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Frontier research

Nobel Prizes are awarded in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. Image credit: Flickr/ Adam Baker
frontier research
05 October 2016

Molecular machines generate Nobel award for European researchers

Three EU-funded researchers have been awarded a share of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing molecular machines including a tiny lift, artificial muscles and miniscule motors, that are a thousand times thinner than a human hair.

The wild tobacco plant's internal clock can change according to stress factors like caterpillars eating its leaves. Image credit: Flickr/ squamatologist
environment | frontier research
03 October 2016

Plants can override their body clocks when stressed

Plants can override their own body clocks in times of stress, hijacking their programmed activities in a last-ditch attempt to survive, according to researchers who believe their work could change the way we think about internal timing.

Using lasers to measure energy fluctuations of Thorium-229 nuclei could pave the way for hyper-accurate nuclear clocks. Image credit: nuClock
frontier research
28 September 2016

Nuclear clock could help blind people, autonomous cars navigate

Measuring energy fluctuations in the nucleus of a rare radioactive element could improve the accuracy of GPS from metres to centimetres, while marbled volcanic magma is being used to create eruption countdowns, thanks to groups of European researchers who are pushing the boundaries of timekeeping.

Solid-state cooling could make fridges more energy efficient while reducing their environmental footprint. Image credit: Flickr/ Jeff Wright
industry | environment | frontier research
21 September 2016

Fridges without the hum – alloys and salts offer liquid-free cooling

The familiar, or perhaps annoying, whirring of a refrigerator could soon be gone for good.

A sophisticated ultra-high vacuum system lets researchers create tiny, perfect 2D materials. Image courtesy of Dr Manuela Garnica Alonso
frontier research
19 September 2016

Making materials just one atom thick

In Germany, Dr Manuela Garnica Alonso peers into a massive machine of shining steel that sprouts wires, tubes, clusters of portholes, aluminium foil and industrial bolts.

Nanomaterials could store energy on an unprecedented scale. Image credit: ‘150309-charging-cellphone-smartphone-blue.jpg’ by r. nial bradshaw is licensed under CC-BY 2.0
energy | frontier research
12 September 2016

Atom-thick solution to energy storage conundrum

Sheets of carbon an atom thick could soon double the amount of electricity stored in smartphone batteries, researchers believe, as 2D materials present a picture of the future of energy storage.

Prof. Kirill Bolotin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
frontier research | interview
01 September 2016

2D materials could expand our understanding of gravity – Prof. Kirill Bolotin

Bending and stretching 2D materials to change their properties could lead to ultra-small sensors that can help us understand how gravity works at the microscopic scale, according to Professor Kirill Bolotin from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, who leads the EU-funded Strained2DMaterials project to uncover what happens to 2D materials under strain. 

The way mutant yeast cells split could shed light on miscarriages in humans. Image courtesy of Dr Kazu Tomita, University College London
health | frontier research
12 July 2016

Solving the mysteries of miscarriage

Embryologists are studying the earliest stages of pregnancy in the hope of understanding why it sometimes goes wrong. 

The modern human jaw has been millions of years in the making. Image credit: 'Jaw xray' is licensed under CC BY 2.0 by Tommy from Arad
health | frontier research
20 June 2016

Wisdom teeth failing to appear as human jaw evolves

Researchers are studying the evolutionary changes in human jaws to better understand the forces at play, and their work could help improve dental treatment and even regrow lost teeth.

Researchers are cooling atoms at a laboratory in Garching, Germany, to better understand how they behave. Image courtesy of Immanuel Bloch
frontier research
17 May 2016

Ultra-cooling gives slow-mo view of quantum physics

By cooling atoms to ultra-cold temperatures, researchers can watch interactions in slow motion and the results are giving them a new perspective into the behaviour of matter at the quantum level.

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