Watch rappelling robots dive into a lava tube — for science
Watch rappelling robots dive into a lava tube — for science Summary Researchers tested a team of three autonomous robots in a lava tube on Lanzarote, Spain, to demonstrate an…
These tiny flyers levitate on the Sun’s heat alone
These tiny flyers levitate on the Sun’s heat alone Summary Researchers have demonstrated a centimetre-square, two-layer wafer that can lift itself using only sunlight. The device exploits thermal transpiration (the…
A humidity measure that accounts for redistribution of water across the landscape
A humidity measure that accounts for redistribution of water across the landscape Summary A new global humidity index incorporates lateral hydrologic flows — the movement of water across the landscape…
Delocalized electrolyte design enables 600 Wh kg−1 lithium metal pouch cells
Delocalized electrolyte design enables 600 Wh kg−1 lithium metal pouch cells Summary This Nature paper reports a new “delocalized” electrolyte design that deliberately breaks the dominance of single solvation structures…
n-Type thermoelectric elastomers
n-Type thermoelectric elastomers Summary This Nature paper reports one of the first intrinsically elastic n‑type thermoelectric materials. The authors integrate uniform bulk nanophase separation, thermally activable crosslinking and targeted n‑doping…
Calving-driven fjord dynamics resolved by seafloor fibre sensing
Calving-driven fjord dynamics resolved by seafloor fibre sensing Summary This study deployed a 10-km subsea fibre-optic cable with co-located Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) across the…
Photophoretic flight of perforated structures in near-space conditions
Photophoretic flight of perforated structures in near-space conditions Summary This Nature paper demonstrates that ultralight, perforated membrane structures can generate measurable lift and horizontal motion in rarefied, near-space conditions via…
Elementary 3D organization of active and silenced E. coli genome
Elementary 3D organisation of active and silenced E. coli genome Summary This Nature paper reports ultra-high-resolution Micro-C maps of the Escherichia coli chromosome (down to ~10 bp resolution). The authors…
Aging Can Spread Through Your Body Via a Single Protein, Study Finds
Aging Can Spread Through Your Body Via a Single Protein, Study Finds Summary Researchers identify a circulating form of the HMGB1 protein (referred to as ReHMGB1) as a messenger that…
Virtual Power Plants: Where Home Batteries are Saving Americans from Blackouts
Virtual Power Plants: Where Home Batteries are Saving Americans from Blackouts Summary The article describes how networks of residential batteries — often paired with rooftop solar — are being aggregated…