When the screens are inserted into the beam, the desired patterns emerge: a cross or the logo of TU Wien.
Credit: TU Wien

Researchers succeed in shaping terahertz beams with extremely high precision. Terahertz radiation can be used for a wide variety of applications and is used today for airport security checks just as much as it is for material analysis in the lab. The wavelength of this radiation is in the millimetre range, meaning that it is significantly larger than the wavelength of visible light. It also requires specialised techniques to manipulate the beams and get them into the right shape...

New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope show the star cluster RCW 38 in all its glory. This image was taken during testing of the HAWK-I camera with the GRAAL adaptive optics system. It shows the cluster and its surrounding clouds of brightly glowing gas in exquisite detail, with dark tendrils of dust threading through the bright core of this young gathering of stars. Credit: ESO/K. Muzic

New observations show the star cluster RCW 38 in all its glory. This image was taken during testing of the HAWK-I camera with the GRAAL adaptive optics system. It shows RCW 38 and its surrounding clouds of brightly glowing gas in exquisite detail, with dark tendrils of dust threading through the bright core of this young gathering of stars.

By gazing into infrared wavelengths, HAWK-I can examine ...

Study in mice shows promise for treating genetic conditions during early stages of development. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Yale University have for the first time used a gene editing technique to successfully cure a genetic condition in a mouse model. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, present a promising new avenue for research into treating genetic conditions during fetal development.

An estimated 8 million children are born each year with severe genetic disorders or birth defects. Genetic conditions can often be detected during pregnancy using amniocentesis, but there are no treatment options to correct these genetic conditions before birth. “Early in embryonic development, there are a lot of stem cells dividing at a rapid pace...

New solid-state silicon device may one day power space missions. Researchers have developed a tiny silicon-based device that can harness what was previously called waste heat and turn it into DC power. Directly converting electrical power to heat is easy. It regularly happens in your toaster, that is, if you make toast regularly. The opposite, converting heat into electrical power, isn’t so easy.

“We have developed a new method for essentially recovering energy from waste heat. Car engines produce a lot of heat and that heat is just waste, right? So imagine if you could convert that engine heat into electrical power for a hybrid car. This is the first step in that direction, but much more work needs to be done,” said Paul Davids, a physicist and the principal investigator for the study...