NGC4993, the galaxy hosting the gravitational wave event GW170817 that has been used to measure the age of the universe. The source of the event is the red dot to the upper left of the galaxy’s center; it was not there in earlier images. Credit: NASA and ESA

The direct detection of gravitational waves from at least five sources during the past two years offers spectacular confirmation of Einstein’s model of gravity and space-time. Modeling of these events has also provided information on massive star formation, gamma-ray bursts, neutron star characteristics, and (for the first time) verification of theoretical ideas about how the very heavy elements, like gold, are produced.

Astronomers have now used a single gravitational wave event (GW170817) to measure the age of the universe...

The “first-light” image from NIRES is of NGC 7027, a planetary nebula. The NIRES spectrum shows the near-IR spectrum of this nebula dominated by emission lines of hydrogen and helium. The direct image shows NBC 7027 in the K’ filters at 2.2 microns. CREDIT: W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY

The “first-light” image from NIRES is of NGC 7027, a planetary nebula. The NIRES spectrum shows the near-IR spectrum of this nebula dominated by emission lines of hydrogen and helium. The direct image shows NBC 7027 in the K’ filters at 2.2 microns. Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory

Near-Infrared Echellette Spectrometer (NIRES) is expected to be one of the most efficient single-object, near-infrared spectrographs on an 8 to 10-meter telescope, designed to study explosive, deep sky phenomena such as supern...

Lee et al. show that hair follicles can be generated from mouse pluripotent stem cells in a 3-D cell culture system. The hair follicles (red) grow radially out of spherical skin organoids and contain follicle-initiating dermal papilla cells (green cells) and hair shafts (cyan). Credit: Artwork by Jiyoon Lee and Karl Koehler

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have successfully developed a method to grow hairy skin from mouse pluripotent stem cells – a discovery that could lead to new approaches to model disease and new therapies for the treatment of skin disorders and cancers. This research marks the first demonstration that hair follicles can be grown in cultures of stem cells.

“The skin is a complex organ that has been difficult to fully recreate and maintain in culture ...

HASEL actuators can be designed as soft grippers to handle and manipulate delicate objects, like this raspberry. Credit: Keplinger Lab / University of Colorado Boulder

A new class of soft, electrically activated devices mimics the expansion and contraction of natural muscles. These devices, which can be constructed from a wide range of low-cost materials, are able to self-sense their movements and self-heal from electrical damage, representing a major advance in soft robotics. Such soft robots contain tremendous potential for future applications as they adapt to dynamic environments and are well-suited to closely interact with humans.

A central challenge in this field known as “soft robotics” is a lack of actuators or “artificial muscles” that can replicate the versatility and performance ...