First stars of the Milky Way. Credit: Gabriel Pérez, SMM (IAC)

Researchers at the IAC have identified a star which is a key to the formation of the first chemical elements in the Galaxy. The study presents the discovery of one of the stars with the least content of “metals” (heavy elements) known. The star is 7,500 light years from Earth, in the halo of the Milky Way, and is along the line of sight to the constellation of the Lynx. The star is still on the Main Sequence, the stage at which most stars spend the major part of their lives. The source of energy of these stars is, as always, the fusión of hydrogen in their cores, and their surface temperaturas and luminosities are almost constant with time. Another of its properties is its low mass, around 0...

This is a magneto-hydrodynamic 3-D simulations of a relativistic jet. Credit: G. Bodo and P. Rossi (INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, Italy) and A. Mignone (Torino University, Italy).

Researchers have discovered a peculiar spiral jet with many twists. A blazar is an astronomical object within an elliptical galaxy, at whose centre there is a supermassive black hole which emits jets of radiation and particles with huge energies. When these are directed towards the Earth we can detect them. They are among the most energetic phenomena in the universe.

In the second half of last year the blazar CTA 102, which is 7,600 million light years from Earth, brightened considerably, drawing the attention of all the astronomers...

Blood vessel-on-a-chips show anti-cancer drug effects in human cells. Credit: 2018 YUKIKO MATSUNAGA, INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), the University of Tokyo, CNRS and INSERM, report a new organ-on-a-chip technology for the study of blood vessel formation and drugs targeting this event. The technology recreates a human blood vessel and shows how new capillaries grow from a single vessel (parent vessel) in response to proper biochemical signaling cues. The technology can further be used to develop drugs targeting this growth as a therapeutic approach to treat cancer and blood-vessel-related diseases. The study can be read in EBioMedicine.

Angiogenesis describes a specific process of blood vessel formation from...

This is MIT professor Stefanie Mueller, pictured in her lab. Credit: Jason Dorfman, MIT CSAIL

3D printing has come a long way since the first “rapid prototyping” patent was rejected in 1980. Still, there’s a big issue: once objects are printed, they’re final. But imagine if, for example, you could recolor your iPhone case or earrings to match whatever outfit you’re wearing. Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have gotten closer to making that a reality. In a new paper, they present “ColorFab,” a method for repeatedly changing the colors of 3D printed objects after fabrication.

Using their own 3D printable ink that changes color when exposed to UV light, the team can recolor a multi-colored object in just over 20 minutes – and they say they...