New memory survives temperatures hotter than lava

Novel memory chip survives temperatures hotter than lava
Gra/HfOx/W device and cross-section image. a, optical image of a single device with ~1 um ×1 um device size. b, cross-section TEM image and EELS mapping of W, Hf and C elements. Credit: Science (2026). DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb9934

The electronics inside your phone, your car, and every satellite currently orbiting Earth share one critical weakness: heat. Push them past about 200 degrees Celsius and they start to fail. For decades, that thermal ceiling has been one of the hardest walls in engineering. Now a team at the University of Southern California may have just found a way around it.

In a study published in Science, researchers led by Joshua Yang, Arthur B...

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High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures

High nickel concentrations in Martian bedrock point to potential biosignatures
In Beaver Falls, Ni was detected in both the primary mudstone and within cross-cutting Ca-sulfate veins. Credit: Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70081-3

In 2024, NASA’s Perseverance rover found surprising levels of Nickel in the Martian bedrock of an ancient river channel, called Neretva Vallis, which flowed into the Jezero crater. A new study, published in Nature Communications, has taken a closer look at the data collected from the region and researchers are seeing what could be remnants of ancient Martian life.

Nickel as a biosignature
Although nickel is not typically thought of as a major component of human life, it is important in many microbial metabolism functions...

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Placing battery tech directly on tissue to deliver lithium ions for targeted pain relief

The secret ingredient in a new biomedical device? Lithium-ion battery tech
A new study from the University of Chicago shows how an ingredient from lithium batteries could form the foundation of treatments for pain relief or other disorders. Above, a tiny, flexible patch that can be interfaced with neural tissue to reduce pain signaling. Credit: Chuanwang Yang

A new study from the University of Chicago taps an ingredient most often used in the lithium-ion batteries that power our devices to open new avenues in biomedical technology. Lithium plays vital roles in the body, but taking it orally can have unwanted side effects—so a pair of UChicago chemistry labs teamed up to find a way to deliver lithium only to the exact places where it’s needed.

Their study, published in Nature Materials, could be the foundation for future biomedical technologies to treat p...

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NASA probe data suggests a more complex sun’s magnetic engine

NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft in front of the orange Sun
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is the first spacecraft to fly through the corona, the Sun’s upper atmosphere, and offers a unique perspective on solar processes. Using Parker Solar Probe data, SwRI-led research has revealed a complex system of magnetic forces and kinetic energy associated with protons and heavy ions accelerated by magnetic reconnection. Courtesy of NASA

A Southwest Research Institute-led study found that protons and heavy ions react differently to solar magnetic reconnection events, revealing a more complex magnetic engine powering the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection converts magnetic energy into explosive kinetic energy, powering solar events and causing space weather that impacts Earth...

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