SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Researchers have demonstrated how kirigami-inspired techniques allow them to design thin sheets of material that automatically reconfigure into new two-dimensional (2D) shapes and three-dimensional (3D) structures in response to environmental stimuli. The researchers created a variety of robotic devices as a proof of concept for the approach. “This is the first case that we know … Read more
The river may rage or gently roll, but in the end the sand and silt will have their way. Rice University Earth scientists and their colleagues have defined a surprising breakpoint at which the grain size of riverbed sediment exercises extraordinary control over how much material will be transported downstream, nourishing deltas and coastlines. New … Read more
Research on global biodiversity has long assumed that present-day biodiversity patterns reflect present-day factors, namely contemporary climate and human activities. A new study shows that climate changes and human impacts over the last 100,000 years continue to shape patterns of tropical and subtropical mammal biodiversity today – a surprising finding. The new research – coauthored … Read more
Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, TNO, and Cartamundi announced that they have developed a flexible capacitive identification tag that communicates with standard touch screens (C-touch). C-touch tags can be integrated in a wide range of paper and plastic based objects such as tickets, certified documents, payment cards, realizing … Read more
The remediation of oil field effluents is a global challenge. For example, in the United States, over 15 billion barrels of oil-contaminated wastewater produced each year. Cherukupally and Sun et al. report an innovative surface engineered sponge that combines surface chemistry, pH-responsive surface charge, and multiscale roughness to enhance the surface wetting of the sponge. [rand_post] Their … Read more
ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has observed the central part of the Milky Way with spectacular resolution and uncovered new details about the history of star birth in our galaxy. Thanks to the new observations, astronomers have found evidence for a dramatic event in the life of the Milky Way: a burst of star formation … Read more
A new survey of the activity of nearly 60,000 neurons in the mouse visual system reveals how far we have to go to understand how the brain computes. Published today in the international journal Nature Neuroscience, the analysis led by researchers at the Allen Institute reveals that more than 90% of neurons in the visual cortex, the part … Read more
In first-of-its-kind research, NOAA scientists and academic partners used 100 years of microscopic shells to show that the coastal waters off California are acidifying twice as fast as the global ocean average — with the seafood supply in the crosshairs. California coastal waters contain some of our nation’s more economically valuable fisheries, including salmon, crabs … Read more
Life cycles for birds, insects and trees are shifting in this current era of a rapidly changing climate. How migration patterns, in particular, are changing and whether birds can track climate change is an open question. Kyle Horton, assistant professor at Colorado State University, led a new study analyzing nocturnal bird migration that he hopes … Read more
An electronic biosensor powered using the glucose in bodily fluids has been developed by KAUST researchers. The device pairs an electron-transporting polymer with an enzyme that extracts electrons from its reaction with glucose to drive its circuitry. The plastic biosensor could act as a continuous monitor of key health indicators, such as blood sugar levels … Read more