Science Update
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MEDICAL INNOVATION - Medical implants that just melt away, how cancer research could make the plastics industry less dependent on fossil fuels, and why ultraviolet light is cleaning up hospital rooms. Also: scientists find a surprising new source of re-programmable cells in amniotic fluid. And a new genetic test that could help babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Cancer research may have just solved a big problem for the nylon industry.
Researchers are developing temporary electronic implants that can be absorbed by the body.
A transparent soil substitute may lead to big strides in plant research.
A protein in spinach packs a punch when it comes to converting solar energy into electricity.
Food science and conservation biology come together to fight oil spills using a common ingredient in chocolate and peanut butter.
Silk proteins may allow antibiotics and vaccines to be stored without refrigeration.
German scientists have created the world's lightest material, which is also among the darkest.
INVENTION - More lifelike robots. Headlights that can see past raindrops. And a pair of goggles that could improve your memory. Also, scientists have developed the world's lightest material.
Squid and zebrafish are models for new smart camouflage materials.
Scientists have developed a plastic that repairs itself when damaged.
CHEMISTRY & LIFE - What 2-billion-year-old raindrop fossils can tell us about conditions on the early earth. What science is revealing about the artwork of Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent Van Gogh. And a breakthrough in materials science technology yields plastic that can repair itself.
What caused Leonardo da Vinci’s famous self-portrait to yellow with time, and the genetics behind Vincent Van Gogh’s mutant sunflower paintings.
Researchers are designing faster, smaller circuits that use light instead of electricity.
Cleaner cookstoves could save millions of lives and slow global warming.
SOUNDS & SENSES - Researchers replay some of the first audio recordings ever made. Chimpanzees, like humans, associate certain sounds with certain colors. Can your posture affect how you perceive numbers? Pigeons that learn to count. And spiders with brainy legs.
Some of the first sound recordings ever made are finally being heard again.
New fabric coatings could allow clothes to clean and disinfect themselves simply by hanging out in the sun.
Researchers have created a combination of fool’s gold and silicon that could be used to make inexpensive solar cells.
Researchers unveil new designs for longer-life batteries.
Researchers have turned viruses into molecular building blocks.
A new technique creates a “mirage effect” underwater, making objects seemingly vanish.
