Frontier research

Prof. Nicolosi uses Ireland's most powerful microscope that can picture the materials she makes with atomic resolution. Image credit – Amber, Trinity College Dublin

frontier research | energy | industry | interview

26 July 2017

Nanomaterials are closest thing we have to real-life ‘superheroes’ – Prof. Valeria Nicolosi

Utilising the superhero properties of materials around an atom thick could revolutionise how we store energy in electronic devices, according to Valeria Nicolosi, professor of nanomaterials and advanced microscopy at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Nanotechnology could give us extremely thin solar panels that could power phones. Image credit: Flickr/ Kārlis Dambrāns

frontier research

26 June 2017

Printed solar cells thinner than your hair could power your phone

Extremely thin printable solar panels could power your phone and are amongst a range of new ways nanotechnology is opening the door to a clean energy and waste-free future.

The next particle accelerator will be three times larger than the LHC, with double-strength magnets enabling researchers to smash particle beams together with a power equivalent to 10 million lightning strikes. Image credit: CERN

frontier research

31 May 2017

Physicists accelerate plans for a new Large Hadron Collider three times as big

An international league of scientists is kicking off the decades-long process of developing the successor to the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.

Prof. Eliezer Rabinovici helped to set up SESAME so researchers in the Middle East could access a particle accelerator closer to home.

policy | frontier research | open to the world | interview

16 May 2017

Mid-East particle accelerator is ‘lighthouse’ for mutual understanding – co-founder

The first Middle East particle accelerator – officially opened on 16 May – sets an example for young researchers on how a small group of people can build bridges across the troubled region, according to one of the original founders of the project, Professor Eliezer Rabinovici from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, who also holds the Louis Michel Chair at France’s Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques.

Atomically thin materials can be stacked on top of each other to create matter with remarkable physical properties. Credit: public domain

frontier research

11 May 2017

‘Microscopic Lego’ to keep scientists busy ‘for next 50 years’

Atom-scale building blocks that have been compared to microscopic Lego are allowing researchers to play with the properties of common materials, and the possibilities are so great that it could keep scientists busy for the next 50 years.

Prof. Ronald Hanson proved that quantum entanglement is real when he linked two particles 1.3 km apart. Credit: TU Delft

interview | frontier research

03 May 2017

No one yet realises what the quantum internet will enable us to do – Prof. Ronald Hanson

The quantum internet, which connects particles linked together by the principle of quantum entanglement, is like the early days of the classical internet – no one can yet imagine what uses it could have, according to Professor Ronald Hanson, from Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, whose team was the first to prove that the phenomenon behind it was real.

Traces of pollutants were found in tiny amphipods who live more than 6 km underwater. © Dr Alan J. Jamieson, Newcastle University, UK.

environment | frontier research

20 April 2017

Deep-sea trenches contain chemicals and radioactivity

The deepest parts of the ocean were once assumed to be pristine, but recent discoveries of chemicals and radioactive products at the bottom of underwater trenches has shown that humanity’s footprint extends to the furthest reaches of the earth – and it could affect the balance of oxygen in the oceans and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Prof. Toni Cathomen says that using CRISPR-Cas9 to correct eye disorders may be its first in vivo medical application. Image courtesy of Prof. Toni Cathomen

health | frontier research | interview

19 April 2017

CRISPR has revolutionised how we approach many diseases – Prof. Toni Cathomen

Re-engineering immune cells and modifying yeast to produce drugs are just two of the tantalising applications of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, says Professor Toni Cathomen, director of the Institute for Cell and Gene Therapy at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

There were approximately 10.4 million new cases of TB in 2016. Image credit: Flickr/ Yale Rosen

frontier research | health

24 March 2017

Exact strain diagnoses can halt TB’s spread

In a disease outbreak, the exact strain of bacteria or virus can remain a mystery for weeks, preventing patients from receiving the most effective treatment and letting the illness spread. Now, more precise diagnostic tools are helping to quickly identify the right therapy, an approach that could be particularly valuable in treating a disease that kills 1.8 million people a year - tuberculosis.

Tiny 3D-printed cameras could revolutionise medical technology such as endoscopes. Credit: University of Stuttgart

frontier research

21 March 2017

‘Grain of sand’ cameras born out of chance and creative freedom

A set of 3D-printed lenses that are smaller than a grain of sand but can mimic eagle-eye vision came about thanks to a chance discussion with a colleague and the freedom to pursue scientific creativity, according to its inventor.