light tagged posts

Researchers led by Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) have developed the first cardiac implant made from graphene, a two-dimensional super material with ultra-strong, lightweight and conductive properties.

Similar in appearance to a child’s temporary tattoo, the new graphene “tattoo” implant is thinner than a single strand of hair, yet still functions like a classical pacemaker. But unlike current pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, which require hard, rigid materials that are mechanically incompatible with the body, the new device softly merges with the heart to simultaneously sense and treat irregular heartbeats...

A new material developed by University of Colorado Boulder engineers can transform into complex, pre-programmed shapes via light and temperature stimuli, allowing a literal square peg to morph and fit into a round hole before fully reverting to its original form.
Credit: Bowman Lab / University of Colorado Boulder

A new material developed by University of Colorado Boulder engineers can transform into complex, pre-programmed shapes via light and temperature stimuli, allowing a literal square peg to morph and fit into a round hole before fully reverting to its original form. The controllable shape-shifting material, described today in the journal Science Advances, could have broad applications for manufacturing, robotics, biomedical devices and artificial muscles.

“The ability to form materia...

Periostin (shown in pink) is being used in the clinic as a marker for allergic diseases such as asthma as well as atopic dermatitis. Left image: Periostin is overexpressed in atopic dermatitis. Right image: Blocking LIGHT also blocks periostin expression.

Finding provides a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of severe eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that is driven by an allergic reaction. In their latest study, researchers at La Jolla Institute reveal an important player that promotes skin inflammation in atopic dermatitis and the characteristic thickening of the skin...

Artistic image of light trapped on the surface of a nanoparticle topological insulator. Credit: Vincenzo Giannini

New research suggests it is possible to create a new form of light by binding light to a single electron, combining the properties of both. According to the scientists from Imperial College London, the coupled light and electron would have properties that could lead to circuits that work with photons instead of electrons. It would also allow researchers to study quantum physical phenomena.

In normal materials, light interacts with a whole host of electrons present on the surface and within the material. But by using theoretical physics to model the behaviour of light and topological insulators, they have found that it could interact with just one electron on the surface...