Better studying superconductivity in single-layer graphene

Made up of 2-D sheets of carbon atoms arranged in honeycomb lattices, graphene has been intensively studied in recent years. As well as the material's diverse structural properties, physicists have paid particular attention ...

Determining the shapes of atomic clusters

Too large to be classed as molecules, but too small to be bulk solids, atomic clusters can range in size from a few dozen to several hundred atoms. The structures can be used for a diverse range of applications, which requires ...

Fractal patterns in growing bacterial colonies

As many people will remember from school science classes, bacteria growing on solid surfaces form colonies that can be easily visible to the naked eye. Each of these is a complex biological system in its own right; colonies ...

Conductivity at the edges of graphene bilayers

The conductivity of dual layers of graphene greatly depends on the states of carbon atoms at their edges; a property which could have important implications for information transmissions on quantum scales.

Spinning towards robust microwave generation on the nano scale

Spin-torque oscillators (STOs) are nanoscale devices that generate microwaves using changes in magnetic field direction, but those produced by any individual device are too weak for practical applications. Physicists have ...

Entropy explains RNA diffusion rates in cells

Recent studies have revealed that within cells of both yeast and bacteria, the rates of diffusion of RNA proteins—complex molecules that convey important information throughout the cell—are distributed in characteristic ...

New insights into the early stages of creep deformation

The properties of many materials can change permanently when they are pushed beyond their limits. When a given material is subjected to a force, or 'load', which is stronger than a certain limit, it can become so deformed ...

Spread-changing orders and deletions affect stock prices

The first rule on the stock market is to buy low and sell high. Economists are well aware of how this behaviour changes the prices of stocks, but in reality, trades alone don't tell the whole story. Parties like banks and ...

Inhibitory neurons have two types of impact on brain oscillations

Studying the brain involves measuring the activity of billions of individual brain cells called neurons. Consequently, many brain measurement techniques produce data that is averaged to reflect the activity of large populations ...

Magnetic nanoparticles can 'burn' cancer cells

Unfortunately, cancer isn't simply a single disease, and some types, like pancreas, brain or liver tumours, are still difficult to treat with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery, leading to low survival rates for patients. ...

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