1, Bismuthene film interrupted at a step in the silicon carbide substrate viewed through a scanning tunnelling microscope. The film areas inevitably end at the substrate step and a conducting edge channel (white) occurs.
2. Schematic illustration of the conducting edge channels at the boundaries of the bismuthene film. The edge channels protect the spins against scattering and thereby allow loss-free and efficient spin-based data transmission.

It’s ultra-thin, electrically conducting at the edge due to quantum effects and insulating within – and all that at room temperature: Physicists from the University of Würzburg have developed a promising new material. The material class of topological insulators is presently the focus of international solids research...

This artist’s illustration of Supernova 1987A reveals the cold, inner regions of the exploded star’s remnants (red) where tremendous amounts of dust were detected and imaged by ALMA. This inner region is contrasted with the outer shell (blue), where the energy from the supernova is colliding (green) with the envelope of gas ejected from the star prior to its powerful detonation. Credit: A. Angelich; NRAO/AUI/NSF

A group of scientists led by researchers at Cardiff University have discovered a rich inventory of molecules at the centre of an exploded star for the very first time. 2 previously undetected molecules, formylium (HCO+) and sulphur monoxide (SO), were found in the cooling aftermath of Supernova 1987A, 163,000 light years away in a nearby neighbour of our own Milky Way galaxy...

Beehive Cluster. Credit: Sven Kohle and Till Credner

Astronomers have detected a new low-mass eclipsing binary star in an open cluster named NGC 2632, better known as the Beehive Cluster (or Praesepe). The newly identified binary, designated PTFEB132.707+19.810, contains two late-type stars much smaller and less massive than the sun.

NGC 2632 is an open star cluster that looks like a hive of bees in the constellation Cancer. Located some 577 light years away, it is one of the nearest open clusters to the solar system. Due to its proximity, this cluster is the target of numerous observations conducted by astronomers searching for new objects, including eclipsing binaries. Such binaries could be very helpful in improving our known theoretical stellar evolution models.

Although PTFEB132...

Kelly Huffman: Charles W. Abbott et al. Prenatal Ethanol Exposure and Neocortical Development: A Transgenerational Model of FASD, Cerebral Cortex (2017). DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx168

Soon-to-be mothers have heard the warning – don’t drink while pregnant. CDC has issued numerous statements about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, as it can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in newborns. Despite this, many women drink during pregnancy, a choice that scientists have known for years could hurt these mothers’ children. Today, there is a new reason to stop – drinking alcohol during pregnancy will not only affect her unborn child, but may also impact brain development and lead to adverse outcomes in her future grand- and even great-grandchildren.

“Traditionally, p...