Adding a Small Amount of Solid Carbon to Copper Boosts its Conductivity

Keerti Kappagantula and her colleagues developed highly conductive copper wire in bulk, as shown here. (Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A common carbon compound is enabling remarkable performance enhancements when mixed in just the right proportion with copper to make electrical wires. It’s a phenomenon that defies conventional wisdom about how metals conduct electricity.

The findings, reported in the journal Materials & Design, could lead to more efficient electricity distribution to homes and businesses, as well as more efficient motors to power electric vehicles and industrial equipment. The team has applied for a patent for the work, which was supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office.

Ma...

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Research Charts Stellar Birthplaces in the Whirlpool Galaxy for the first time

Stellar Birthplaces in the Whirlpool Galaxy
This illustration depicts the distribution of diazenylium molecule radiation (false colors) in the Whirlpool Galaxy, compared with an optical image. The reddish areas in the photograph represent luminous gas nebulae containing hot, massive stars traversing dark zones of gas and dust in the spiral arms. The presence of diazenylium in these dark regions suggests particularly cold and dense gas clouds. Credit: Thomas Müller (HdA/MPIA), S. Stuber et al. (MPIA), NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) und das Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) and involving the University of Bonn has mapped the cold, dense gas of future star nurseries in one of our neighboring galaxies with an unprecedented degree of detail...

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Sinai Health study identifies new concepts for GLP-1 action in the brain, the 2023 Science magazine breakthrough of the year

A woman stands facing the camera smiling. She is in a therapy gym in a hospital and there are  dumbells and other equipment in the background

Researcher Dr. Daniel Drucker has much to be proud of, as the GLP-1-based diabetes drugs hailing from his early research are named the 2023 breakthrough of the year by the Science Magazine. Not only have millions of people with type 2 diabetes benefitted from GLP-1 agonists, but the drugs also produced wide-ranging health benefits beyond weight loss in two recent patient trials.

For years, GLP-1 agonists have been known to have a fortuitous side effect of improving metabolic health, but how this is regulated in the body remains unclear. Now Dr. Drucker, who has dedicated his life’s work to understanding how these drugs work, has a new paper that begins to unravel the mystery with a novel finding—it all starts in the brain.

His team at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute...

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Ultrafast Lasers Map Electrons ‘going ballistic’ in Graphene with implications for Next-gen Electronic devices

Ultrafast lasers map electrons 'going ballistic' in graphene, with implications for next-gen electronic devices

Research appearing in ACS Nano reveals the ballistic movement of electrons in graphene in real-time.

The observations made at the University of Kansas’ Ultrafast Laser Lab could lead to breakthroughs in governing electrons in semiconductors, fundamental components in most information and energy technology.

“Generally, electron movement is interrupted by collisions with other particles in solids,” said lead author Ryan Scott, a doctoral student in KU’s Department of Physics & Astronomy.

“This is similar to someone running in a ballroom full of dancers. These collisions are rather frequent—about 10 to 100 billion times per second. They slow down the electrons, cause energy loss, and generate unwanted heat...

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