New research from MIT explores fire from a whole series of new perspectives. The research uses deep-learning approaches that extract the vibrational features of flames as flickering objects and, in turn, renders them into sounds and materials. The 19th-century physicist Michael Faraday was known not only for his seminal experimental contributions to electromagnetism but also […]
Enlarge / A miniature predatory robber fly (Holcocephala fascia) feeds on a captured rove beetle. A new study reveals that the fly approaches its prey from underneath, aiming for a future meeting point wth the target. (credit: Samuel Fabian) Robber flies are aerodynamic acrobats, able to spot their prey, dodge around obstacles, and capture smaller […]
Enlarge / Artist’s representation of the microstructure of Velcro. Scientists at the Italian Institute of Technology have created a soft, biodegradable and soluble Velcro inspired by the particular micro-hook structure of leaves on the “catchweed” plant ( Galium aparine ). (credit: Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd. /Getty Images) There’s rarely time to write about every cool […]
Enlarge / A CT scan image of the spiral intestine of a Pacific spiny dogfish shark (Squalus suckleyi). The beginning of the intestine is on the left, and the end is on the right. (credit: Samantha Leigh/California State University, Dominguez Hills) In 1920, Serbian-born inventor Nikola Tesla designed and patented what he called a “valvular […]
Enlarge / Scientists have developed a new type of light sensor inspired by the eyes of the mantis shrimp. (credit: Brent Durand/Getty Images) Smartphone cameras have improved dramatically since the first camera-equipped cell phone was introduced in 1999, but they are still subject to tiny errors in the alignment of different wavelengths of light in […]
Expand / SEM picture of a 3D-printed microscopic version of this USS Voyager, also a literary Intrepid class starship in the Star Trek franchise. Assessing such items could result in miniature robots to get targeted drug delivery, along with other programs. Physicists in Leiden University in the Netherlands have established a 3D-printed microscopic version of […]
Expand / scientists mixed chitin–a natural polymer present in abundance in arthropods, in addition to fish scales–using a mineral which reproduces the properties of Martian soil to produce a workable new substance for building shelters and tools on Mars. (charge: Javier G. Fernandez) Space aficionados that dream about a single day colonizing Mars should grapple […]