ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

On the big screen, in video games and in our imaginations, lightsabers flare and catch when they clash together. That clashing, or interference, happens only in fiction -- and in places with enormous magnetic and electric fields, which happens in nature only near massive objects such as neutron stars. A team of physicists has discovered discovered that it is possible to produce this effect in a laboratory setting, using a class of novel materials.

Researchers calculate that exposure to car exhaust from leaded gas during childhood stole a collective 824 million IQ points from over 170 million Americans alive today, more than half of the population of the United States.

Research shows that traffic accidents decreased by nearly half during the two-month period at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when residents of most states were under a stay-at-home order.

To enhance security of the nation's border, a pioneer in drone technology is proposing a continuous flight of small drones over its perimeter with enhanced, wireless batteries to extend flying time.

Insights into the oxidation of hydrocarbons at vanadium pentoxide pave the way for a new catalyst design.

By employing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to formulate therapeutic proteins, a team has successfully stabilized an enzyme able to degrade scar tissue resulting from spinal cord injuries and promote tissue regeneration. The study details the team's ground-breaking stabilization of the enzyme Chondroitinase ABC, (ChABC) offering new hope for patients coping with spinal cord injuries.

Researchers found a unique immune cell plays a key role in the chronic inflammation and scarring in the lungs and skin of people with scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis. After injecting mice with biodegradable PLG nanoparticles, which are used in medical sutures, researchers found that the nanoparticles specifically targeted these inflammatory cells and prevented skin and lung fibrosis. Researchers say it's a promising step towards targeted treatment for patients with early scleroderma.

Physicists have used the world's largest X-ray laser to take pictures of complex molecules. With ultra-bright X-ray flashes, the scientists were able to take snapshots of gas-phase iodopyridine molecules with atomic resolution. In the process, the molecules are exploded by the X-ray laser, and the image is reconstructed from the pieces.

Researchers have made tiny 'skyscrapers' for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water.

A new study tackled a long-held assumption that adding some liquid electrolyte to improve performance would make solid-state batteries unsafe. Instead, the research team found that in many cases solid-state batteries with a little liquid electrolyte were safer than their lithium-ion counterparts. They also found, if the battery were to short-circuit, releasing all its stored energy, the theoretically super-safe, all-solid-state battery could put out a dangerous amount of heat.

The lensless Bio-FlatScope is a small, inexpensive camera to monitor biological activity that can't be captured by conventional instruments. The device could eventually be used to look for signs of cancer or sepsis or become a valuable endoscopy tool.

Scientists have long tried to use graphene, which is composed of carbon, as a kind of sieve. But this material doesn't have any pores. Now, a team has found an alternative material which comes with pores from the outset.

Researchers have developed an innovative hydropower technology based on electric trucks that could provide a flexible and clean solution for electricity generation in mountainous regions.