Although magnesium is known for being lightweight, riveting pieces of it together can be an involved, energy-intensive process. A new technique is claimed to make doing so much simpler, possibly opening up new uses for the metal. Rivets are basically mushroom-shaped metal pins, the cylindrical “stems” (or shanks) of which are pushed through aligned holes in the two sheets of […]

While today’s ebikes may not be identical to one another, their form factor is limited by the fact that their pedals have to be mechanically linked to the rear wheel. Schaeffler’s new Free Drive system does away with that limitation, potentially allowing for unlimited new designs. In existing ebikes – or non-electric bicycles, for that matter – the rider’s pedalling […]

Although there are now a number of devices that generate electricity via movement, most of them only work in dry environments. A new one, however, also functions underwater – meaning it could be used in aquatic settings, implants, or wearables that regularly get exposed to sweat. Developed by scientists at North Carolina State University, the experimental energy harvester consists of […]

When it comes to the 3D bioprinting of replacement body parts or other implanted items, the material that’s used needs to be strong yet flexible, and also biocompatible. According to new research, sunflower pollen may be the way to go. For the study, scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University began by incubating sunflower pollen in an alkaline solution for six […]

When lightweight composite materials are used in fields such as aerospace, it’s vitally important to know if they’re experiencing mechanical stress – before they fail. A new composite is able to do so, simply by fluorescing under UV light. Created by scientists at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research institute and the University of Fribourg, the experimental composite is composed of laminated […]

As revolutionary as they could be, quantum computers still have a few kinks to iron out, such as controlling more than a few dozen qubits at once. Now, researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found a way to control potentially millions of qubits at once, by adding a crystal prism to the chip. Traditional computers store […]

Concrete may not seem like a particularly hospitable environment for life, but bacteria do actually live inside it. A new study led by the University of Delaware has examined this concrete microbiome to find out how they get there, how they change over time, and how we might use them in future to monitor or even repair defects. Bacteria can […]

Dark matter should be all around us, but the stuff is frustratingly elusive. Now physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new sensor that could help us detect certain hypothetical dark matter particles, using a two-dimensional quantum crystal. Decades of astrophysical observations suggest that there’s far more mass out there in the cosmos than […]

Although optical fibers are highly effective at data transmission, they’re also relatively brittle. An experimental new type of optical fiber addresses that limitation, by incorporating a core made of liquid glycerol. Ordinarily, optical fibers are made of either solid glass or a solid transparent plastic. The former is able to carry light pulses over a longer distance, but will break […]

As renewable forms of power like wind and solar continue to gain prominence, there will be a need for creative solutions when it comes to storing energy from sources that are intermittent by nature. One potential solution is known as a molten salt battery, which offers advantages that lithium batteries do not, but have their share of kinks to iron […]