Phasecraft reveals a more efficient method for modelling electrons in materials

UK quantum software startup Phasecraft, spun out of UCL and University of Bristol, releases peer-reviewed research that shows significant improvement beyond previous techniques for simulating fermions on quantum computers

HighT-Tech’s innovative approach to catalyst development wins The Spinoff Prize 2021

London | New York | Darmstadt, 12 July 2021 The Spinoff Prize 2021, a Nature Research Award supported by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has been awarded to HighT-Tech, a spinoff* of The University of Maryland, College Park in the United…

Programmable structures from the printer

Researchers at the University of Freiburg and the University of Stuttgart have developed a new process for producing movable, self-adjusting materials systems with standard 3D-printers. These systems can undergo complex shape changes, contracting and expanding under the influence of moisture…

Black hairstyles will inspire innovative building materials in new research

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Natural Black hair texture and styling practices – such a braiding, locking and crocheting – will help inspire and generate novel building materials and architecture structures using computational design processes in new research funded by the…

Unlocking radiation-free quantum technology with graphene

“Heavy fermions” are an appealing theoretical way to produce quantum entangled phenomena, but until recently have been observed mostly in dangerously radioactive compounds. A new paper shows it is possible to make them in subtly modified graphene

Hybrid enzyme catalysts synthesized by a de novo approach for expanding biocatalysis

The two major challenges in industrial enzymatic catalysis are the limited number of chemical reaction types that are catalyzed by enzymes and the instability of enzymes under harsh conditions in industrial catalysis. Expanding enzyme catalysis to a larger substrate scope…

Depression, suicidal thoughts plague ailing coal miners, study finds

More than a third of coal miners and former coal miners suffering from black lung disease struggle with depression, and more than one in 10 has recently considered suicide, a new study finds. The study is believed to be the…

Scientists home in on recipe for entirely renewable energy

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin are homing in on a recipe that would enable the future production of entirely renewable, clean energy from which water would be the only waste product. Using their expertise in chemistry, theoretical physics and artificial…

Harnessing AI to discover new drugs

Nature has a vast store of medicinal substances. “Over 50 percent of all drugs today are inspired by nature,” says Gisbert Schneider, Professor of Computer-Assisted Drug Design at ETH Zurich. Nevertheless, he is convinced that we have tapped only a…

Cutting through noise for better solar cells

As society moves towards a renewable energy future, it’s crucial that solar panels convert light into electricity as efficiently as possible. Some state-of-the-art solar cells are close to the theoretical maximum of efficiency–and physicists from the University of Utah and…

New game-changing zeolite catalysts synthesized

A research team at POSTECH has uncovered a promising new zeolite, anticipated to be a turning point for the oil refining and petrochemical industries. This research was recently published in the scientific journal Science on July 2, 2021. The team…

Ultrathin semiconductors electrically connected to superconductors for the first time

For the first time, University of Basel researchers have equipped an ultrathin semiconductor with superconducting contacts. These extremely thin materials with novel electronic and optical properties could pave the way for previously unimagined applications. Combined with superconductors, they are expected…