Mechanical deformation as a research area investigates the response of materials to applied stresses and strains, focusing on the underlying mechanical, microstructural, and thermodynamic processes that govern elastic, plastic, viscoelastic, and viscoplastic behavior. It encompasses experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of phenomena such as dislocation motion, twinning, fracture, creep, fatigue, and strain localization across length scales from atomic to macroscopic. This field supports the development of constitutive models, structure–property relationships, and advanced characterization methods, enabling prediction and optimization of mechanical performance in metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and biological or complex engineered materials under diverse loading and environmental conditions.
When cells experience sudden physical stress, like stretching or pressure, they can activate a fast, protective mechanism that shields their nuclei from destruction, according to a new study published in the Biophysical Journal. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 3, 2026
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Embryonic development is one of the most dynamic biological processes in nature. Cells and tissues organize and reorganize themselves following incredibly precise patterns, while remaining flexible and robust. Scientists ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 2, 2026
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A research team in China has reported a significant piezoelectric effect in ultrathin and ultra-flexible polycrystalline diamond membranes. This pioneering discovery challenges a century-long scientific dogma that diamonds ...
Condensed Matter
May 21, 2026
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Earthquakes can visibly and permanently crack the ground apart in dramatic and unpredictable surface fault rupture, but new research led by University of Michigan Engineering revealed that soil density strongly influences ...
Earth Sciences
May 15, 2026
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Aerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). While most designers understand ...
Space Exploration
May 11, 2026
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Researchers have developed a sensor about the size of a grain of rice that can measure forces and twisting motions in all directions using light instead of traditional electronics. The new sensor could help robotic tools ...
Optics & Photonics
May 9, 2026
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A research team from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully used mechanical stretching technology to dynamically control the emission color of gallium nitride (GaN) material from ...
Condensed Matter
Apr 28, 2026
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Researchers from Brown University and their collaborators have developed a new way to measure the properties of cells—an important development, they say, because accurate measurements of changes in cell elasticity can be ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 25, 2026
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Cells constantly probe their environments, searching for physical cues that guide their behavior. And yet a cell's response to its environment is always biochemical, mediated by the chemistry of its internal protein machinery. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 22, 2026
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48
Diamond is among the hardest naturally occurring substances on Earth, but if you shrink it down to the nanoscale, it is surprisingly elastic. And that could be useful for a host of applications such as quantum computing. ...
