A collection of science & technology news that I found interesting this month. Many of these relate to tech that’s covered in my stories, but some are here purely for inspiration.
Versatile building blocks make structures with surprising mechanical properties
Researchers at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms have created tiny building blocks that exhibit a variety of unique mechanical properties, such as the ability to produce a twisting motion when squeezed.
Making 3-D nanosuperconductors with DNA
Three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructured materials-those with complex shapes at a size scale of billionths of a meter-that can conduct electricity without resistance could be used in a range of quantum devices. For example, such 3-D superconducting nanostructures could find application in signal amplifiers to enhance the speed and accuracy of quantum computers and ultrasensitive magnetic field sensors for medical imaging and subsurface geology mapping.
Stretchable Fiber-Optic Sensors for Skin-Like Sensation
Researchers at Cornell University have developed stretchable sensors that can detect sensations such as strain, pressure, and bending, much like human skin. Deformation is measured through changes in optical paths within the flexible fiber optic sensors.
Europa glows: Radiation does a bright number on Jupiter's moon
As the icy, ocean-filled moon Europa orbits Jupiter, it withstands a relentless pummeling of radiation. Jupiter zaps Europa's surface night and day with electrons and other particles, bathing it in high-energy radiation. But as these particles pound the moon's surface, they may also be doing something otherworldly: making Europa glow in the dark.
Flexible and transparent electronics fabricated using a two-dimensional semiconductor
In recent years, engineers worldwide have been trying to create electronic components that are increasingly flexible and versatile, as this could enable the fabrication of more sophisticated devices and robotic systems, such as electronic skins (e-skins) or wearable sensors.
Psychedelic treatment with psilocybin relieves major depression, study shows
In a small study of adults with major depression, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that two doses of the psychedelic substance psilocybin, given with supportive psychotherapy, produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms, with most participants showing improvement and half of study participants achieving remission through the four-week follow-up.
Detection of a short, intense radio burst in Milky Way
New data from a Canadian-led team of astronomers, including researchers from the McGill Space Institute and McGill University Department of Physics, strongly suggest that magnetars-a type of neutron star believed to have an extremely powerful magnetic field-could be the source of some fast radio bursts (FRBs).
World's record entanglement storage sets up a milestone for Quantum Internet Alliance
Researchers from Sorbonne University in Paris have achieved a highly efficient transfer of quantum entanglement into and out of two quantum memory devices. This achievement brings a key ingredient for the scalability of a future quantum internet. A quantum internet that connects multiple locations is a key step in quantum technology roadmaps worldwide.