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Why petting your cat leads to static electricity

Anyone who has ever pet a cat or shuffled their feet across the carpet knows that rubbing objects together generates static electricity. But an explanation for this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two millennia.

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential

Imagine manipulating light with ultra-thin, flat sheets instead of bulky lenses and mirrors. That's the promise of metasurfaces, a nanostructure technology that can twist and bend light in ways never before possible.

Illuminating the unavoidable imperfections of nanostructures

A new study by a collaborative team from the University of Twente and the e-Science Center in Amsterdam compares the transmission of light through a utopian model with a real 3D nanostructure. These nanostructures are integral ...

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Nanophysics
Advancing nanoscale imaging capabilities with dynamic nuclear polarization
Nanophysics
World's first micromachine twists 2D materials at will
Nanophysics
A world first: Qubit coherence decay traced to thermal dissipation
Nanophysics
Low-cost flexible metasurfaces to increase the efficiency of optoelectronic devices
Nanophysics
Unveiling the power of hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures
Nanophysics
Team develops method for control over single-molecule photoswitching
Nanophysics
Quantum pumping in molecular junctions: Theoretical model could lead to switches and amplifiers
Nanophysics
Photolithography research shows computer chips have the potential to become even smaller
Nanophysics
Carbon nanotubes study finds local solvation is decisive for fluorescence of biosensors
Nanophysics
Novel X-ray imaging technique resolves fusion-related nanofoams in 3D
Nanophysics
Precise stirring conditions key to optimizing nanostructure synthesis
Nanophysics
New X-ray world record: Looking inside a microchip with 4 nanometer precision
Nanophysics
Researchers reveal atomic-scale details of catalysts' active sites
Nanophysics
Understanding the forces that regulate crystallization by particle attachment
Nanophysics
First 3D visualization of an aluminum nanocomposite for the auto industry
Nanophysics
Investigation into the regime between the nano- and microscale could pave the way for nanoscale technologies
Nanophysics
Researchers identify unique phenomenon in Kagome metal
Nanophysics
New, more sustainable method for manufacturing microchips and other nanoscale devices
Nanophysics
Confined water gets electric: Study reveals dielectric response of water in nanopores
Nanophysics
Tunable metasurface can control optical light in space and time, offering path to wireless communication channels

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Bio & Medicine
Recharging mitochondria—nanoflowers offer a new way to simulate energy production to improve aging ailments
Evolution
Evolved in the lab, found in nature: Uncovering hidden pH sensing abilities in microbial cultures
Cell & Microbiology
Genome sequence analysis identifies new driver of antimicrobial resistance
Cell & Microbiology
Double-edged STING: A new pathway involved in aging
Bio & Medicine
Harnessing exosomes and hydrogels for advanced diabetic wound healing
Astronomy
Observers detect intraday variability of blazar 1ES 1426+42.8
General Physics
Scientists propose a new method to search for dark matter using LIGO
Environment
Deforestation in the Amazon is driven more by domestic demand than by the export market, finds study
Evolution
New database covers distribution and evolutionary history of megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands
Planetary Sciences
Algorithm used on Mars rover helps scientists on Earth see data in a new way
Ecology
Study reveals gender gap in ecology research
Plants & Animals
Black garden ants modify the structure of their nests to mitigate fungal infection spread
Bio & Medicine
Study shows cholesterol enhances exosome-mediated RNA drug delivery
Ecology
Mysterious Pacific Ocean sounds identified as a type of whale—a new AI app helps track them
Nanomaterials
Magnetic micro spinbots can perform ultraprecise surface polishing and cleaning
Bio & Medicine
Copper-based nanocapsules shown to enhance radiotherapy effectiveness
Plants & Animals
Independent origins of frog glue and its role in predator evasion
Cell & Microbiology
How a bacterial pathogen that causes dysentery manipulates molecular activity to assure its survival
Cell & Microbiology
Researchers identify novel endocytic recycling mechanism with 'kiss-and-run' membrane fusion
General Physics
Physicist reveals tailwind has negligible effect on cycling speed

Researchers achieve unprecedented nanostructuring inside silicon

Silicon, the cornerstone of modern electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics, has traditionally been limited to surface-level nanofabrication due to the challenges posed by existing lithographic techniques. Available methods ...

New synthesis method enhances MoS₂ optoelectronic performance

An international research team led by Professor My Ali El Khakani of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has made a surprising discovery about the properties of molybdenum disulfide, also known as MoS2. ...