Materials Science

Space

Astronauts may be able to make cement with their own pee

Lunar dust and a compound found in urine might one day be used to build future dwellings on the moon, a new study finds.

Materials Science

Micro-barbs could make shots less painful

A new type of microneedle design might take the sting out of shots and stick to the skin better than other approaches.

Materials Science

This ‘living’ concrete slurps up a greenhouse gas

Microbes help harden a mix of sand and gelatin into a living concrete that could interact with people and the environment in great new ways.

Tech

Here’s one way to harvest water right out of the air

Need water but you have no access to rain, lakes or groundwater? Materials known as metal-organic frameworks could be used to slurp that water from the air, new data show.

Chemistry

Batteries should not burst into flames

Because lithium-ion batteries power modern life, they need to store a lot of energy. Now scientists are focusing on making them safer.

Materials Science

Silk can be molded into strong medical implants

Freeze-dried and powdered silk has a long shelf life. It also is cheap to ship and can be molded into sturdy medical implants.

Chemistry

Converting trash to valuable graphene in a flash

Flash heating of carbon-rich wastes creates graphene, which has many commercial uses.

Materials Science

New twist can hush — even cloak — some sounds

Swiss engineers developed clear, spiral structures to make a new sound-dampening system. Those twists block some vibrations and lets others through.

Materials Science

Here’s how to hide some objects from heat-sensing cameras

A special coating that conceals temperature information from heat-detecting cameras might someday be used as a privacy shield.

Materials Science

Self-powered surface may evaluate table-tennis play

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology built a 'smart' surface on which to play table tennis. It can track the location, speed and direction of the ball.

Materials Science

The future of crystal-based solar energy just got brighter

Researchers have upped the efficiency of layered solar cells that could be printed or painted onto surfaces. Now they are working to make them more rugged.

Life

A new spin on lab-grown meat

A technique inspired by how cotton candy is spun could help produce lab-grown meat at a lower cost and on a bigger scale.