https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from CUNY Advanced Science Research Center Most solid materials we rely on, from steel, to plastics and ceramics, are designed to have specific properties. Whether a material is soft and flexible, or stiff and tough depends on how molecules within the material are organized. That stability is useful, but it comes at a cost: once made, these materials' properties are fixed, and they rarely adapt to their environment. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-solid-fluid-materials-reconfigure-entire.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:05 EDT news692355231 The invention of tiny devices capable of precisely controlling the direction and behavior of light is essential to the development of advanced technologies. Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have taken a significant step forward with the development of a metasurface that can turn invisible infrared light into visible light and aim it in different directions—without any moving parts. The details of their work are explained in a paper published in the journal eLight. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ultra-thin-metasurface-chip-invisible.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:06:49 EST news689321161 A research team at the City University of New York and the University of Texas at Austin has discovered a way to make previously hidden states of light, known as dark excitons, shine brightly, and control their emission at the nanoscale. Their findings, published today in Nature Photonics, open the door to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-dark-exciton-states-nanotube.html Nanophysics Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:05:03 EST news682167901 An interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) has unveiled a conceptual model and integrative monitoring framework designed to reveal how climate change is stressing life across the planet. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-climate-biostress-sentinel-track-global.html Environment Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:00:01 EST news681730891 Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have discovered a way to control sound and vibrations using a concept inspired by "twistronics," a phenomenon originally developed for electronics. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-scientists-mechanical-vibrations-metamaterial.html Condensed Matter Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:00:08 EDT news679309802 Researchers at the Nanoscience Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have made a breakthrough in the fight against viral diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-viral-envelope-glycans-path-world.html Medical research Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:00:27 EDT news675442701 Scientists have long speculated that polaritons—hybrids of light and matter—could be harnessed to control photochemistry. Now, researchers at the City University of New York (CUNY) have shown that these fleeting states can indeed drive a fundamental type of molecular reaction. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-scientists-harness-polaritons-molecular.html Nanophysics Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:22:43 EDT news675008559 A new study from researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) reveals that extremely simple peptides can mimic a biological process that protects sensitive proteins from environmental stress. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-reveals-simple-peptides-mimic-nature.html Biotechnology Tue, 05 Aug 2025 06:00:03 EDT news673592100 When the Empire State Building was constructed, its 102 stories rose above midtown one piece at a time, with each individual element combining to become, for 40 years, the world's tallest building. Uptown at Columbia, Oleg Gang and his chemical engineering lab aren't building Art Deco architecture; their landmarks are incredibly small devices built from nanoscopic building blocks that arrange themselves. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-3d-material-dna.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 09 Jul 2025 06:48:05 EDT news671262482 Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) and at Florida International University report in the journal Science their insights on the emerging field of complex frequency excitations, a recently introduced scheme to control light, sound and other wave phenomena beyond conventional limits. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-complex-frequency.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:20:04 EDT news662808001 Imagine a world where your phone stays cool no matter how long you use it, and it's also equipped with tiny sensors that can identify dangerous chemicals or pollutants with unparalleled sensitivity and precision. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-good-vibrations-scientists-method-phonon.html Condensed Matter Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:00:11 EDT news661506602 A team of scientists has developed a groundbreaking approach using specially designed peptides to improve drug formulations. This innovative method significantly enhances anti-tumor efficacy, as demonstrated in leukemia models. The study, published in the journal Chem, was led by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-peptide-coated-nanoparticles-drug-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 24 Jan 2025 15:55:09 EST news656956502 Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-12-alzheimer-stress-microglial-lipid.html Neuroscience Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:01 EST news653906641 Scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have developed a novel approach to better understand and predict the behaviors of water-responsive materials—solid matter that can change shape by absorbing or releasing water in response to humidity fluctuations. These materials, commonly found in nature, have the potential to revolutionize a range of industries, from robotics and smart textiles to bioelectronics and clean energy generation systems. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-key-responsive-biopolymers.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:22:06 EST news650042467 Research published in the journal Glia has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-enzymes-linked-high-fat-diet.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 01 Nov 2024 02:30:02 EDT news649585570 Water scarcity, pollution, and the burden of waterborne diseases are urgent issues threatening global health and security. A recently published study in the journal Global Environmental Change highlights the pressing need for innovative economic strategies to bolster water security investments, focusing on the "enabling environment" that influences regional readiness for new business solutions. