Research News
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Journal marks 60th anniversary of the first serious nuclear accidents
This year sees the 60th anniversary of the world’s first serious nuclear accidents – the “Kyshtym Accident” in Russia and the “Windscale Fire” in England. The accidents happened at nuclear weapons production sites within two weeks of each other in the autumn of 1957, and required measures to protect the public. To mark the anniversary, […]
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Paper reveals the theory behind ALPHA antihydrogen breakthrough
New research by a team from Aarhus, Swansea, and Purdue Universities has enabled recent experiments to make the first measurement of the 1S – 2S atomic state transition in antihydrogen. In the paper, published in the Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, a theoretical approach is developed for the ALPHA experiment at […]
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Cell culture system could offer cancer breakthrough
A new cell culture system that provides a tool for preclinical cancer drug development and screening has been developed by researchers in the USA. The team, led by scientists from Princeton University, New Jersey, created a microfluidic cell culture device that allows the direct, real-time observation of the development of drug resistance in cancer cells. […]
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Solar cell breakthrough paves the way for new applications
An international scientific collaboration has successfully integrated a sub-micron thin, nanophotonic silicon film into a crystalline solar cell for the first time. Thinner crystalline silicon cells absorb less light. While the addition of nanophotonic structures can strongly improve light absorption, their integration into the cells has been challenging thus far, due to the electrical losses […]
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Nanomaterials help spiders spin the toughest stuff
Spiders’ silk is already tough stuff – just ask your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. But now, researchers in Italy and the UK have found a way to make Spidey’s silk a lot stronger, using various different spider species and carbon nanotubes or graphene. The research team, led by Professor Nicola Pugno at the University of Trento, […]
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Cognitive hearing aid filters out the noise
US engineers have made a major advance in helping hearing-impaired people follow a conversation in a noisy environment, with a new method that brings cognitive hearing aids a step closer to reality. People who are hearing impaired have a difficult time following a conversation in a multi-speaker environment such as a noisy restaurant or a […]
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Analysis highlights failings in US’s advanced nuclear program
Despite repeated promises over the past 18 years, the US Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is unlikely to deliver on its mission to develop and demonstrate an advanced nuclear reactor by the mid-21st century. That is the conclusion of a new study from the University of California, San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University, published today […]
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Colour-shifting electronic skin could have wearable tech and prosthetic uses
The ability of some animals, including chameleons, octopus, and squid, to change their skin colour for camouflage, temperature control, or communication is well known. While science has been able to replicate these abilities with artificial skin, the colour changes are often only visible to the naked eye when the material is put under huge mechanical […]
