New method measures super-fast, free electron laser pulses

New research shows how to measure the super-short bursts of high-frequency light emitted from free electron lasers (FELs). By using the light-induced ionization itself to create a femtosecond optical shutter, the technique encodes the electric field of the FEL pulse in a visible light pulse so that it can be measured with a standard, slow, visible-light...

26m

Retracing his steps: Professor guides researchers as they replicate his fieldwork 50 years later

Half a century had passed, but UC Santa Barbara Professor Armand Kuris was sure he'd been here before. In fact, he was completely certain. After all, he had detailed notes of the location, written carefully in India ink when he was still a graduate student.

26m

Social wasps lose face recognition abilities in isolation

Just as humans are challenged from the social isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a new study finds that a solitary lifestyle has profound effects on the brains of a social insect: paper wasps.

26m

How we can reduce food waste and promote healthy eating

Food waste and obesity are major problems in developed countries. They are both caused by an overabundance of food, but strategies to reduce one can inadvertently increase the other. A broader perspective can help identify ways to limit food waste while also promoting healthy nutrition, two University of Illinois researchers suggest.

26m

Shape-shifting Ebola virus protein exploits human RNA to change shape

The human genome contains the instructions to make tens of thousands of proteins. Each protein folds into a precise shape—and biologists are taught that defined shape dictates the protein's destined function. Tens of thousands of singular shapes drive the tens of thousands of needed functions.

26m

Scientists program microalgae's 'oil factory' to produce various oils

By combining the 'chassis' of an oil-producing microalgae with genes from a Cuphea plant, scientists from the Single-Cell Center, Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), can turn the algae into a microbial cell factory that can produce various oils with different properties.

57m

Why do some alloys become stronger at room temperature?

An alloy is typically a metal that has a few per cent of at least one other element added. Some aluminum alloys have a seemingly strange property.

57m

Plasma device designed for consumers can quickly disinfect surfaces

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a harsh light on the urgent need for quick and easy techniques to sanitize and disinfect everyday high-touch objects such as doorknobs, pens, pencils, and personal protective gear worn to keep infections from spreading. Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and the...

57m

Finally, 3D-printed graphene aerogels for water treatment

Graphene excels at removing contaminants from water, but it's not yet a commercially viable use of the wonder material.

57m

Little swirling mysteries: New research uncovers dynamics of ultrasmall, ultrafast groups of atoms

Our high-speed, high-bandwidth world constantly requires new ways to process and store information. Semiconductors and magnetic materials have made up the bulk of data storage devices for decades. In recent years, however, researchers and engineers have turned to ferroelectric materials, a type of crystal that can be manipulated with electricity.

57m