A desalination membrane acts as a filter for salty water: push the water through the membrane, get clean water suitable for agriculture, energy production and even drinking. The process seems simple enough, but it contains ...
Materials Science
Dec 31, 2020
1
2656
New energy-efficient electronic devices may be possible thanks to research that demonstrates the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect—where an electrical current does not lose energy as it flows along the edges of the material—over ...
General Physics
Dec 16, 2020
0
388
Protocell compartments used as models for an important step in the early evolution of life on Earth can be made from short polymers. The short polymers, which better approximate the likely size of molecules available on the ...
Biochemistry
Nov 23, 2020
3
98
With the tropical storm season in the Atlantic Ocean underway and already well into the Greek alphabet for naming, better storm track prediction has allowed timely evacuations and preparations. However, the formation and ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 26, 2020
0
108
New analysis of the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosomes from all living species of the great ape family helps to clarify our understanding of how this enigmatic chromosome evolved. A clearer picture of the evolution ...
Evolution
Oct 6, 2020
4
1035
A planet observed crossing in front of, or transiting, a low-mass star has been determined to be about the size of Jupiter. While hundreds of Jupiter-sized planets have been discovered orbiting larger sun-like stars, it is ...
Astronomy
Sep 14, 2020
0
153
By examining how fruit flies use eye movements to enhance flight control with a staggeringly fast reaction speed—about 30 times faster than the blink of an eye—Penn State researchers have detailed a framework to mimic ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2020
2
264
When two neutron stars slam together, the result is sometimes a black hole that swallows all but the gravitational evidence of the collision. However, in a series of simulations, an international team of researchers including ...
Astronomy
Aug 3, 2020
0
764
Chemical reactions deep below ground affect water quality, but methods for "seeing" them are time-consuming, expensive and limited in scope. A Penn State-led research team found that seismic waves can help to identify these ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 27, 2020
0
198
Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machine's moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ring teeth, that is self-healing ...
Polymers
Jul 27, 2020
0
261
