Apr 22, 2026 A plant-inspired aerogel uses solar evaporation to extract heavy metals from soil at 1.5 meters depth, far beyond any living root system's reach. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Heavy metals like lead, copper, and cadmium dissolve in rainwater and migrate steadily downward through soil, settling into dense, oxygen-poor layers where...
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Astronomers find an exo-Jupiter, and it seems to have clouds
Apr 22, 2026 JWST studied a massive Jupiter-like exoplanet's atmosphere, finding surprising water-ice clouds that simpler models missed - a key test run for future Earth-like world searches. (Nanowerk News) A team of astronomers led by Elisabeth Matthews at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has made a discovery...
Breakthrough in the simulation of complex quantum systems
Apr 22, 2026 A new method overcomes fundamental resolution limits and may provide insights into high-temperature superconductivity. (Nanowerk News) The physicist Dr. Sebastian Paeckel has developed a method that can be used to calculate spectral functions of complex quantum systems much more precisely than was possible previously. His approach reconstructs...
Turning vibrations into value – a new catalyst converts CO2 into useful CO
Apr 22, 2026 Single-atom nickel sites on a vibration-responsive material boosted CO2-to-CO conversion under ultrasonic vibration. (Nanowerk News) Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a catalyst that uses vibrational energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), an important industrial feedstock. The work (Journal of Materials...
Stretching and squeezing diamond opens new path for ultra-precise quantum sensors
Apr 21, 2026 Researchers reveal a powerful new way to precisely tune quantum defects, opening the door to ultra-sensitive next-generation sensors. (Nanowerk News) Researchers have discovered a new way to tune the quantum properties of tiny defects in diamond – by gently stretching or compressing the crystal. These findings could...
AI-enhanced microscopy produces crisp, real-time video inside live cells (w/video)
Apr 21, 2026 Using artificial intelligence, engineers have developed a new way to watch the inner workings of living cells in real time. The process both captures images that are twice as sharp as conventional microscopes and is fast enough to play as smooth video. (Nanowerk News) Using artificial intelligence,...
Soft robot gripper picks ripe fruit without bruising
Apr 21, 2026 Researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then gently twist them off their branch or vine without causing any damage. (Nanowerk News) When assessing the ripeness of fruit, sight and smell can tell you...
How resilient fungus might survive Mars and space
Apr 21, 2026 Fungi found in NASA cleanrooms survived simulated Mars and space conditions. Their spores endured harsh exposures, suggesting decontamination must expand beyond bacteria. (Nanowerk News) Scientists have long known that fungi are resilient, but a new study suggests that some strains might survive every step of the long,...
Perovskite nanocrystal glass achieves record blue emission for holographic displays
Apr 21, 2026 Fluoride-doped perovskite nanocrystal glass reaches record blue quantum yield and enables 20,000 PPI holographic displays through a vertically stacked RGB architecture. (Nanowerk News) A single laser beam driving a luminescent glass can now produce full-color holographic images at roughly 20,000 pixels per inch. Researchers at Zhejiang University...
Femtosecond laser technique produces record aspect ratio nanoholes in sapphire
Apr 21, 2026 Researchers developed wet-etching-assisted single-pulse nanolithography to fabricate nanoholes in sapphire with depth-to-diameter ratios exceeding 50,000:1 for photonic applications. (Nanowerk News) A research team led by Professor Jianrong Qiu of Zhejiang University and Professor Lijing Zhong of Ningbo University has fabricated nanoscale holes in crystalline sapphire with depth-to-diameter...