Matter and Its Interactions
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TechA shape-shifting robotic tooth-cleaner might one day brush for you
A swarm of billions of magnetic, bacteria-killing nanoparticles can be shaped into bristles to fit any surface, including between teeth.
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ChemistryCould we make vibranium?
The ‘perfect’ metal may belong to the fictitious Marvel world of Wakanda, but scientists hope to one day mimic some of its key traits.
By Anil Oza -
PhysicsScientists Say: Neutron
Neutrons are one of the main building blocks of atoms and have no electric charge.
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Materials ScienceThese fabrics change color as they stretch
Stretchy, color-shifting cloth may lead to new art, fashions and sensors. A century-old Nobel-prize-winning invention served as its inspiration.
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PhysicsExplainer: What are the different states of matter?
Most people know solids, liquids and gases — but what about the four other states of matter?
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AnimalsSea creatures’ fishy scent protects them from deep-sea high pressures
TMAO’s water-wrangling ability protects a critter’s critical proteins — including muscle — from crushing under deep ocean pressures.
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PhysicsCosmic timeline: What’s happened since the Big Bang
Energy, mass and the cosmos' structure evolved a lot over the past 13.82 billion years — much of it within just the first second.
By Trisha Muro -
LifeLet’s learn about modern Frankensteins
Modern scientists are creating strange new combinations of living tissue and trying to give dead things new life.
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ChemistryLego-like way to snap molecules together wins 2022 chemistry Nobel
This so-called ‘click chemistry’ allows scientists to build complex molecules in the lab and in living cells.
By Meghan Rosen and Nikk Ogasa -
PhysicsExperiments on ‘entangled’ quantum particles won the physics Nobel Prize
Three pioneers in quantum physics share the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics.
By James R. Riordon and Maria Temming -
EarthNot one, but two asteroids might have ended the age of dinosaurs
A craterlike structure found off the coast of West Africa might have been formed by an asteroid that struck around the time dinosaurs went extinct.
By Nikk Ogasa -
TechNo trees were harmed to 3-D print this piece of wood
How clever! Scientists used print-speed adjustments to control how flat, 3-D printed shapes morph into complex wooden objects.