Science

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Discovery in new material raises questions about theoretical models of superconductivity

The U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory has successfully created the first pure, single-crystal sample of a new iron arsenide superconductor, CaKFe4As4, and studies of this material have called into question some long-standing theoretical models of superconductivity.

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(a) Calculated 3D Fermi surface of CaKFe 4 As 4 (b) Band dispersion along the key symmetry directions with respective orbital contributions marked by color-coded outlines.

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New nanofiber marks important step in next generation battery development

One of the keys to building electric cars that can travel longer distances and to powering more homes with renewable energy is developing efficient and highly capable energy storage systems.

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This is a 20 nanometer double perovskite nanofiber that can be used as a highly efficient catalyst in ultrafast oxygen evolution reactions -- one of the underlying electrochemical processes in hydrogen-based energy and the newer metal-air batteries.

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MIPT physicists predict the existence of unusual optical composites

Physicists from MIPT have predicted the existence of transparent composite media with unusual optical properties. Using graphics card based simulations, scientists studied regular volume structures composed of two dielectrics with close parameters, and found that the optical properties of these structures differ from both those of natural crystals and artificial periodic composites, which are currently attracting a lot of interest.

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Physicists from MIPT have predicted the existence of transparent composite media with unusual optical properties. Using graphics card based simulations, scientists studied regular volume structures composed of two dielectrics with close parameters, and found that the optical properties of these structures differ from both those of natural crystals and artificial periodic composites, which are currently attracting a lot of interest.

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NASA Studying Shared Venus Science Objectives with Russian Space Research Institute

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The Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute (IKI) Venera-D mission concept includes a Venus orbiter that would operate for up to three years, and a lander designed to survive the incredibly harsh conditions a spacecraft would encounter on Venus' surface for a few hours.

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Could Fast Radio Bursts Be Powering Alien Probes?

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Hubble Dates Black Hole’s Last Big Meal

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Dawn Identifies Age of Ceres' Brightest Area

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The bright spots in the center of Occator Crater on Ceres are shown in enhanced color in this view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

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NASA's Kepler Provides Another Peek at Ultra-cool Neighbor

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This illustration shows the seven TRAPPIST-1 planets as they might look as viewed from Earth using a fictional, incredibly powerful telescope.

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New optical nanosensor improves brain mapping accuracy, opens way for more applications: Potassium-sensitive fluorescence-imaging method shines light on chemical activity within the brain

A new optical nanosensor enabling more accurate measurement and spatiotemporal mapping of the brain also shows the way forward for design of future multimodal sensors and a broader range of applications, say researchers in an article published in the current issue of Neurophotonics. The journal is published by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.

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A new optical nanosensor enables more accurate brain mapping and opens the way for broader applications in future; Fig. 5 in a paper reporting on the work shows retention of a potassium nanosensor in the extracellular space.

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Graphene sheets capture cells efficiently: New method could enable pinpoint diagnostics on individual blood cells

A single cell can contain a wealth of information about the health of an individual. Now, a new method developed at MIT and National Chiao Tung University could make it possible to capture and analyze individual cells from a small sample of blood, potentially leading to very low-cost diagnostic systems that could be used almost anywhere.

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Mild heating of graphene oxide sheets makes it possible to bond particular compounds to the sheets’ surface, a new study shows. These compounds in turn select and bond with specific molecules of interest, including DNA and proteins, or even whole cells. In this image the treated graphene oxide on the right is nearly twice as efficient at capturing cells as the untreated material on the left. Courtesy of the researchers