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Categories: Engineering: Nanotechnology, Paleontology: Fossils
Published Splitting hairs: Science of biomechanics to understand of bad hair days



Academics are often accused of 'splitting hairs', but a team has now devised a machine to do just that. We all have a bad hair day from time to time, and split ends are a common problem. However, the science behind this kind of hair damage is poorly understood, which is why scientists are investigating this knotty problem.
Published Tiny new species of great ape lived in Germany 11 million years ago



Ancient apes in Germany co-existed by partitioning resources in their environment, according to a new study.
Published Nanoparticles: Risk for babies in the womb



Little is yet known about the health effects of nanoparticles on pregnancy. An interdisciplinary team is currently analyzing the risks for babies in the womb. Using a lab model, the researchers were able to determine that certain nanoparticles impair the release of chemical messengers in the placenta and thus the formation of blood vessels.
Published Better farming through nanotechnology



Advanced technologies enable the controlled release of medicine to specific cells in the body. Scientists argue these same technologies must be applied to agriculture if growers are to meet increasing global food demands.
Published Crystal engineering modifies 2D metal halide perovskites into 1D nanowires



Engineers have created a patent-pending method that creates layered perovskite nanowires with exceptionally well-defined and flexible cavities that exhibit a wide range of unusual optical properties beyond conventional perovskites.
Published Tiny roundworms carve out unique parasitic niche inside pseudoscorpion's protective covering



In a parasitic first, a Baltic amber specimen has revealed that millions of years ago tiny worms known as nematodes were living inside of and feeding on the outer protective layer of pseudoscorpions.
Published Fishy mystery of marine reptile solved



The identity of a prehistoric marine reptile has finally been revealed after experts discovered that some of its remains actually belonged to fish.
Published 'Missing' early sea sponges discovered



Geobiologists reported a 550 million-year-old sea sponge that had been missing from the fossil record. The discovery sheds new light on a conundrum that has stumped zoologists and paleontologists for years.
Published Towards next-gen functional materials: direct observation of electron transfer in solids



Nanoscale electron transfer (ET) in solids is fundamental to the development of multifunctional materials. However, ET in solids is not yet clearly understood. Now, researchers achieved a direct observation of solid-state ET through X-ray crystal analysis by fabricating a novel double-walled non-covalent crystalline nanotube, which can absorb electron donor molecules and maintain its crystalline structure during ET. This innovative approach can lead to the design of novel functional materials soon.
Published Gigantic Jurassic pterosaur fossil unearthed in Oxfordshire, UK



A team of palaeontologists has discovered a fossil of a gigantic flying reptile from the Jurassic period with an estimated wingspan of more than three metres -- making it one of the largest pterosaurs ever found from that era.
Published Shining a light on molecules: L-shaped metamaterials can control light direction



Polarized light waves spin clockwise or counterclockwise as they travel, with one direction behaving differently than the other as it interacts with molecules. This directionality, called chirality or handedness, could provide a way to identify and sort specific molecules for use in biomedicine applications, but researchers have had limited control over the direction of the waves -- until now.
Published Scientists develop 'x-ray vision' technique to see inside crystals



A team of researchers has created a new way to visualize crystals by peering inside their structures, akin to having X-ray vision. Their new technique -- which they aptly named 'Crystal Clear' -- combines the use of transparent particles and microscopes with lasers that allow scientists to see each unit that makes up the crystal and to create dynamic three-dimensional models.
Published Development of revolutionary color-tunable photonic devices



Team develops a flexible and stretchable device capable of omnidirectional color wavelength control.
Published Enhancing nanofibrous acoustic energy harvesters with artificial intelligence



Scientists have employed artificial intelligence techniques to improve the design and production of nanofibers used in wearable nanofiber acoustic energy harvesters (NAEH). These acoustic devices capture sound energy from the environment and convert it into electrical energy, which can then be applied in useful devices, such as hearing aids.
Published 'Ugly' fossil places extinct saber-toothed cat on Texas coast



This fossil looks like a lumpy, rounded rock with a couple of exposed teeth that are a little worse for wear, having been submerged and tumbled along the floor of the Gulf of Mexico for thousands of years before washing up on a beach. But when it was X-rayed a doctoral student saw there was more to the fossil that met the eye: a hidden canine tooth that had not yet erupted from the jaw bone. It was just what researchers needed to identify the fossil as belonging to a Homotherium, a genus of large cat that roamed much of the Earth for millions of years.
Published Controlling ion transport for a blue energy future



Researchers probed the transit of cations across a nanopore membrane for the generation of osmotic energy. The team controlled the passage of cations across the membrane using a voltage applied to a gate electrode. This control allowed the cation-selective transport to be tuned from essentially zero to complete cation selectivity. The findings are expected to support the application of blue energy solutions for sustainable energy alternatives worldwide.
Published Origins of 'Welsh dragons' finally exposed by experts



A large fossil discovery has helped shed light on the history of dinosaurs in Wales.
Published Musankwa sanyatiensis, a new dinosaur from Zimbabwe



Fossils found on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new dinosaur species. This remarkable find, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe.
Published Bringing back an ancient bird



Using ancient DNA extracted from the toe bone of a museum specimen, biologists have sequenced the genome of an extinct, flightless bird called the little bush moa, shedding light into an unknown corner of avian genetic history. The work is the first complete genetic map of the turkey-sized bird whose distant living cousins include the ostrich, emu, and kiwi.
Published Florida fossil porcupine solves a prickly dilemma 10-million years in the making



An exceptionally rare fossilized porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida has allowed researchers to trace the evolutionary history for one of North America's rarest mammals.