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This image depicts an illustration of helices.

Concept art of a molybdenum disulfide field-effect transistor based biosensor demonstrated by UCSB researchers with ability to detect ultra-low (femtomolar) concentrations with high sensitivity that is 74-fold higher than that of graphene FET biosensors.

Artist's concept of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring. On Oct. 19, the comet will have a very close pass at Mars, just 82,000 miles (132,000 kilometers) from the planet.

Three panels illustrate the condition of Efimov states (3-atom stable states). The upper, bell-shaped surface represents the probability density for each of the three geometries, while the gray surface represents the strength of the van der Waals force for that geometry. Left panel: the three interacting atoms lie in an equilateral triangle formation. Middle panel: two of the atoms are rather closer together than to the third atom. Right panel: the geometry of the middle panel but with the atoms lying farther apart from each other. The dimples in the probability density surface reflect the more complicated interaction when two of the atoms are close together.

This small device developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory uses the truly random spin of light particles as defined by laws of quantum mechanics to generate a random number for use in a cryptographic key that can be used to securely transmit information between two parties. Quantum key distribution represents a foolproof cryptography method that may now become available to the general public, thanks to a licensing agreement between Los Alamos and Whitewood Encryption Systems, LLC. Los Alamos scientist developed their particular method for quantum cryptography after two decades of rigorous testing inside of the nation's premier national security science laboratory.

This image was created using data from the Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescopes on NASA's twin Van Allen Probes. It shows the emergence of a new third transient radiation belt. The new belt is seen as the middle orange and red arc of the three seen on each side of the Earth.

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity captured this view southward just after completing a 338-foot (103-meter) southward drive, in reverse, on Aug. 10, 2014.

On the nano assembly line, tiny biological tubes called microtubules serve as transporters for the assembly of several molecular objects.

A new research platform uses a laser to measure the "nanomechanical" properties of tiny structures undergoing stress and heating, an approach likely to yield insights to improve designs for microelectronics and batteries. Clockwise from upper left, graphics of the instrument setup, and at bottom right a scanning electron microscope image of the tiny silicon cantilever used in the research.