In the world of Harry Potter, invisibility cloaks are made from the hair of a magical creature called a Demiguise. In our world, they may one day be made from metamaterials. Metamaterials are artificially engineered materials. Scientists create them by combining multiple elements from composite materials such as metal and dielectric. The result is an…
Squid Skin Reveals Camouflage Secrets
Cephalopods — which include octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish — are masters of disguise. They can camouflage to precisely match their surroundings in a matter of seconds, and no scientist has quite been able to replicate the spectacle. But new research by Leila Deravi, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University, brings us…
“Fitbit for the Body” Monitors Health in Real-Time
Public health organizations have long warned about the devastating potential of superbugs — bacteria that are immune to any existing antibiotics. If left unchecked, by 2050 these microorganisms could kill 10 million people per year, which is more than the current number of annual deaths from cancer and diabetes combined. Northeastern University professor Thomas Webster…