Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology Offers New Ways to Fight an Endless Pandemic
A wave of funding focuses on antiviral nanomaterials as COVID countermeasures
Stories by Mark Peplow
Medicine
Plasma Scalpel Takes On Cancer
A new tool enters a pivotal pilot study
Chemistry
Reprintable Paper Offers Sustainable Alternative to the Printed Word
A new nanoparticle coating technique prints text that lasts up to five days
Public Health
Shortages of One Obscure Atom, Key to Medical Scans, Are about to Endanger Millions
Millions of patients depend on a rare radioactive form of one element to scan them for disease. But the old nuclear reactors that make it are shutting down
Chemistry
Graphene-Spiked Silly Putty Picks up Human Pulse
“G-putty” is so sensitive that it can track even the steps of a small spider
Chemistry
The Plastics Revolution: How Chemists Are Pushing Polymers to New Limits
Polymers have infiltrated almost every aspect of modern life. Now researchers are working on next-generation forms
Biology
Mirror-Image Enzyme Copies Looking-Glass DNA
Synthetic polymerase is a small step along the way to mirrored life-forms
Health
Synthetic Biology's First Malaria Drug Meets Market Resistance
Commercial use of genetically engineered yeast to make medicine has modest impact
Chemistry
Inventors Race to Find Best Way to Recycle Polluting Carbon
A $20-million prize will go to the best technology
Biotech
Nanotech Bandages Detect Health Trouble and Deliver Medicine
New materials will not simply cover wounds—they will be able to alert doctors to problems and deliver fine-tuned drugs
The Sciences
New Form of Ice Forms in Graphene "Sandwich"
The ice's unusual square structure suggests why water can zip through stacks of the atom-thick sheets of carbon
The Sciences
Dynamic Duo of Compounds Help LEDs Transmit Wireless Data At High Speed
A pair of semiconducting polymers helps create a pleasant white light that can both illuminate a room and transfer information
Health
Centipede and Snake Venoms Form a Basis for New Pain Drugs
Venom molecules could provide alternatives to addictive opiate drugs
Technology
Liquid-Metal Batteries Get a Boost from Molten Lead
The technology could provide large-scale storage for energy from erratic sources such as wind or solar
The Sciences
Social Sciences Suffer from Severe Publication Bias
"Null" results rarely see the light of day, a survey finds
Clean Air Policy
Ethanol Fuels Ozone Pollution
Shifts in the use of gasoline and ethanol to fuel vehicles in Sao Paulo created a unique atmospheric chemistry experiment
Biotech
Biodegradable Battery Could Melt Inside the Body
Medical implants would monitor vital signs or dispense therapies before vanishing
Biology
At Least Twice as Much DNA of Pathogens and Allergens in Air on Beijing's Smoggiest Days
Next, microbes in the sputum of patients with respiratory tract infections could be examined to see if smoggier days lead to more illness
Chemistry
Cheap Battery Can Store Energy for a Rainy Day
Quinone could make flow-battery technology competitive with current storage methods
Biology
No Firm Proof That Arafat Was Poisoned
An investigation claims to have turned up evidence of polonium poisoning in the death of the Palestinian leader but draws no certain conclusions