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-global-reveals-investment-opportunities-readiness.html Environment Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:20:57 EDT news646662054 A new study from researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) sheds light on why certain oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in the adult brain transform into gliomas, the most common and incurable type of adult brain tumors. Previous work identified OPCs—dividing cells in the adult brain that play a crucial role in the brain's maintenance—as one of the brain cell types that give rise to these tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-uncovers-key-mechanisms-responsible-adult.html Oncology & Cancer Tue, 03 Sep 2024 17:26:04 EDT news644603161 Researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have experimentally demonstrated that metasurfaces (two-dimensional materials structured at the nanoscale) can precisely control the optical properties of thermal radiation generated within the metasurface itself. This pioneering work, published in Nature Nanotechnology, paves the way for creating custom light sources with unprecedented capabilities, impacting a wide array of scientific and technological applications. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-metasurfaces-thermal-unprecedented-ways.html Nanophysics Fri, 23 Aug 2024 05:00:01 EDT news643559341 A recently published study in Ecological Applications details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding, made by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC), highlights the challenges urban trees face in the context of climate change and underscores the importance of tailored urban forestry management as a tool for protecting tree species and reducing urban heat islands. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-reveals-urban-trees-drought-rural.html Plants & Animals Tue, 13 Aug 2024 16:30:01 EDT news642784973 In a new study, researchers with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) have identified a distinct histone tag in adult oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) that may pave the way for innovative therapies targeting myelin repair, a critical target for several neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-reveals-unique-histone-tag-oligodendrocyte.html Medical research Mon, 12 Aug 2024 10:00:02 EDT news642670394 Single-photon emitters (SPEs) are akin to microscopic lightbulbs that emit only one photon (a quantum of light) at a time. These tiny structures hold immense importance for the development of quantum technology, particularly in applications such as secure communications and high-resolution imaging. However, many materials that contain SPEs are impractical for use in mass manufacturing due to their high cost and the difficulty of integrating them into complex devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-properties-hexagonal-boron-nitride-electronic.html Condensed Matter Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:00:01 EDT news633017101 Proteins do the heavy lifting of performing biochemical functions in our bodies by binding to metabolites or other proteins to complete tasks. To do this successfully, protein molecules often shape-shift to allow specific binding interactions that are needed to perform complex, precise chemical processes. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-shifting-protein-advance-drug.html Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 12 Jan 2024 05:00:01 EST news624211904 Lasers are essential tools for observing, detecting, and measuring things in the natural world that we can't see with the naked eye. But the ability to perform these tasks is often restricted by the need to use expensive and large instruments. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-photonics-team-high-performance-ultrafast-lasers.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 09 Nov 2023 14:00:01 EST news618747906 Harnessing and controlling light is vital for the development of technology, including energy harvesting, computation, communications, and biomedical sensing. Yet, in real-world scenarios, complexity in light's behavior poses challenges for its efficient control. Physicist Andrea Alù likens the behavior of light in chaotic systems to the initial break shot in a game of billiards. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bartering-scientists-chaotic-behavior.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:12:38 EDT news618145955 What is snail mucus? That was the question posed by researchers in a new study that examines the molecular composition of snail mucus. When analyzing the mucus of a common garden snail, they found it contained a complex collection of proteins, some identified as entirely novel. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-scientists-snail-mucus.html Biochemistry Tue, 05 Sep 2023 12:24:03 EDT news613135441 A research team at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) has shown that it is possible to manipulate photons so that they can collide, interacting in new ways as they cross paths. The discovery, detailed in Nature Physics, will allow scientists who develop technologies rooted in electromagnetic wave propagation to make significant advances in telecommunications, optical computing and energy applications. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-longer-ships-night-electromagnetic-head-on.html Quantum Physics Mon, 14 Aug 2023 11:00:01 EDT news611221403 The production of chemicals accounts for 40% of all energy currently used in manufacturing, and the process also results in toxic solvent waste that pollutes the environment and poses health risks to humans and animals. A study published in the journal Science details a novel mechanochemistry method that has the ability to manufacture chemicals without those deleterious effects. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-method-molecules-chemical.html Nanomaterials Thu, 08 Jun 2023 14:00:04 EDT news605435306 When we look in a mirror, we are used to seeing our faces looking back at us. The reflected images are produced by electromagnetic light waves bouncing off of the mirrored surface, creating the common phenomenon called spatial reflection. Similarly, spatial reflections of sound waves form echoes that carry our words back to us in the same order we spoke them. https://phys.org/news/2023-03-scientists-electromagnetic.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 13 Mar 2023 12:00:04 EDT news597918418 A post-doctoral researcher with the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) has made an important step toward understanding how complex mixtures of biomolecular building blocks form self-organized patterns. https://phys.org/news/2022-04-biomolecule-mixtures-interact-environment.html Biochemistry Tue, 12 Apr 2022 11:00:05 EDT news568972054 Computers are an indispensable part of our daily lives, and the need for ones that can work faster, solve complex problems more efficiently, and leave smaller environmental footprints by minimizing the required energy for computation is increasingly urgent. Recent progress in photonics has shown that it's possible to achieve more efficient computing through optical devices that use interactions between metamaterials and light waves to apply mathematical operations of interest on the input signals, and even solve complex mathematical problems. But to date, such computers have required a large footprint and precise, large-area fabrication of the components, which, because of their size, are difficult to scale into more complex networks. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-breakthrough-discovery-interactions-nanoparticles-paves.html General Physics Fri, 25 Feb 2022 17:07:37 EST news565031249