Materials
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How toxic is foam insulation?
Scientists call for rigorous analysis of under-tested chemicals used to make buildings “green”.
Since industrialisation, chemicals have been rolled out without sufficient testing, resulting in dire consequences fo...
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You might have missed...
Stray science stories from last week to cheer up your Monday.
Body battery Engineers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, US, have created a wearable device that can draw ...
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Highlight
Cosmos Q&A: materials whirl
From sticking plasters to wearable tech, functional materials are all around us.
Engineer Madhu Bhaskaran co-leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University, Melbou...
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3D-printed cancer fighter
High-tech, drug-delivering stent offers hope for oesophageal cancer patients.
The world’s first 3D-printed, drug-delivering oesophageal stent has been developed by Australian researchers at the U...
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Quantum brainiac
Researchers prompt self-adapting atoms to mimic the human brain.
Dutch physicists have just taken the first steps towards making a “quantum brain” by building a material that stores ...
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Good as bone
Australian researchers take 3D printing to the next level with material that mimics bone tissue.
Australian scientists have 3D-printed bone-like structures containing living cells, which may create a whole new way ...
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Explainer
Keeping bites at bay
Love the ocean but worried about sharks? We look at the science – and success – of shark deterre...
It’s summer, the heat’s glimmering off the tarmac, and Australians are flocking to the beach: it’s when we start thin...
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Silicone memory?
Metamaterial can be reprogrammed with different properties.
If you need a material that can literally be changed to suit you over time, look no further. Metamaterials – meani...
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Fold here for success
DNA origami might be the answer for making superconducting nanomaterials.
DNA is a clever molecule that folds easily, so it can be used to act as scaffolds for nanomaterials. This involves lo...
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Nature inspires a new hydrogen sensor
Microstructures imitate the surface of butterfly wings.
Some see hydrogen as the fuel of the future, with the potential to service energy-intensive industries – like aviatio...
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Keep cool like a camel
The two-layer thing may work for technology too.
US scientists have developed a bi-layer passive cooling technology they say is inspired by the way camels stay cool i...
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Can objects bruise like we do?
Korean scientists continue quest to make it possible.
Scientists are trying to develop things that bruise. The theory goes that if skin can tell us where it’s damaged by c...