Julia Rock-Torcivia

A research team at the University of Vienna reports quantum interference of sodium nanoparticles containing more than 7,000 atoms, using a source that can produce clusters up to about 10,000 atoms. “Intuitively, one would expect such a large lump of metal to behave like a classical particle,” lead author and doctoral student Sebastian Pedalino said…

In 1986, Leonard Rome and Nancy Kedersha discovered vaults, barrel-shaped particles made naturally by human cells, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Despite studying the particles since their discovery, Rome and other scientists have failed to find their purpose. Now, scientists at the Broad Institute are using the mysterious structures to record the…

The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not feature protests at the factory gates or workers marching against the machines. The revolution will not be debated on cable news or hashtagged into a culture war. The revolution will arrive on a Tuesday at a facility short of 47 technicians, and it will clock…

Savannah River National Laboratory was awarded an R&D 100 Award for its advanced engineered cellular magmatics technology, a progression of traditional foam glass technology that can be tailored to suit a variety of applications, including: wastewater filtration, supplemental cementitious materials and biological delivery systems. Advanced engineered cellular magmatics (AECMs) are a material family that can…

An international research team led by scientists from the University of Rostock, CNRS-École Polytechnique in France, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf has discovered a previously unknown form of superionic water. The team experimentally discovered a highly electrically conductive phase at the European XFEL X-ray laser near Hamburg, Germany, and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC…

A clinical trial of an AI system at the Affiliated People’s Hospital of Ningbo University in Ningbo, China, has detected more than 20 cases of pancreatic cancer, 14 of which were in early stages, since the trial started in November 2024. Early detection is essential for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, which has a five-year…

PHC Corporation of North America (PHCNA) launched a new ultra-low temperature storage product: the TwinGuard ECO 703VXH. The new freezer is designed to deliver enhanced energy efficiency and expanded operational monitoring.  The TwinGuard ultra-low temperature freezers are designed for long-term storage and preservation of biologicals and critical materials. They are in use across pharmaceutical and…

Scientists pumped approximately 16,200 gallons of sodium hydroxide into the Gulf of Maine. It was the final phase of a study on a climate intervention that could simultaneously mitigate global warming and ocean acidification.  Earth’s oceans absorb about one-third of human carbon emissions. However, as this carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean, it reacts with…

Sustaining life on Mars has been a dream for many generations. While Mars has some similarities with Earth, such as polar ice caps and seasons, it is far too cold for humans to live comfortably. The atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth’s and is mostly made up of carbon dioxide.  Still, many think Mars…

The philanthropic organization Schmidt Sciences announced its investment in an orbiting observatory larger than NASA’s Hubble telescope and three ground-based observatories at the American Astronomical Society’s annual winter meeting Wednesday. The observatory would be the first full-scale privately funded observatory in space, according to Schmidt Sciences President Stuart Feldman. The project aims to have all…

A team using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope found a new type of astronomical object, a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud considered a remnant of early galaxy formation. The object, nicknamed “Cloud-9,” is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the universe.  “This is a tale of a failed galaxy,” said the program’s principal investigator,…

In Norway, scientists are using drones to detect a virus in humpback whales called cetacean morbillivirus. The drones are used to collect samples from whale blow, which the scientists then test for four different viruses. They published their findings last month in BMC Veterinary Research, showing that cetacean morbillivirus is circulating in northern ecosystems.  The…

Food allergies affect 250 million people worldwide, with one person admitted to the ER for food allergies every ten seconds. More than 60% of severe reactions occur outside of the home. Now, patients can have access to laboratory-grade food testing wherever they are with Allergen Alert’s new portable food testing device.  The device contains a…

Researchers from the Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have developed a computational model that could expedite the use of nanomaterials in biomedical applications. Their machine learning framework is capable of predicting how proteins interact with ligand-stabilized gold nanoclusters, materials widely used in bioimaging, biosensing and targeted drug delivery. Gold nanoclusters are used…

The NASA rover Perseverance, which has been on Mars since 2021, detected electrical discharges in the Martian atmosphere, researchers reported in Nature. The researchers documented 55 instances of “mini-lightning” over two Martian years, about four Earth years, detected by a microphone on the rover. The instances primarily occurred during dust storms.  The “lightning” strikes were…

Traditional CRISPR-Cas9 methods have revolutionized genetics, but large functional sections of DNA, called payloads, still cannot be inserted into the genome without compromising cell viability or creating unwanted effects. Standard Homology-Directed Repair (HDR) dramatically loses efficacy for payloads exceeding 1 kilobase, compromising cell viability and increasing off-target edits. The 1 kb problem CRISPR, which stands…

Google DeepMind has partnered with the U.K. government’s AI Security Institute (AISI) to turn “cutting-edge AI into real benefits,” according to a press release published Thursday. DeepMind will open its first automated research lab in the U.K. next year. The lab will be fully integrated with Gemini and will focus on developing new superconductor materials…

The FDA approved Flow, an at-home brain-simulation device from Flow Neuroscience, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) on Thursday. Flow is among the first at-home non-drug therapies for the treatment of depression outside of therapies, including app-based CBT and light therapy. Depression affects more than 20 million Americans, around a third of whom…

A research team at the Functional Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed an octopus-inspired soft robot called OCTOID that changes color in response to electrical stimulation, moves to match its surroundings and grabs objects, they reported in Advanced Functional Materials in October. The robot could have…

Hydrogen fuel could be a promising alternative to fossil fuels and other polluting forms of energy. When consumed in a fuel cell, the only waste product is water, making it a much cleaner process than burning fossil fuels. However, producing hydrogen fuel is energy-inefficient and can emit greenhouse gases, depending on the method. Hydrogen production:…

Sandia National Laboratory and NextSilicon, a technology company, collaborated to create a supercomputer designed to prioritize tasks in real time, Sandia announced on Monday. The computer, called Spectra, could alter how the nation conducts high-stakes simulations for its nuclear deterrence mission. In other words, while it won’t top the TOP500 list of supercomputers, the prototype…

Prelude Therapeutics, a clinical-stage precision oncology company, has released preclinical results indicating that its JAK2V617F mutant-selective inhibitors have disease-modifying potential for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). MPNs are diseases of the bone marrow and blood affecting approximately 200,000 Americans. The disease can progress into acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In most cases, MPN has no cure. Current treatments…

Picture this: the alarm on a ULT freezer storing valuable samples at low temperatures goes off at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, or maybe the alarm battery is dead entirely. No one is notified of the freezer failure, and the entire inventory is compromised. Alternatively, a digitalized lab avoids this crisis. In this scenario, a…

On average, laboratories emit 425 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced, more than half the emissions of a coal plant.  Fume hoods account for a significant part of a lab’s energy consumption. Hoods run continuously, exhausting the air in the fume cupboard and forcing the HVAC system to work harder to replace…

The White House announced “a dedicated, coordinated national effort to unleash a new age of AI‑accelerated innovation and discovery that can solve the most challenging problems of this century,” the Genesis Mission, according to an executive order published on Monday.  The mission will train AI agents to test hypotheses, automate research workflows and accelerate innovation…