Technology
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Smile, we’re taking a good look at your teeth
Scientists now know a little more about decay.
Materials scientists in the US say they have cracked one of the secrets of tooth decay by identifying a small number ...
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Taking protective clothing up a notch
Playing with fibres may offer new performance levels.
US researchers are developing a nanofibre they believe could revolutionise safety gear for soldiers, emergency servic...
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Super-strong surgical tape does come off
Researchers tweak their impressive adhesive.
Last year, as we reported in Cosmos, US engineers unveiled a double-sided adhesive that could quickly and firmly stic...
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Clock synchronisation at serious speed
New technique may enable all-optical networks.
British engineers say they have developed a technique that synchronises the clocks of computers in under a billionth ...
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Bubbles for plants and drones for mosquitoes
Two novel ways of delivering the goods.
The answer to most things these days is an app or a drone, so it’s rare when one of these falls short of the mark, le...
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How to mop up excess carbon dioxide
Australians claim record with a super sponge.
Australian researchers say they have raised the bar for carbon dioxide capture and storage with a technology that res...
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‘Spiderlab’ films some free-flying specimens
Cable-suspended mini lab gathers detailed flight data.
If you’ve watched a butterfly fluttering around your garden, you’ll know that flying insects have evolved efficient s...
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A possible new way to deliver clean water
Ultrathin nanosheets filter out lead and mercury.
Australian and Chinese researchers have created an ultrathin sieve membrane from 2D nanosheets they say can filter po...
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History
William Shockley gets lost in Silicon Valley
He knew how to make, but not how to manage.
Silicon Valley is synonymous with technology. Over the past 50 years, an area of northern California once known for o...
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Interactive screens from simple principles
Lee Constable looks at how smartphones became smart.
This is an excerpt from a feature article in the latest edition of Cosmos magazine. The most commonly used touchsc...
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Shoes that stick and clothes that reveal
That may sound bad, but it actually isn’t.
What we wear isn’t just about comfort and style when scientists get involved. Function rules fashion. Two recent i...
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Chemistry, concrete and ceramic cement
Two new ideas about materials old and new.
Whatever you’re building, strength tends to be a prerequisite, so anything that makes things stronger and more reliab...