Technology
On a Sicilian volcano, drones map the gases that foreshadow an eruption
German research teams are testing laser- and sensor-equipped drones on Vulcano, gathering readings that were once too dangerous to collect on foot.
Technology
Technology
A cell's protein factory, reprogrammed into a decision-making switch
A South Korean team's RNA circuit lets a single cell weigh up to six molecular signals at once, edging synthetic biology toward 'living computers.'
Technology
A thin resin coat could finally make quantum-dot displays last
MIT and Samsung researchers report a simple encapsulation method that extends the life of electrically driven quantum-dot LEDs up to 5,000-fold.
Technology
One machine, two worlds: a bird-inspired robot that dives, then flies back out
Engineers at MIT and EPFL built a 250-gram flapping robot that swims underwater and launches itself into the air — a step toward cheaper ocean sampling.
Technology
MIT's plate-sized robot boats assemble themselves into floating structures
A swarm called FloatForm latches into bridges and platforms, breaks apart and rebuilds — steered almost entirely by the boats themselves rather than a central computer.
Technology
MIT Spinout Quaise Secures $134 Million to Build a Superhot Geothermal Plant in Oregon
The Houston company plans to bore several kilometres into hot rock with millimeter-wave beams instead of drill bits, aiming to send first power to the grid by 2030.
Technology
Atom-Thin Boron Nitride Switches Make Gallium Nitride Radio Chips Reprogrammable
An international team has built programmable millimetre-wave circuits by integrating memristive switches made from two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride directly onto gallium nitride chips.