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.
Modern armor systems do not do a good enough job of protecting humans from blast-induced neurotrauma (brain and eye damage). To improve them, we may have to look to nature. In particular, a tiny shrimp that is able to protect ...
Constructed with tubulin heterodimers connected into a hollow cylinder, the microtubule, an essential component of the cytoskeleton, plays a vital role in various intracellular processes. In a recent study, a cross-disciplinary ...
Biotechnology
Feb 9, 2026
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Physical forces from gravity, muscle contraction, and more have strong impacts on how the cells in our bodies behave. For instance, weight-bearing exercise helps stave off osteoporosis because cells in our bones sense that ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 9, 2026
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Scientists have identified the molecular interactions that give spider silk its exceptional strength and flexibility, opening the door to new bio-inspired materials for aircraft, protective clothing and medical applications, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2026
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30
Every second, millions of cells in your body divide in two. In the space of an hour, they duplicate their DNA and grow a web of protein fibers around it called a spindle. The spindle extends its many fibers from the chromosomes ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 26, 2026
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126
The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology behind flexible cell phones, curved monitors, and televisions could one day be used to make on-skin sensors that show changes in temperature, blood flow, and pressure in ...
Nanophysics
Jan 14, 2026
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39
Complex fluids, such as polymer melts and concentrated suspensions, are foundational materials for industrial products, including high-strength plastics and optical components. The final performance of these materials depends ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 29, 2025
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From morning glories spiraling up fence posts to grape vines corkscrewing through arbors, twisted growth is a problem-solving tool found throughout the plant kingdom. Roots "do the twist" all the time, skewing hard right ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 24, 2025
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128
Inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami, a team of scientists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a material that can reflect different colors of light, depending on how it is stretched. The results were recently ...
Nanophysics
Dec 5, 2025
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Within tissues, cells are embedded in complex, three-dimensional structures known as the extracellular matrix. Their biomechanical interactions play a crucial role in numerous biological processes. Scientists at the Max Planck ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 2, 2025
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