All posts tagged: material

New material could enable faster and more sustainable computer memory

New material could enable faster and more sustainable computer memory

Published by skeptic

Researchers at the University of Warwick have created a form of strontium manganite that operates at close to room temperature. As reported in JACS, a new material marries magnetism and electrical polarisation in a union that could vastly increase the speed and sustainability of computer memory. Magnetoelectrics are highly sought after as they allow magnetic information to be switched via an electric field, rather than a magnetic one. This increases the energy-efficiency of a computer and could prove invaluable as demand grows for data centres and AI systems, which draw huge amounts of processing power from the grid. However, most magnetoelectric materials only work at extremely cold temperatures, which has inhibited wider deployment. Overcoming the temperature hurdle The researchers found a way around the temperature issue via a structural change: the atom pairs inside the strontium manganite’s crystal structure tilt in a coordinated way. This minor tilt generates an electrical charge across the material, as well as a weak, switchable magnetism. The key difference is that the charge does not rely on the magnetism, as …

New ‘Nanobone’ material could help the body regrow bones without painful grafts

New ‘Nanobone’ material could help the body regrow bones without painful grafts

Published by Jenni Sidey

A biodegradable nanomaterial increased new bone formation by about 80% over controls after eight weeks in a preclinical rat skull-defect model. The material activated the body’s own latent TGF-β1 bone-repair signal at more than 10 times the efficiency of conventional alkaline activation while also promoting rapid blood clotting. Researchers hope the approach could eventually reduce the need for painful bone grafts in children with cleft lip and palate, but human trials have not yet begun. A tiny engineered material may eventually offer children born with cleft lip and palate a way to rebuild missing jawbone without surgeons harvesting bone from elsewhere in their bodies. University of Sydney researchers have developed biodegradable calcium-aluminosilicate nanoparticles that activate repair signals already present in the body. In a preclinical rat model, the material produced about 80% more bone volume than controls after eight weeks while triggering a key regenerative growth factor far more efficiently than conventional methods. The work, published in ACS Nano, was carried out by scientists at the University of Sydney School of Dentistry, Charles Perkins Centre …

‘It gives Shein’: how did polyester become the world’s most-hated material? | Fashion

‘It gives Shein’: how did polyester become the world’s most-hated material? | Fashion

Published by Sam Flores

In 2015, Kate Moss called an easyJet pilot a “basic bitch” and a catchy new insult meaning obvious and uncool hit the mainstream. Had it happened in 2026, Moss might have used the word “polyester”, reportedly gen Z’s new favorite diss, levied at cheap-looking videos on TikTok, and sometimes at other users’ taste. But its use as a figurative insult also echoes a literal backlash against polyester, now the most-produced synthetic fibre on the planet. Young people are pushing back against polyester, many of them expressing concern about cheap-looking garments, sweaty-feeling fabrics and concern about what wearing polyester may be doing to their health (though the science is still developing, studies suggest that the dyes, flame retardant and “sweat-wicking” chemicals frequently used on synthetic fabrics can leach into sweaty skin, a particular concern for workout clothes.) In gyms, the pilates princess aesthetic with its synthetic matching sets is waning while 1990s-style exercise gear is becoming fashionable once more as many lionize exercise garments displaying visible sweat – think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, or John Travolta …

Engineers just discovered how to make 3D prints 3x stronger without extra material

Engineers just discovered how to make 3D prints 3x stronger without extra material

Published by skeptic

Summary Triply-twinned lattice: three mirror planes make struts stretch, not bend, boosting stiffness. Up to 380% stiffer and 279% stronger than cubic lattices while using the same material. Less sensitive to micro-defects; changing print orientation can halve defect failures. A team of researchers from University College London (UCL) have developed a new 3D-printable structure called a “triply-twinned” lattice that is up to 380% stiffer and 279% stronger than ordinary cubic designs. Best of all, it uses the same amount of material! This could have major implications for many 3D‑printed components and applications — particularly where lightweight stiffness and strength matter — but adoption will depend on validation across specific materials, printing methods, part sizes and application standards. Related Your phone can 3D-scan a real object well enough to print a copy of it (for free) Your phone is secretly a 3D scanner. What is “triply-twinned” lattice? This could solve one of the biggest issues 3D printers have This new lattice shape looks a little like a snowflake or kaleidoscope, and works similarly. A triply-twinned lattice …

The ‘wonder material’ graphene can be made using a kitchen blender, a mobile phone and a newspaper

The ‘wonder material’ graphene can be made using a kitchen blender, a mobile phone and a newspaper

Published by skeptic

There is something slightly ridiculous about using a kitchen blender to make graphene. This is, after all, the “wonder material” associated with futuristic technologies. You might reasonably expect its production to involve equally futuristic equipment. Often, it does. Producing graphene in liquid form can rely on purified graphite (better known to many as the “lead” in pencils), specialist solvents or additives, ultrapure water and carefully controlled processing. Our latest research asked what happens if you try to make it using things you’d find in your household. Could you start with graphite found in electronic waste, use old newspaper to help hold it in a liquid, mix everything in ordinary tap water and still end up with useful graphene? Graphene is many times stronger than steel, yet it weighs less than paper or aluminium. It is also an exceptional conductor of electricity. Since its discovery just over 20 years ago, it has found uses in power banks and batteries, in medical sensors and even to make stronger concrete. Many other practical applications beckon for this incredible …

