By stacking transistors on top of one another, rather than laying them side by side on a flat chip, many electronic engineers are hopeful that vast amounts of computing power could be packed into tiny spaces, all while cutting energy use. So far, however, the ability to build these monolithic 3D integrated circuits has proven stubbornly difficult, largely because the fabrication processes required can damage the layers already in place.

Through new research published in Nature, Qing Cao and colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new approach that sidesteps these problems, bringing high-performance 3D chips a step closer to reality.

Overheated stacks of transistors
Modern computer chips are built on thin wafers of silicon, with transistors (the ...

A new race to the moon is emerging between the United States and China. Unlike fifty years ago, the goal is no longer just about landing and leaving, but establishing a base that allows for a sustainable presence and extended stays on the surface of our natural satellite. The objective is now to use the moon as a testing ground for technologies that will enable us to travel further, particularly to Mars.

One of these key technologies is in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), which involves using available resources on-site to produce the consumables necessary for human activities: oxygen, water, rocket fuels, or construction materials...

A Mount Sinai-led research team has demonstrated that autoimmunity, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, is responsible for the often-debilitating and confounding symptoms of long COVID in a subset of people.

Findings from the study, published in Cell, could lead to important new approaches to treating patients with long COVID, including already-validated therapies for management of autoimmunity as well as new ways of clinically identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from these therapies.

Autoimmunity emerges as key driver
“We’ve known for some time that long COVID involves not just one but a variety of phenotypes, and now we have validated that autoimmunity is a major contributor to the symptom burden,” says David Putrino, Ph.D...

Engineers have invented an ingenious liquid-metal pump that could make future soft robotics and wearable devices much more portable and agile. The innovation, led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Nature Communications, presents a low-voltage power source with the potential to transform robotic systems for a wide range of applications, from robotic legs to haptic gloves used in medical and industrial settings.

The researchers have demonstrated the varied uses of this innovative technique by creating three prototypes including robotic butterfly wings, a color-changing bracelet, and a haptic fingertip pouch connected to an adjustable wristband which squeezes to simulate natural tactile sensations.w

Current technologies are powered by bulky compressors or ri...