A cathode containing nanoparticles made from cobalt, cobalt oxide and a carbon-based outer shell improved the performance of a zinc-air battery. Credit: © 2016 A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering

Nanoparticles containing 3 different layers of material can help to boost the performance of a zinc-air battery, A*STAR researchers have found. Zinc-air batteries are cheap, have a high energy density, and last for a very long time. Their use of a water-based electrolyte makes them safer than other batteries, so they’re often found in medical applications, such as hearing aids and heart monitoring devices.

The battery’s negative electrode contains zinc metal, which gives up electrons when it reacts with hydroxide ions in the electrolyte...

The New Aviation Horizons initiative – a plan to design, build and fly a series of experimental aircraft – was a highlight of Shin’s presentation. Credits: NASA

In the future, aircraft will consume 1/2 as much fuel compared to today, generate 1/4 the emissions they do now, fly so quietly that airport neighbors won’t hear annoying noise and fly passengers at supersonic speeds while burning biofuels. We will see advanced drones, personal air vehicles, and air taxis on demand. All of this and more offers a snapshot of a very possible future that NASA’s aeronautical innovators are making progress toward every day.

This was the picture that Jaiwon Shin, NASA’s associate administrator for aeronautics research, offered Jan...

The Association of Hot Red Chili Pepper Consumption and Mortality: A Large Population-Based Cohort Study. PLOS ONE, 2017; 12 (1): e0169876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169876

Like spicy food? If so, you might live longer, say researchers at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, who found that consumption of hot red chili peppers is associated with a 13% reduction in total mortality – primarily in deaths due to heart disease or stroke – in a large prospective study. The study was published recently in PLoS ONE...

Multiplexed image analysis with HySP is faster and less expensive than other methods. Image courtesy of Francesco Cutrale.

A new image analysis technique makes it easier for scientists to quickly find and track important biological molecules including tell-tale signs of disease. Called “Hyper-Spectral Phasor” analysis, or HySP, it could even be useful for diagnosing and monitoring diseases by using cell phone images. It is much faster and far less expensive than current techniques. Through the new imaging technology, researchers use fluorescent imaging to locate proteins and other molecules in cells and tissues. It works by tagging the molecules with dyes that glow under certain kinds of light – the same principle behind so-called “black light” images.

Fluorescent imaging can help scientis...