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Battery breakthrough: silicon-based Li-ion anode stands up under stressBattery breakthrough: silicon-based Li-ion anode stands up under stress

Lithium-ion battery anodes are made from graphite. Silicon anodes would offer a ten-fold improvement, but ion travel quickly destroys the material. A new experimental silicon-carbon nanocomposite, built through self-assembly, solves the degradation problem.

Silk's secrets revealed

Silk's secrets revealed

Silks are among the toughest materials known, stronger and less brittle, pound for pound, than steel. Now scientists at MIT have unraveled some of their deepest secrets in research that could lead the way to the creation of synthetic materials that duplicate, or even exceed, the extraordinary properties of natural silk.

Testing century-old calculations

Testing century-old calculations

Calculations are fine, but seeing is believing. That's the thought behind a new paper by Rice Univ. students who decided to put to the test calculations made more than a century ago.

Captured on film: bacteria destroying cell wall in wine grape vines

Captured on film: bacteria destroying cell wall in wine grape vines

In the effort to study the movements of bacteria, Texas A&M plant experts observed the cell wall crashing behavior of Xylella fastidiosa, which causes a deadly wine grape plant disease. Electron microscopy helped them see this movement for the first time.

Mars Express buzzes Phobos

Mars Express buzzes Phobos

Images from the recent flyby of Phobos—a proposed landing for an upcoming mission—were captured on the rarely seen “dark side” of the Martian moon thanks to the highly elliptical orbit of the Mars Express that takes outside the moon’s path. The images were also taken as part of the High Resolution Stereo Camera experiment.

Hand bacteria study holds promise for forensics identification

Forensic scientists may soon have a valuable new item in their toolkits—a way to identify individuals using unique, telltale types of hand bacteria left behind on objects like keyboards and computer mice, says a new Univ. of Colorado at Boulder study.

A golden bullet for cancer

A golden bullet for cancer

Magic bullets, also called silver bullets, because of the folkloric belief that only silver bullets can kill supernatural creatures, remain the goal of drug development efforts today. A team of scientists at Washington Univ. in St. Louis is currently working on a magic bullet for cancer. But their bullets are gold rather than silver.

Making cells feel right at home

The film "Avatar" isn't the only 3-D blockbuster making a splash this winter. A team of scientists from Houston's Texas Medical Center this week unveiled a new technique for growing 3-D cell cultures, a technological leap from the flat petri dish that could save millions of dollars in drug-testing costs.

Self-assembling computer chips

Self-assembling computer chips

The features on computer chips are getting so small that soon the process used to make them, which has hardly changed in the last 50 years, won’t work anymore. One of the alternatives that academic researchers have been exploring is to create tiny circuits using molecules that automatically arrange themselves into useful patterns.  

Energy efficient power supplies

Energy efficient power supplies

Mettler Toledo announced the use of new power supplies for NewClassic balances that are Energy Star compliant. These new power supplies are light, small, and efficient.

Fire protection for fume hoods & cabinets

Fire protection for fume hoods & cabinets

Firetrace stand-alone automatic fire detection and suppression systems for fume hoods and cabinets and hazardous material storage cabinets were showcased by ISO 9001:2008-certified Firetrace International at Pittcon 2010. 

Much ado about next to nothing

Much ado about next to nothing

The recent review of the past 10 years of the National Nanotechnology Initiative--as presented by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology--suggested the rise of nanomanufacturing as the near future of nanotechnology. But the actual proposed funding reflects a cautious approach, even about nanotech in general.

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