Unusually weak neural responses (yellow spot) in the anterior cingulate cortex: autistic people find it hard to imagine themselves in somebody else’s position. Credit: Joshua Balsters / ETH Zurich

Brain researchers at ETH Zurich and other universities have shown for the first time that a region of the brain associated with empathy only activates very weakly in autistic people. This knowledge could help to develop new therapies for those affected by autism. Professor Nicole Wenderoth and her senior scientist Joshua Balsters have used fMRI from autistic adolescents to discover unusual activity in a particular region of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

The researchers were aware that activity in this part of the brain is coupled with the “theory of mind”, which makes it possi...

Duke University researchers have developed a new ‘spray-on’ digital memory (upper left) that could be used to build programmable electronic devices on flexible materials like paper, plastic or fabric. To demonstrate a simple application of their device, they used their memory to program different patterns of four LED lights in a simple circuit. Credit: Matthew Catenacci ==

USB flash drives are already common accessories in offices and college campuses. But thanks to the rise in printable electronics, digital storage devices like these may soon be everywhere—including on our groceries, pill bottles and even clothing...

Schematic illustration of an on-site water purification system for rural communities. Powered by solar panels, the low-cost, portable device produces hydrogen peroxide from oxygen gas and water. Credit: Zhihua Chen/Stanford University

Many disease-causing organisms and organic pollutants can be quickly removed from water using H2O2 without leaving any harmful residual chemicals. However, producing and distributing hydrogen peroxide is a challenge in many parts of the world. Now scientists at the Dept of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have created a small device for hydrogen peroxide production that could be powered by renewable energy sources, like conventional solar panels.

“The idea is to develop an electrochemical cell that generates hydrogen perox...

Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on March 30, 2017

SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk said he wants to go further in the reuse of his rockets after successfully launching the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket that was recycled from a previous flight. Musk tweeted on Friday that he is looking into a test to bring home the second stage of the company’s new Falcon 9 Heavy rocket for reuse when the rocket debuts late in the summer. SpaceX blasted off the recycled first stage, or booster, of a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time on Thursday, a feat that could dramatically lower the cost of space travel.

The Falcon 9 Heavy has a first stage composed of 3 Falcon 9 engine cores and “will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of 2,” according...