A holmium (Ho) and a iron (Fe) atom placed on a MgO substrate are the components for the world’s smallest memory device. Ho is used as a storage medium and Fe as a sensor were. The magnetism of the holmium atom can be changed or read by flowing current through the STM tip.

Storing 1 bit in 1 atom is possible: The extraordinary end of Moore’s law. One bit of digital information can now be successfully stored in an individual atom, according to a study just published in Nature. Current commercially-available magnetic memory devices require approximately 1 million atoms to do the same...

In vitro and in vivo assessment of direct effects of simulated solar and galactic cosmic radiation on human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Leukemia, 2016; DOI: 10.1038/leu.2016.344

Using mice transplanted with human stem cells, a team has demonstrated for the first time that the radiation encountered in deep space travel may increase the risk of leukemia in humans. With funding from NASA, researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and colleagues are using human stem cells to measure the effects of deep space radiation. “Our results are troubling because they show radiation exposure could potentially increase the risk of leukemia in two ways,” said A/Prof. Christopher Porada, Ph.D.

As part of this ongoing project, the group has identified and is currently testi...

Iota Orionis. Credit: Image by Danielle Futselaar

Using the world’s smallest astronomical satellites, researchers have detected the biggest stellar heartbeat ever. Astronomers are hopeful that this discovery will provide the initiative to search for other such systems, creating a fundamental shift in how we study the evolution of massive stars. This is important, since massive stars are laboratories of elements essential to life.

Astronomers from the BRITE (BRight Target Explorer) Constellation project and Ritter Observatory have discovered a repeating 1% spike in the light of a very massive star which could change our understanding of such stars. Iota Orionis is a binary star system and is easily visible with the naked eye, being the brightest star in the constellation Orion’s sword...

A schematic representation of the experimental design. Credit: Image courtesy of Northwestern University

Procedure could potentially treat patients with injuries to the skull. A team repaired a hole in a mouse’s skull by regrowing “quality bone,” a breakthrough that could drastically improve the care of people who suffer severe trauma to the skull or face. The work by a joint team of Northwestern University and University of Chicago researchers showed that a potent combination of technologies was able to regenerate the skull bone with supporting blood vessels in just the discrete area needed without developing scar tissue – and more rapidly than with previous methods.

Injuries or defects in the skull or facial bones are very challenging to treat, often requiring the surgeon to graft bone f...