Feb 03, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Scientists and engineers from the University of Granada (UGR) have developed and tested a ‘smart’ FFP2 facemask that notifies the user via their smartphone when the permitted carbon dioxide (CO2) limits inside the mask are exceeded. This important scientific advance addresses a problem that has...
Researchers develop AI solutions for next-gen medical research
Feb 03, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Data is not only the answer to numerous questions in the business world; the same applies to biomedical research. In order to develop new therapies or prevention strategies for diseases, scientists need more and better data, faster and faster. However, the quality is often very...
Quantum material should be a conductor but remains an insulator
Feb 03, 2022 (Nanowerk News) This research (Scientific Reports, "Giant electron-phonon coupling of the breathing plane oxygen phonons in the dynamic stripe phase of La1.67Sr0.33NiO4") sheds light on the mechanism behind how a special quantum material transitions from an electrical insulator to an electricity-conducting metal. Below a critical temperature, the...
‘Smart’ greenhouses could slash electricity costs
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new, internet-connected (IoT) lighting system for greenhouses could sharply reduce a farmer’s electrical bill, according to a study by University of Georgia researchers. Recently published in Plants ("Development and Implementation of an IoT-Enabled Optimal and Predictive Lighting Control Strategy in Greenhouses "), the study...
Simple, inexpensive, fast and accurate nano-sensors pinpoint infectious diseases
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) In recent years, deadly infectious diseases, including Ebola and COVID-19, have emerged to cause widespread human devastation. Although researchers have developed a range of sophisticated methods to detect such infections, existing diagnostics face many limitations. In a new study, Chao Wang, a researcher at Arizona...
Researchers develop insect-sized flying robots with flapping wings (w/video)
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) A new drive system for flapping wing autonomous robots has been developed by a University of Bristol team, using a new method of electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears. This new advance, published in the journal Science Robotics...
Novel nanomaterial-based light sails for low-power spacecraft propulsion in Earth orbit and interplanetary travel
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The fastest human-made spacecraft so far is NASA's Parker Solar Probe. After its launch in 2018, in November 2021 it skimmed the Sun's atmosphere and used the Sun's gravity to reach a maximum velocity of 586,864 km/h (364,660 mph). That might appear to be blazingly...
The path to renewable fuel just got easier
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The holy grail of bio-fuel researchers is to develop a self-sustaining process that converts waste from sewage, food crops, algae and other renewable carbon sources into fuels, while keeping waste carbon out of our atmosphere and water. Much progress has been made in converting such...
‘Quantum friction’ slows water flow through carbon nanotubes, resolving long-standing fluid dynamics mystery
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) For 15 years, scientists have been baffled by the mysterious way water flows through the tiny passages of carbon nanotubes — pipes with walls that can be just one atom thick. The streams have confounded all theories of fluid dynamics; paradoxically, fluid passes more easily...
Quick COVID breathalyzer could allow mass screening in public places
Feb 02, 2022 (Nanowerk News) According to experts, bringing an end to the pandemic will require rapid screening of people attending large gatherings, such as conferences and weddings. Even those who are asymptomatic can still transmit COVID-19 to others, making it important to identify and isolate them until they are...