2017

How Protein Misfolding May Kickstart Chemical Evolution

Researchers at Emory University and Georgia Tech are looking into the abnormal folding of proteins related to neurodegenerative conditions, providing insights into how life may emerge from a chemical system.

Triboelectric Nanogenerators Boost Mass Spectrometry Performance

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have shown that replacing conventional power supplies with TENG devices for charging the molecules being analyzed can boost the sensitivity of mass spectrometers to unprecedented levels.

Experiments Call Origin of Earth’s Iron into Question

New research from The University of Texas at Austin reveals that the Earth’s unique iron composition isn’t linked to the formation of the planet’s core, calling into question a prevailing theory about the events that shaped our planet during its earliest years.

Light-Driven Reaction Converts Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel

Duke University researchers have developed tiny nanoparticles that help convert carbon dioxide into methane using only ultraviolet light as an energy source.

Stanford Researchers Create a High-Performance, Low-Energy Artificial Synapse for Neural Network Computing

Researchers at Stanford University and Sandia National Laboratories have made an advance that could help computers mimic one piece of the brain’s efficient design – an artificial version of the space over which neurons communicate, called a synapse.

Microscopic Defects Make Batteries Better

High-performance electrodes for lithium-ion batteries can be improved by paying closer attention to their defects — and capitalizing on them, according to Rice University scientists.

Physics Grad Student Headed to Los Alamos National Lab

Chad Brisbois, a physics PhD candidate at Michigan Technological University, is one of 53 graduate students in the US to earn a place in the Department of Energy's Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program.

No Small Matter: Team Makes its Mark in Theoretical Nuclear Physics Research

Penn State Berks is making its mark in the field of theoretical nuclear physics research by becoming the only undergraduate institution of higher education in the nation to receive a highly competitive grant from the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) to partially fund a new professor position through JLab’s prestigious Bridge Program.

Spontaneous System Follows Rules of Equilibrium

An international team including researchers at Northwestern University has discovered evidence for a non-equilibrium system that quantitatively behaves like an equilibrium system. The finding could lead to a set of rules that makes it possible to predict the properties of non-equilibrium systems, which experience constant changes in energy and are required for all forms of life.