We live in an age of long-range information, transmitted either by underground optical fiber or by radio frequency from satellites. But the throughput today is so great that radio frequency is no longer enough in itself. Research is turning towards the use of lasers that, although technically complex, have several advantages, especially when it comes…

Phones, laptops, electric cars — batteries are everywhere. And to meet the expectations of today’s consumers, these batteries are increasingly light, more powerful and designed to last longer. Currently the most important technology for these applications is the lithium-ion battery technology: but the technology is expensive and contains a flammable liquid, which may represent a…

Proteins digest food, and fight infections and cancer, and serve other metabolic functions. They are basically nano-machines, each one designed to perform a specific task. But how did they evolve to match those needs, and how did genes encode the structure and function of proteins? Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Switzerland, the…