If new and promising semiconductor materials are to make it into our phones, computers, and other increasingly capable electronics, researchers must obtain greater control over how those materials function.

In an article published today in Science Advances, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers detailed how they designed and synthesized a unique material with controllable capabilities that make it very promising for future electronics.

The researchers synthesized the material an organic-inorganic hybrid crystal made up of carbon, iodine, and lead and then demonstrated that it was capable of two material properties previously unseen in a single material...

Betelgeuse has been the center of significant media attention lately. The red supergiant is nearing the end of its life, and when a star over 10 times the mass of the Sun dies, it goes out in spectacular fashion. With its brightness recently dipping to the lowest point in the last hundred years, many space enthusiasts are excited that Betelgeuse may soon go supernova, exploding in a dazzling display that could be visible even in daylight.

While the famous star in Orion’s shoulder will likely meet its demise within the next million years—practically couple days in cosmic time—scientists maintain that its dimming is due to th...

Relativity Space, which aims to revolutionize spaceflight with its 3D-printed rockets, will soon be based out of a 120,000-square-foot (11,150 square meters) space in Long Beach, California, company representatives announced Friday (Feb. 28). The new facility, close to Relativity Space’s old Los Angeles headquarters, will house business operations and the autonomous factory that will churn out the company’s Terran 1 rocket. That vehicle is scheduled to fly for the first time next year.

“Relativity is disrupting nearly 60 years of prior aerospace technology by building a new manufacturing platform using robotics, 3D printing and AI,” Relativity Space CEO and co-founder Tim Ellis sai...

Researchers have developed an octopus-inspired soft robotic arm that can grip, move, and manipulate a wide range of objects. Its flexible, tapered design, complete with suction cups, gives the gripper a firm grasp on objects of all shapes, sizes and textures – from eggs to iPhones to large exercise balls.

Of all the cool things about octopuses (and there’s a lot), their arms may rank among the coolest...