University of Texas-Austin engineers have created the smallest memory device yet which uses just a single atom to control its memory function. The project builds on a discovery from two years ago, when the same group of researchers created what was then the thinnest memory storage device, with a single atomic layer of thickness. This … Read more
People who spend time video games have been shown to have improved wellbeing according to a new study from Oxford University. With many people forced to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, gaming firms have enjoyed a record year, with more people playing than ever before, coupled with the recent launch of new … Read more
The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved plans to build the world’s first space telescope dedicated to studying the atmosphere of exoplanets. The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) will be used to investigate the relationship between exoplanet chemistry and environment, collecting data from approximately 1,000 known exoplanets. Around 4,000 planets outside our solar system … Read more
Researchers at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses, based on dips in electrical current as they pass through silicon nanopores. The method could form the basis of a rapid new Covid-19 test. Efforts to restrict the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic have emphasised rapid, widespread … Read more
A cotton face mask that uses a special fabric that can kill 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses within 60 minutes of daylight exposure has been developed by Californian researchers. While face masks made of various cloth materials have been shown to filter nanoscale aerosol particles such as those released by a cough or … Read more
Projects which will explore medical deliveries by drone, hydrogen delivery aircraft, and retrofitting aircraft with electric propulsion are among 20 to receive funding from the UK government. The £7m funding is part of the £33.5m available via the ‘Future Flight Challenge’, which aims to develop technologies to enable new classes of aircraft and reduce reliance … Read more
A wearable electronic device that can stretch and adhere to human skin has been developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. The device is able to heal itself, much like real skin, and can perform a range of sensory tasks, from measuring the body temperature of users to tracking their daily step counts. … Read more
A British firm has won a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop methods to process Moon dust into its constituent elements of oxygen and metal alloys. With plans afoot to build a base on the Moon (possibly powered by nuclear fission) as a jumping-off point for a mission to Mars, work is being undertaken to … Read more
When revolutions take place, things happen quickly. The year of Covid-19 is likely to be an example of how sudden pressure can lead to massive changes, and not necessarily all for the worse once all the consequences are taken into account. The pandemic and associated lockdowns have provided a wake-up call for the world in … Read more
Researchers are looking at how waste heat can be captured from the steelmaking process and reused or even moved to another location. A team involving scientists from Swansea University and Tata Steel are focusing on a thermochemical heat storage material developed at the University’s SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre. Currently, heavy industries can release up … Read more