A research team led by Prof. Wallace Leung develops novel semiconductor nanotubes with superb charge conductivity which can be widely used in different applications, especially in environmental arena. Credit: Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

The Department of Mechanical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a novel technology of embedding highly conductive nanostructure into semi-conductor nanofiber. The novel composite so produced has superb charge conductivity, and can therefore be widely applied, especially in environmental arena. The innovation was awarded the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 45th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, held on 29 March to 2 April this year.

Semiconductor made into na...

An artist’s rendition of the galaxies Akira (right) and Tetsuo (left) in action. Akira’s gravity pulls Tetsuo’s gas into its central supermassive black hole, fuelling winds that have the power to heat Akira’s gas. Because of the action of the black hole winds, Tetsuo’s donated gas is rendered inert, preventing a new cycle of star formation in Akira. Copyright : Prime Focus Spectrograph Project

Supermassive black hole winds in a newly discovered class of galaxies are so energetic they suppress future star formation. An international team involved in the SDSS-IV MaNGA (Sloan Digital Sky Survey-IV Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) project is studying ~10,000 galaxies near Earth...

What our Milky Way might look like to alien astronomers: This image of NGC 2683, a spiral galaxy also known as the “UFO Galaxy” due to its shape, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Since trying to find out what the Milky Way looks like is a bit like trying to picture an unfamiliar house while being confined to a room inside, studies like this one help us gain a better idea of our cosmic home. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Astronomers find missing mass in the hydrogen halo that surrounds our home galaxy. Sometimes it takes a lot of trees to see the forest. In the case of the latest discovery made by astronomers at the University of Arizona, exactly 732,225...

Left: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart of a patient after a heart attack. Right: key. 1: left ventricle, 2: left atrium, 3: right ventricle. The major heart muscle surrounds the left ventricle, and healthy muscle appears black on MRI. After an infarction, the necrotic portion of the heart appears white on MRI after injectino of a contrast agent. Credit: CNIC

Scientists at CNIC have discovered a new mechanism of action of metoprolol, a drug that can reduce the damage produced during a heart attack if administered early. Rapid administration of metoprolol during a heart attack directly inhibits the inflammatory action of neutrophils. The reduced inflammation translates into a smaller area of damaged tissue in the post-infarcted heart...