Separating pebbles from boulders on asteroid Itokawa

jaxaCollisions between fragments may lead to size segregation of rock piles during asteroid formation.  Read more at Physics Today…

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New simulations suggest cost-effective materials design for H2 storage

urn-cambridge.org-id-binary-alt-20170203084804-60168-mediumThumb-S0883769417000112_figu1g.jpgResearchers propose an inexpensive material design that appears able to store and deliver bulk hydrogen at an unprecedented rate.  Read more in MRS Bulletin…

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Exploring the environmental impact of quantum dots

qdThe speed with which microbes in a simplified ecosystem absorb the nanomaterials is raising concerns about the effect on organisms higher in the food chain.  Read more in Physics Today…

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Automotive industry drives search for tunable thermal “switch” materials

MoS2 copy.pngNew thin-film material automatically changes conductivity and helps to harness and repurpose waste heat. Read more in MRS Bulletin…

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Using cellular networks to measure air quality

media_sizes_full_pt-5-7334figure1The propagation of microwaves offers an effective, low-cost means of detecting polluted air.  Read more in Physics Today…

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All in the Delivery

scanlabs2.jpgThe new fibre delivery options and scanning solutions for ultrafast (and non-ultrafast!) lasers. Read more in Laser Systems Europe (pg 18-20)…

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A hard rain’s a-gonna fall

201611_pt_precipA high-resolution climate model predicts an almost across-the-board increase in extreme precipitation events throughout North America.  Read more in Physics Today...

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Cream of the Crop: Top-Tier Publications from 2016

bond-octaug2016-cover-400-croppedResearch at DOE Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory featured in Science, Nature and PNAS journals. Read more in print and  the Molecular Bond (EMSL)…

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Finding the magma source for Mount St Helens

davis2Seismic imaging reveals a cold mantle beneath the volcano and suggests that magma migrates from the east.  Read more in Physics Today…

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Conductive polymer substrate creates platform for biosensing applications

IMAGE copy.jpgIf you want to know how a living cell exchanges information with its surroundings, you have to understand how materials pass through the cell wall. Now, researchers have synthesized lipid bilayers on a flexible, conductive substrate that allows signals to transduce the model membrane. Read more in MRS Bulletin…

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