Category archives: Technology

Brains wired to be wary of snakes The brain is wired to detect the threat of snakes, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers studied a pair of macaque monkeys born in captivity who had not encountered snakes before the experiment. When shown an image of a […]

Cassini images add clues to Titan’s weather cycle New photos from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft are giving researchers clues to the weather cycle of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. By studying previous images, scientists think Titan has a hydrologic cycle, in which hydrocarbons rain onto the surface filling the lakes and then evaporating back into the […]

Natural non-wetting structures, particularly lotus leaves (Fig. 1a), have inspired the development of synthetic liquid-repellent surfaces. These surfaces rely on the formation of a stable air–liquid interface, but present limited repellency to oils with high contact angle hysteresis, failure under pressure and inability to self-heal. The paper by Wong et al. presents a novel approach […]

The way in which nature manages to create functional diversity in matter is probably the wisest guide for biomaterials engineers, who are always looking for new creative processes to come up with new materials. The conventional way of designing complex materials with new functionalities is explained by the so-called top-down approach , in which a […]

How science goes wrong Scientific research has changed the world. Now it needs to change itself The Economist Astronomers find a “tilted” solar system Scientists have discovered a “tilted” solar system, according to a report in Science. While looking at Kepler-56, a star about 2,800 light-years away, they were surprised to find that the plane […]

Nobel-laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes allegedly once said of nuclear fusion: “We say that we will put the sun into a box. The idea is pretty. The problem is, we don’t know how to make the box “. Indeed, the task is challenging in a way that even surpasses the stringent design of world-famous LHC (Large […]

Images catch molecules moving in glass The movement of molecules in the world’s thinnest glass has been captured in images and may help researchers better understand how the substance bends and breaks. Live Science Remains of water-filled asteroid found around white dwarf A white dwarf about 170 light-years from Earth holds evidence of a water-bearing […]

Ocean health imperiled thrice over Climate change and increases in oxygen-free “dead zones” and acidification each pose health concerns for the world’s oceans, with immediate action required, says a report from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean. BBC Bulk of Earth’s xenon concealed in planet’s core Earth’s atmosphere appears to have only […]

19 elements to have atomic weights adjusted Aluminum, cadmium, gold and arsenic are among 19 elements that are having their atomic weights adjusted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. More precise measurements are now available leading to the new weight calculations, which happens rarely. The atomic weight of nonmetal selenium hasn’t been […]

PET helps ID tau protein in the brain PET shows promise in detecting tau protein accumulation in the brain, according to a study in the journal Neuron. Researchers developed a chemical that binds with the substance and used PET to identify areas of the brain at risk of neuronal death. The approach was evaluated in […]