An asteroid belt orbits a star in this artist’s rendering. In a new study, experiments at Berkeley Lab explored possible chemical pathways that could form complex hydrocarbons — like those found in some meteorite samples – in space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Experiments reveal how a hydrocarbon called pyrene could form near stars. Scientists have used lab experiments to retrace the chemical steps leading to the creation of complex hydrocarbons in space, showing pathways to forming 2D carbon-based nanostructures in a mix of heated gases...

Schrödinger in Space: An artist’s impression of research presented in Batygin (2018), MNRAS 475, 4. Propagation of waves through an astrophysical disk can be understood using Schrödinger’s equation – a cornerstone of quantum mechanics. Credit: James Tuttle Keane, California Institute of Technology

A surprising new discovery from a Caltech researcher suggests that the Schrödinger Equation – the fundamental equation of quantum mechanics – is remarkably useful in describing the long-term evolution of certain astronomical structures. Massive astronomical objects are frequently encircled by groups of smaller objects that revolve around them, like the planets around the sun...

Novel 3D Printing method embeds sensing capabilities within Robotic Actuators

Soft robots that can sense touch, pressure, movement and temperature. Inspired by our bodies’ sensory capabilities, researchers have developed a platform for creating soft robots with embedded sensors that can sense movement, pressure, touch, and even temperature. Researchers at Harvard University have built soft robots inspired by nature that can crawl, swim, grasp delicate objects and even assist a beating heart, but none of these devices has been able to sense and respond to the world around them.

Inspired by our bodies’ sensory capabilities, researchers at the Harvard John A...

This is S. epidermidis growing on an agar plate. A strain of S. epidermidis was shown to produce a molecule that kills cancer cells and inhibits the development of skin tumors on mice. UC San Diego Health

Science continues to peel away layers of the skin microbiome to reveal its protective properties. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report a potential new role for some bacteria on the skin: protecting against cancer. “We have identified a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis, common on healthy human skin, that exerts a selective ability to inhibit the growth of some cancers,” said Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine...