Science

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“Active” surfaces control what’s on them: Researchers develop treated surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move

Researchers at MIT and in Saudi Arabia have developed a new way of making surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move across them. The work might enable new kinds of biomedical or microfluidic devices, or solar panels that could automatically clean themselves of dust and grit.

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Diagram shows the droplet on the ferrofluid impregnated surface. The oil-based solution keeps the droplet from being pinned to the surface and allows it to move freely.

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NASA's Hubble Finds Supernova Star System Linked to Potential 'Zombie Star'

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LEDs made from ‘wonder material’ perovskite: Colourful LEDs made from a material known as perovskite could lead to LED displays which are both cheaper and easier to manufacture in future

A hybrid form of perovskite - the same type of material which has recently been found to make highly efficient solar cells that could one day replace silicon - has been used to make low-cost, easily manufactured LEDs, potentially opening up a wide range of commercial applications in future, such as flexible colour displays.

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Light-induced nanocarriers switch on improved gene therapy

Nanocarriers are a useful means of transporting molecules such as genes to specific points in the body, for example to target tumors in cancer therapy. Such nanocarriers must be carefully controlled to avoid the random dissemination of genes in other organs en route to the target cells.

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A newly developed, light-induced nanocarrier for targeted gene therapy has been trialled by researchers in Japan. The three-layered micelle safely and effectively delivered gene packages in mice cancer tumor models.

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NASA Mars Curiosity Rover: Two Years and Counting on Red Planet

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This image from the Navigation Camera on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows wheel tracks printed by the rover as it drove on the sandy floor of a lowland called "Hidden Valley" on the route toward Mount Sharp.

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Study of Aerosols Stands to Improve Climate Models

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Low-level clouds along the California coast are visible in this July 26, 2014 image from the NOAA/NASA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-15 satellite. A new NASA/Caltech study examines how changes in aerosol levels affect this key type of cloud that helps cool our planet.

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World Bank Group Commits US$ 5 Billion to Boost Electricity Generation in Six African Countries

The World Bank Group committed $5 billion in new technical and financial support for energy projects in six African countries-- Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania—which have partnered with President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.

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Rosetta's Comet: Imaging the Coma

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The nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimernko as seen by Rosetta's OSIRIS instrument from a distance of 1,210 miles (1,950 kilometers) on July 29, 2014.

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Mars 2020 Rover's PIXL to Focus X-Rays on Tiny Targets

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This diagram shows components of the investigations payload for NASA's Mars 2020 rover mission.

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Scientists Measure Medical Species Simultaneously Using Statistical Methods

Iranian researchers from Kashan University designed a nanosensor with low detection limit for the simultaneous measurement of medical species.

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