New nanomaterial for treatment of skin infections

Researchers at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS (IOCB Prague) and the Technical University of Liberec in collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, the Department of Burns Medicine of the Third Faculty of Medicine at Charles University (Czech Republic), and P. J. Šafárik University in Košice (Slovakia) have developed a novel antibacterial material combining nonwoven nanotextile and unique compounds with antibacterial properties. Called NANO-LPPO, the new material can fulfill a wide range of applications as a dressing for wounds, such as burn injuries, by preventing infection and thus facilitating treatment and healing.

Study unveils the quantum nature of the interaction between photons and free electrons

For several decades, physicists have known that light can be described simultaneously as a wave and a particle. This fascinating 'duality' of light is due to the classical and quantum nature of electromagnetic excitations, the processes through which electromagnetic fields are produced.

Whale migration in our noisy oceans

The long-distance migrations performed by groups of animals offer some of the most spectacular natural phenomena on our planet.

Particle accelerators may get a boost from oxygen

Whipping up world-class particle accelerator structures has long been a process akin to following a favorite recipe. Many of the best-performing samples are prepared using processes developed through trial and error over decades of experience. But recently, accelerator scientists have been boosting this empirical approach to science with more theoretical input. Now, their efforts are beginning to pay off.

Trying to stay afloat: How Mumbai's climate action plan falls short

Mumbai, commonly known as the city of dreams, faces a future that is waist-deep in floodwaters and rising sea levels. In the past couple of decades, several attempts to adopt climate action mechanisms against sea level rise and flooding have been made, although most of them have fallen short, as evidenced by this year's flooding event.

NASA confirms Roman mission's flight design in milestone review

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has successfully passed its critical design review, signaling that all design and developmental engineering work is now complete.

Lunar landers could spray instant landing pads as they arrive at the moon

Space exploration requires all kinds of interesting solutions to complex problems. There is a branch of NASA designed to support the innovators trying to solve those problems—the Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). They occasionally hand out grant funding to worthy projects trying to tackle some of these challenges. The results from one of those grants are now in, and they are intriguing. A team from Masten Space Systems, supported by Honeybee Robotics, Texas A&M, and the University of Central Florida, came up with a way a lunar lander could deposit its own landing pad on the way down.

Researchers reveal a wobbly and flared Milky Way disk based on LAMOST-gaia data

Astronomers from National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of CAS and Nanjing University have revealed the wobbly and flared nature of the Milky Way disk based on LAMOST-Gaia data, which updates our understanding about the galaxy.

Developing core-shell functional composites with excellent self-lubrication properties

As high-end mechanical equipment put forward increasingly demanding requirements on the high performance characteristics such as bearing-load capacity, working environment and service life of self-lubricating moving parts, traditional lubrication materials are facing applied limitations under harsh and multi-environmental service conditions. Therefore, development of functional lubrication materials with low friction, long life and multi-environmental adaptability has become a leading trend in recent years.

Microorganism that remediates cadmium-contaminated soil

In recent years, phytoremediation (the utilization of plants, animals and microorganism to take up or immobilize hazardous substances from contaminated soils) has been widely applied to the remediation of Cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil. It's essential to screen natural microbes that being capable to concentrate hazardous substances during the development of phytoremediation technology.

How does positive cloud-to-ground lightning strike so far away from its origin?

A bolt of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning forms if a lightning leader develops out of the cloud and reaches the ground. Positive CG (+CG) lightning is formed by a downward positive leader and transfers positive charge into the ground.

Koala genome data released in push to protect vulnerable species

Scientists at the University of Sydney's Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group have loaded the entire genomes of 116 koalas to the public domain to accelerate vital genomic research to support the threatened species.

New method to deliver therapeutic drugs using elongated nanocrystals

Monash University researchers have used advanced techniques at ANSTO to investigate the production of new, elongated polymer nanocapsules with a high payload of drug nanocrystals to potentially increase drug targetability, and also decrease dosage frequency and side effects.

New fish species discovered after years of scientific studies

Scientists identify and name new fish species around the globe practically every week. Some turn up in unlikely places, and others display unusual characteristics and behaviors. But it's rare for an unidentified and unnamed fish to have played an important role in scientific research for several years before being officially identified and named.

A microscopic worm may shed light on how we perceive gravity

While humans rely on gravity for balance and orientation, the mechanisms by which we actually sense this fundamental force are largely unknown. Odder still, the model organism C. elegans, a microscopic worm, can also sense the direction of gravity, even though there is no known ecological reason for it to do so.

Critical groundwater supplies may never recover from drought

Along with hurricanes and wildfires, there's another important, but seldom-discussed effect of climate change—toxic water and sinking land made worse by groundwater drought.

Coral microbiome is key to surviving climate change, new study finds

The microbiomes of corals—which comprise bacteria, fungi and viruses—play an important role in the ability of corals to tolerate rising ocean temperatures, according to new research led by Penn State. The team also identified several genes within certain corals and the symbiotic photosynthetic algae that live inside their tissues that may play a role in their response to heat stress. The findings could inform current coral reef conservation efforts, for example, by highlighting the potential benefits of amending coral reefs with microbes found to bolster corals' heat-stress responses.

Australia's Daintree rainforest returned to Indigenous owners

Australia's Daintree rainforest has been returned to its Indigenous owners as the government begins to cede control of the world's oldest tropical forest.

Why climate change is making it harder to chase fall foliage

Droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. Extreme weather events like hurricanes that strip trees of their leaves altogether.

Virgin Galactic says FAA has cleared it for further flights

Virgin Galactic said Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared it to resume launches after an investigation into why its spaceship veered off course while descending during a July flight with founder Richard Branson aboard.