable power

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With countries such as Iceland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Norway adopting green energy practices, renewable energy now accounts for a third of the world’s power. As this trend continues, more and more countries are looking to offshore energy sources to produce this renewable energy. In an Opinion publishing December 17 in the journal Trends in … Read more