Technology paves way for intelligent solar cells, other highly efficient devices programmed at the macro and nano scale. Engineers created light-activated materials that execute precise movements and form complex shapes without the need for wires, motors or other energy sources. The research could lead to smart light-driven systems such as high-efficiency solar cells that automatically follow the sun’s direction.

Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have created light-activated composite devices...

University of Otago researchers have discovered one of the reasons why more than 50% of people with type 2 diabetes die from heart disease. And perhaps more significantly, they have found how to treat it.

Associate Professor Rajesh Katare, of the Department of Physiology, says it has been known that stem cells in the heart of diabetic patients are impaired. While stem cell therapy has proved effective in treating heart disease, it is not the case in diabetic hearts.

It has not been known why; until now.
It comes down to tiny molecules called microRNA which control gene expression.

“Based on the results of laboratory testing, we identified the number of microRNAs that are impaired in stem cells of...

Superconducting coils for contactless power transmission in the kilowatt range.
A team led by Christoph Utschick and Prof. Rudolf Gross, physicists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed a coil with superconducting wires capable of transmitting power in the range of more than five kilowatts contactless and with only small losses. The wide field of conceivable applications include autonomous industrial robots, medical equipment, vehicles and even aircraft.

Contactles...

Astronomers have painted their best picture yet of an RV Tauri variable, a rare type of stellar binary where two stars — one approaching the end of its life ...