Self-Healing and Shape Memory Effects in Gold Microparticles through the Defects-Mediated Diffusion. Advanced Science, 2017; 1700159 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201700159

Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Germany have demonstrated for the first time the phenomena of shape memory and self-healing in gold microparticles. Achieved through defects-mediated diffusion in the particle, the discovery could one day lead to development of micro- and nano-robots capable of self-repair; mechanically stable and damage-tolerant components and devices; and targeted drug delivery.

Shape-memory materials are characterized by the ability to repair the damage caused to them (such as plastic deformation) and to recover their original shape...

The geomagnetic field is critical to life on Earth. Without it, charged particles from the sun (the “solar wind”) would blow away the atmosphere, scientists say. Credit: © SkyLine / Fotolia

Scientists have identified patterns in Earth’s magnetic field that evolve on the order of 1,000 years, providing new insight into how the field works and adding a measure of predictability to changes in the field not previously known. The discovery also will allow researchers to study the planet’s past with finer resolution by using this geomagnetic “fingerprint” to compare sediment cores taken from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The geomagnetic field is critical to life on Earth. Without it, charged particles from the sun (the “solar wind”) would blow away the atmosphere, scientists say...

This is the delivery and activation of genes by gold nanorods. Gold nanorods coated with charged lipids efficiently bind to DNA and penetrate cells. The team designed an artificial gene that is turned on by heat generated by the gold nanorods upon exposure to near infrared light illumination.
CREDIT
Kyoto University iCeMS

A new method efficiently transfers genes into cells, then activates them with light. This could lead to gene therapies for cancers. Mineko Kengaku, Tatsuya Murakami, and their colleagues from Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) have developed a new method that modifies the surface of nanorods, making them more efficient in transporting cancer-killing genes into cells.

The method involves coating gold nanorods, which produce heat when e...