Nature may abhor a vacuum, but it sure loves structure. Complex, self-organized assemblies are found throughout the natural world, from double-helix DNA molecules to the photonic crystals that make butterfly wings so colorful and iridescent....

Nucleic acids analysis is mainly used in pathogen detection, genetic disease identification and early cancer diagnosis. For example, quantitative analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), a free DNA fragment derived from malignant cells which carries tumor specific sequence changes, can help obtain...

Micropollutants in water often are hormones that accumulate in the environment and may have negative impacts on humans and animals. Researchers have now developed a process for the photocatalytic degradation of these pollutants when they flow through polymer membranes. Irradiation with light...

Optical solitons often combine into pairs with very short temporal separation. Introducing atomic vibrations in the terahertz range, researchers have solved the puzzle of how these temporal links are formed. ...

Nylon cooking bags and plastic-lined cardboard cups are conveniences many people rely on, but a new study suggests that they are an underappreciated source of nanoparticles. They report that the plastic in these products release trillions of nanometer-sized particles into each liter of water that...

Researchers describe a new measurement and imaging approach that can resolve nanostructures smaller than the diffraction limit of light without requiring any dyes or labels. The work is a modification of laser scanning microscopy. It represents an important advance toward a new and powerful...

Scientists have demonstrated that molecular robots are able to accomplish cargo delivery by employing a strategy of swarming, achieving a transport efficiency five times greater than that of single robots. ...

Plastics surround us, whether it's the grocery bags we use at the supermarket or household items such as shampoo and detergent bottles. Plastics don't exist only as large objects, but also as microscopic particles that are released from these larger products. These microscopic plastics can end up in...

Most drugs used today have only one mechanism of action and it is both difficult and expensive to manufacture drugs with multiple functions. Researchers have recently found a way to create more stable nanostructures that can assemble biomolecules with different functions, which in combination e.g.,...

Researchers are asking why, after decades of development and promising results, ultrawide bandgap photodetectors with deep UV capabilities haven't enjoyed widespread adoption, and are taking stock of advancements and challenges in the field. Unlike their silicon-based counterparts, UWBG...