ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

A new method could lead to more accurate predictions of how new materials behave at the atomic scale.

For the first time an autonomously flying quadrotor has outperformed two human pilots in a drone race. The success is based on a novel algorithm that calculates time-optimal trajectories that fully consider the drones' limitations.

Researchers have created butterflies that flap their wings, flower petals that wiggle with the touch of a button and self-folding origami drawing on new advances in soft robotics.

Physicists have observed signs of a rare type of superconductivity in a material called 'magic-angle' twisted trilayer graphene. They report that the material exhibits superconductivity at surprisingly high magnetic fields of up to 10 Tesla, which is three times higher than what the material is predicted to endure if it were a conventional superconductor.

Researchers have constructed a portable, thumb-sized device that diagnoses bad breath by quickly 'sniffing' exhalations for the gas that makes it stinky -- hydrogen sulfide.

Simulated swimming race times show a small number of times recorded on quartzite oscillator-based devices are off by margins large enough to determine winners.

Researchers have developed nanostructures that enable record-breaking conversion of laser pulses into high-harmonic generation, paving the way for new scientific tools for high-resolution imaging.

An international team of researchers is combining soft scalp electronics and virtual reality in a brain-interface system.

Researchers have developed a cell culture test to detect substances that are directly or indirectly harmful to embryos. Based on an existing test used for developing new drugs and chemicals, the augmented version is designed to help reduce the number of animal experiments.

Researchers have designed a new class of molten sodium batteries for grid-scale energy storage.

A comprehensive new study quantifies what can be done to make buildings more energy efficient and flexible in granular detail by both time (including time of day and year) and space (looking at regions across the U.S.). The research team found that maximizing the deployment of building demand management technologies could avoid the need for up to one-third of coal- or gas-fired power generation.

Engineers developed technology to use nanoparticles to heat, manipulate cells in the brain and heart.

The importance of aryl sulfides in biologically active compounds has led chemists to develop methods to synthesize them from carbon-sulfur bond forming reactions. The conventional reaction, however, uses thiols that are foul-smelling and toxic. Now, chemists report a novel, thiol-free synthesis technique comprising a nickel-catalyzed aryl exchange between 2-pyridyl sulfide and aromatic esters, providing a versatile and inexpensive technology for both scientific and industrial applications.

A so-called 'strange metal', well-known for its unusual properties, has been shown to be a superconductor at very low temperatures. This allows scientists to study the connection between 'strange metal'-behavior and superconductivity, which could be an important step towards understanding the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity.