A team of researchers led by the University of Adelaide and University of Stuttgart has used 3D micro-printing to develop the world’s smallest, flexible scope for looking inside blood vessels.

The camera-like imaging device can be inserted into blood vessels to provide high quality 3D images to help scientists better understand the causes of heart attack and heart disease progression, and could lead to improved treatment and prevention.

In a study published in the journal Light: Science & Applications, a multidisciplinary team of researchers and clinicians was able to 3D print a tiny lens on to the end of an optical fibre, the thickness of a human hair.

The imaging device is so small that r...

Chemists have developed a way to modify thermoset plastics with a chemical linker that makes it much easier to recycle them, but still allows them to retain their mechanical strength.

Thermosets, which include epoxies, polyurethanes, and rubber used for tires, are found in many products that have to be durable and heat-resistant, such as cars or electrical appliances...

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has taken the first ever image of a young, Sun-like star accompanied by two giant exoplanets. Images of systems with multiple exoplanets are extremely rare, and – until now – astronomers had never directly observed more than one planet orbiting a star similar to the Sun...

Scientists have found that a hormone tells the brain to dramatically restructure neurons embedded in fat tissue. Their work widens our understanding of how the body regulates its energy consumption, and how obesity might be treated in the future. There’s no doubt that you can lose fat by eating less or moving more – yet after decades of research, the biology underlying this equation remains mysterious. What really ignites the breakdown of stored fat molecules are nerves embedded in the fat tissue, and a new study now reveals that these fat-burning neurons have previously unrecognized powers. If they receive the right signal, they have an astonishing capacity to grow.

That signal...