Schematic illustration of single-atom catalyst anchored on porous carbon.
Credit: WSU

Researchers at Washington State University have developed a new way to make low-cost, single-atom catalysts for fuel cells – an advance that could make important clean energy technology more economically viable. Hydrogen fuel cells are critical for the clean energy economy as they are more than two times as efficient at creating electricity than polluting combustion engines. Their only waste product is water.

However, the high price of the platinum-based catalysts that are used for the chemical reaction in fuel cells significantly hinders their commercialization. Instead of the rare platinum, researchers would like to use nonprecious metals, such as iron or cobalt...

ALMA revealed the distribution of molecular gas (left) and dust particles (right). In addition to the dense cloud in the center, the research team found two dense clouds several thousand light-years away from the center. These dense clouds are dynamically unstable and thought to be the sites of intense star formation. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Tadaki et al.

ALMA obtains most detailed view of distant starburst galaxy. Astronomers obtained the most detailed anatomy chart of a monster galaxy located 12.4 billion light-years away. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the team revealed that the molecular clouds in the galaxy are highly unstable, which leads to runaway star formation...

Newly discovered channels in the skull may provide a shortcut for immune cells going to damaged tissue. Credit: Nahrendorf Lab

Study suggests immune cells rush through channels to get to injured tissue quickly. Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside most of our bones, produces red blood cells as well as immune cells that help fight off infections and heal injuries. According to a new study of mice and humans, tiny tunnels run from skull bone marrow to the lining of the brain and may provide a direct route for immune cells responding to injuries caused by stroke and other brain disorders. The study was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health and published in Nature Neuroscience.

“We always thought that immune cells from our arms and legs traveled via blood to damaged brain tissue...

The new hyperspectral imager contains two cameras and measures just 425 by 200 millimeters. With further miniaturization it could be incorporated into smartphones for personal use.

Innovative imager could find industrial, security, medical, cultural and agricultural applications. Researchers have developed a compact imaging system that can measure the shape and light-reflection properties of objects with high speed and accuracy. This 5D hyperspectral imaging system – so-called because it captures multiple wavelengths of light plus spatial coordinates as a function of time – could benefit a variety of applications including optical-based sorting of products and identifying people in secure areas of airports...