Engineers at Rutgers and Oregon State Universities have found an inexpensive way to make thin, durable heating patches by using intense pulses of light to fuse tiny silver wires with polyester. It’s estimated that 42 percent of the energy used for indo…
“All-Star” — The Discovery Files
From their laboratories on a rocky planet dwarfed by the vastness of space, Clemson University scientists have managed to measure all of the starlight ever produced throughout the history of the observable universe. According to the new measurement, th…
“Watershed Concept” — The Discovery Files
Scientists have developed a crop system that takes advantage of Guiera, a plant native to West Africa, to help sustain food supply for a growing population. A new study shows that the shrub, abundant in the Sahel region, can share the precious water th…
“Touchy Feely” — The Discovery Files
Stanford researchers have developed an electronic glove that bestows robotic hands with some of the manual dexterity humans enjoy. The research team demonstrated that the sensors work well enough to allow a robotic hand to touch a delicate berry and ha…
“Leach Alternative” — The Discovery Files
Researchers at University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed safer alternatives to phthalate plasticizers — which can leach out of plastics into food water and the environment — potentially preventing a variety of health problems. The alternat…
“Tick Tactics” — The Discovery Files
Scientists at the University of Cincinnati say the hungrier ticks are, the harder they try to find people or other hosts — a finding that could have implications for the spread of tick-borne diseases such as Lyme or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The r…
“‘Bot Flies” — The Discovery Files
Stanford researchers have modified small flying robots to anchor onto surfaces and pull heavy loads, moving objects 40 times their weight with the help of powerful winches and two previous inventions — gecko adhesives and microspines. The small size o…
“Best-Taste Scenario” — The Discovery Files
Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have found that a brain region — the ventral pallidum — appears to be strongly connected to food preference decisions. Researchers found robust neural activity related to food choice in this previously overloo…
“Peer Pairing” — The Discovery Files
Researchers have found neural evidence of early learning among infants who were coupled with a peer, as compared to those infants who viewed the instruction alone. Critically, the more often that new, unfamiliar partners were paired with the infants, t…
“Some Nerve” — The Discovery Files
Researchers have developed an implantable, biodegradable device that delivers regular pulses of electricity to damaged peripheral nerves in rats, helping the animals regrow nerves in their legs and recover their nerve function and muscle strength more …