DOE announces 2m injection to accelerate critical material recovery from industrial sources

DOE announces $162m injection to accelerate critical material recovery from industrial sources

Published by skeptic

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation has announced nine project selections, worth $162m, for critical material recovery efforts. The nine projects will support the recovery of a range of critical materials—including scandium, copper, antimony, and rare earth elements—at bench- and pilot-scale sites from industrial feedstocks. The Trump Administration is determined to bolster domestic supply chains These selections stem from DOE’s August 2025 announcement of nearly $1 billion to advance and scale mining, processing, and manufacturing technologies across key stages of the critical minerals and materials supply chains. These investments deliver on President Trump’s Executive Order, Unleashing American Energy and advance the President’s continued efforts to secure domestic critical mineral supply chains and strengthen U.S. national security. “Leveraging existing bench-scale and pilot-scale facilities is a vital opportunity to produce critical materials necessary for our energy, defense, and economic security,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson. “By investing in these facilities, we can de-risk commercial scale production technologies to grow new economic and manufacturing opportunities.” The winning projects DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory will …

More plaintiffs emerge in Grok child sexual abuse material suit

More plaintiffs emerge in Grok child sexual abuse material suit

Published by skeptic

Elon Musk-owned SpaceXAI is set to defend its artificial intelligence bot Grok in federal court, following a scandal that alleges the AI assistant was used to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In March, three Tennessee teenagers filed a federal lawsuit against the company for its alleged role in producing millions of sexually explicit images of minors, claiming malicious actors used the AI tool to generate inappropriate images of them when they were children. Last month, the lawsuit expanded as two additional plaintiffs joined the case, detailing startling stories of online sexual abuse enabled by Grok’s image-generating features. The lawsuit also added a second defendant: Stability AI, the makers of the popular text-to-image model Stable Diffusion. SEE ALSO: D23 2026: Every movie and series announced and shown at this year’s fan event “Limitless access to these tools is spreading so quickly. It is taking everyday life and turning it into child sexual abuse,” said one of the two new plaintiffs. She is referred to in the case as Jane Doe 4. Mashable Light Speed Under …

Helix Nebula reveals what happens to material shed by a dying star

Helix Nebula reveals what happens to material shed by a dying star

Published by Jenni Sidey

The Helix Nebula is revealing how debris from a dying star gets broken apart and mixed into the gas between stars. Astronomers identified at least 22 bow-shaped shock waves that become smaller and more fragmented as stellar debris travels outward. The fragments appear to lose their coherent structure in about 10,000 years, giving astronomers a new benchmark for understanding how galaxies recycle stellar material. The Helix Nebula is shedding more than a spectacular glow. Far beyond its bright central ring, fragments from a dying star are being torn apart as they collide with surrounding gas, exposing a missing step in how stellar material returns to the galaxy. An international team, including astrophysicists connected with Northwestern University, traced that destruction in new observations of the Helix. The work follows debris as it is stripped, fragmented and mixed into interstellar space. Located about 650 light-years from Earth in Aquarius, the Helix is one of the closest and best-studied planetary nebulae. Its bright ring formed from material expelled late in a star’s life. A white dwarf remains at …

could a kombucha tea-inspired material help treat eczema?

could a kombucha tea-inspired material help treat eczema?

Published by skeptic

Inspired by the microbes that make kombucha tea, EU-funded researchers are developing a living patch that could detect and treat eczema flare-ups while opening the door to a new generation of smart materials containing living cells. For millions of people living with atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, managing the condition can feel like a constant struggle. Flare‑ups are unpredictable, existing treatments are broad and relief is often temporary. During flare‑ups, harmful bacteria multiply rapidly, crowding out the beneficial microbes that normally help keep the skin healthy and inflammation under control. Professor Tom Ellis, a synthetic genome engineer at Imperial College London, believes the answer may lie in an unusual source: a wearable patch that is, in a meaningful sense, alive. Working with colleagues across Europe, Ellis is one of the lead researchers on the EU‑funded NextSkins initiative that runs until 2027. The research team is exploring how engineered living materials (ELMs) could be used to create new kinds of medical treatments based on living microorganisms, such as bacteria and yeast. Living patch One of the …

Strange never-before-seen material found at Hiroshima atomic bombing site

Strange never-before-seen material found at Hiroshima atomic bombing site

Published by Sam Flores

Nearly 81 years after the cataclysmic atomic bombing of Japan that instantly killed over 70,000 people, scientists have discovered a bizarre and previously unknown material from the beach sands of the Hiroshima Bay region. Nuclear explosions, meteorite impacts, and other high-energy events can act as natural laboratories for the formation of previously unknown materials. In the study, scientists analysed particles called Hiroshimaites, which are tiny spherical fragments of molten debris formed during the Hiroshima bombing when the atomic explosion generated temperatures exceeding 7,000°C within seconds. These Hiroshimaite particles were embedded in resin, polished, and analysed under reflected-light microscopes. “We report the discovery of a previously unknown alloy preserved within a Hiroshimaite spherule recovered from beach sands of Hiroshima Bay, formed during the 6 August 1945 atomic airburst,” they wrote in the journal Science Advances. Prefectural Industry Promotion Building after the bombing of Hiroshima (AFP via Getty Images) The particles were also examined more deeply with scanning electron microscopy. Researchers found unique materials formed as the atomic explosion’s heat vaporised building materials, metals, soil, glass, and …