UPenn engineers created a flexible, durable insulator out of mylar to protect future lunar habitats
Thin stacks of Mylar combined strong vacuum insulation with resistance to repeated compression in laboratory tests.Alumina coatings and…
Invisible ultrasound tube can transport solids, liquids, gases through mid-air
A 256-transducer array creates an invisible acoustic conduit that guides matter without contact with solid walls.The experiments demonstrate…
Lasers reveal a rugby-ball-shaped nucleus inside fermium-255
Precision laser spectroscopy shows that the nucleus of fermium-255 is strongly elongated, resembling a rugby ball rather than…
Scientists demonstrate sustained operation of the world’s first self-regulating nuclear clock
A thorium-229 nuclear clock in Vienna ran for more than 24 hours without intervention, automatically correcting its laser…
A tiny semiconductor device lifts quantum photon interference visibility to 90%
An optical cavity raised the first cascade photon’s measured interference visibility to 90%, compared with a typical value…
Scientists turn carbon dioxide into fully recyclable high-performance plastics
Colorado State University researchers developed a catalytic route that directly combines carbon dioxide with strained bicyclic molecules to…
A space elevator connecting Earth and the Moon could be closer than ever
A Moon-anchored “Spaceline” could theoretically reach toward Earth using materials such as Zylon, Kevlar or Dyneema that already…
Quantum chip opens new way to read complex quantum systems
A quantum computing method called QCS reconstructed spectra from static, open and periodically driven quantum systems using one…
Space habitat design could shape astronaut mental health on Mars missions
Space habitats may need to protect astronauts’ mental and social wellbeing, not just shield them from physical hazards.An…
New semiconductor turns billions of spin oscillators into a shared time crystal
Continuous time crystals inside a semiconductor can synchronize with one another, locking many separate spin oscillators into a…
New recycling process converts plastic waste into useful chemicals using only water and oxygen
Researchers developed a catalyst-free recycling method that uses only water and oxygen to break down durable plastics such…
Physicists use thorium-229 to power the world’s first working nuclear clock
A clock built from thorium-229 has crossed an important line, from a long-discussed concept to a working device.…