Researchers at the University of Bristol have developed a new device made from a simple sponge that can help robots grasp objects more delicately, by mimicking the nuanced touch, or variable stiffness, of a human hand. The device can be used to improve the load capacity of soft robots or reduce damage on hard robots.
Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed smart digital image sensors with visual perception capabilities. The team, led by Dayanand Kumar and Nazek El-Atab, used the Nobel Prize-winning technology of charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors to create light-sensitive memory devices that can be programmed optically and erased electrically. What
The Denali Fault System is a 1,200-mile-long fault that runs in an upward arc from southwestern Alaska and the Bering Sea into western Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia. The active strike-slip fault system, which runs through Denali National Park and Preserve, is responsible for the formation of the Alaska Range. In 2002, the Denali
Coal ash is known to cause air pollution, which is harmful to both the environment and human health. However, the ash left over from burning coal can also be hazardous. Duke Energy had long stored a liquified form of coal ash in 36 large ponds across the Carolinas. However, in 2014, a spill at its
Researchers at Rice University have discovered a natural cycle that repeats every 150 days in the north-south oscillation of atmospheric pressure patterns that drive the movement of the Southern Hemisphere’s prevailing westerly winds and the Antarctic jet stream. The cycle, known as an “internally generated periodicity,” was found to influence the variability of the hemisphere-scale
According to a new study published in Nature Communications, the Arctic Ocean’s ice cap will disappear in summer as soon as the 2030s, a decade earlier than previously thought. The report concludes that even capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris climate treaty will not prevent the north pole’s vast
Secretly held documents from DuPont and 3M, two of the most prominent manufacturers of ‘forever chemicals,’ reveal that company leaders knew of the harmful health effects of some per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) long before they informed the public. In internal research, two of their most popular chemicals, called PFOS and PFOA, were found to
In 1923, Fritz Pregl was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his contributions to quantitative microanalysis, which became a crucial tool to determine the elements present in a sample or compound. This technique has been widely adopted in the field of chemistry to determine the identity and purity of a chemical. However, the long-accepted
Quantum mechanics is a complex field that is difficult to visualize. However, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new illustration technique that displays quantum features in an easy-to-read diagram called a coherence map. Using this technique, the researchers were able to study the quantum mechanisms that underlay photosynthesis, the process by
Solar power is the third largest source of renewable energy and is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decades, with renewables accounting for 90 percent of the energy market by mid-century. However, technical challenges need to be overcome for this transition to occur, with intermittency being the main limiting factor for solar power. To
Recent studies have shown that the hallucinogenic and antidepressant effects of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocin are driven by separate mechanisms. European researchers led by the University of Helsinki in Finland found that these drugs may have the potential to be used as antidepressants and plasticity-promoting agents without triggering the psychedelic trips that they
Studying radioactive materials is a challenging task due to the potential health risks associated with them, as well as their high costs. Some radioisotopes can cost more than $10,000 per microgram, making them difficult to study in detail. Furthermore, some radioisotopes cannot be produced in sufficient quantities, adding to the difficulties of studying them. However,
A recent study by Stanford University has found a way to more accurately measure groundwater levels in the agriculturally rich Central Valley, which is vital for farmers who rely on groundwater to irrigate crops in dry years. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzed satellite-based measures of surface changes over time to monitor groundwater
Researchers at Cornell University and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have developed a new technique to expand the collective behaviour of swarming microrobots. The technique involves mixing different sizes of robots, which enables them to self-organise into diverse patterns that can be manipulated when a magnetic field is applied. The approach could lead
The ability to anticipate and predict the emotions of others is a cognitive skill known as theory of mind. MIT neuroscientists have developed a computational model that can predict other people’s emotions, including joy, gratitude, confusion, regret, and embarrassment. The model was created based on the prisoner’s dilemma, a classic game theory scenario in which
