Endometriosis is a painful, common condition affecting women worldwide, but treatment and diagnosis options are scarce. A new University of Mississippi-led study may have found an answer to both problems.
Early results from a study published in Communications Chemistry show that gold-laced nanoparticles can hitchhike on white blood cells. By using those cells as a delivery vehicle, the team hopes to identify and treat endometriosis without repeated surgeries.
“Lots of women go through their lives being in enormous amounts of pain and thinking that it’s normal, and it’s not normal,” said Eden Tanner, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, who authored the study with a team of Ole Miss researchers.
What if the mechanical properties of a cell could be programmed like the components of a machine? Researchers at the University of Tokyo have discovered that two fundamental modes of cellular deformation—stretching and bending—can be independently controlled using different molecular building blocks. The finding provides a new strategy for engineering artificial cells, drug-delivery capsules and adaptive soft materials with precisely tailored mechanical functions.
Miho Yanagisawa, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, and Kazutoshi Masuda, a Ph.D. student, developed a new framework for dissecting the mechanics of artificial cells. Using lipid-coated microdroplets as simplified cell models, they combined micropipette aspiration experiments with a theoretical model that separates membrane mechanics into stretching and bending contributions. The approach successfully captured nonlinear deformation behaviors that conventional models could not explain. The work is published in the journal Small Science.
The researchers found that lipid molecular geometry primarily determines membrane stretching elasticity. In contrast, when Y-shaped DNA motifs were interconnected to form a three-dimensional network, they created a nanoscale scaffold that dramatically enhanced resistance to bending while leaving stretching elasticity largely unchanged.
Researchers at Boise State University have developed a novel, environmentally friendly triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that is fully printed and capable of harvesting biomechanical and environmental energy while also functioning as a real-time motion sensor. The innovation leverages a composite of Poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) (PVBVA) and MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional TENGs that often rely on fluorinated polymers and complex fabrication.
TENGs are innovative energy-harvesting devices that convert mechanical energy into electricity using the triboelectric effect. They were invented by Prof. Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology and generate power through contact and motion between materials, making them ideal for applications like wearable electronics, IoT sensors, and self-powered devices.
This work, published in the journal Nano Energy and led by Ph.D. student Ajay Pratap under the supervision of Prof. David Estrada of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, showcases how additive manufacturing can produce high-performance, skin-compatible, and flexible devices for real-world applications in energy harvesting, wearables electronics, and human-machine interaction.
In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report that the molecular machinery responsible for cellular energy conversion is more interconnected than previously understood, shedding light on how mitochondria adapt under stress.
Mitochondria generate most of the cell’s energy by converting nutrients into ATP, the molecule that powers nearly all cellular processes. Although ATP synthase and metabolic pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle have long been known to work together, they have generally been viewed as separate systems.
A research team has developed a methodology to precisely design and control the “degree of disorder” in nanopattern arrays using metal-infiltrated block copolymer (BCP) thin films. The work was led by Professor So Youn Kim of the Seoul National University College of Engineering Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Su-Mi Hur’s team at DGIST and Professor S. Joon Kwon’s team at Sungkyunkwan University. The paper is published in the journal Nature Communications. The study was selected as an Editors’ Highlight in materials science and chemistry.
This disordered nanopattern fabrication technology is regarded as an innovative approach that enables precise control of nanoscale disorder structures—previously difficult to regulate—thereby opening new possibilities in the design of nano-optical and nanoelectronic devices.
In ordered structures, waves propagate over long distances, whereas in disordered structures, repeated scattering can lead to localization, where waves remain confined within a specific region. Such disordered structures exhibit unique functionalities that can induce localization phenomena for various types of waves, including light, sound and heat.
Water is the most studied molecule on Earth, yet a surprisingly basic question has gone unanswered for decades: When water is squeezed into gaps just a few molecules wide—as happens inside nanoscale pores, membranes and biological channels—does it become more or less chemically reactive?
This matters because water’s most fundamental chemical property is its ability to split into two charged species, H₃O⁺ (the hydronium ion) and OH⁻ (the hydroxide ion). This reaction defines the pH, a measure of how acidic or alkaline (basic) a solution is, and underpins all of acid-base chemistry, from how enzymes work in your cells to how electrodes function in batteries.
Through this research, the scientists wanted to understand whether (and how) confining water to nanometer-scale spaces affects this behavior.
New instruments on the horizon promise the most precise tools yet to study and experiment on the smallest and most complex materials ever manufactured. In a paper published in the journal Nature Materials, University of Cincinnati assistant professor Hanxun Jin highlighted advances in ultrasensitive technology to measure and manipulate some of the tiniest nanomaterials used in manufacturing, aerospace, medicine and more.
And when Jin says tiny, he means really tiny. Semiconductor nanocrystals called quantum dots that are used in TV screens are so small they’re considered zero-dimensional. That makes the field of nanomaterials characterization a particularly exciting one, Jin said.
Stanford researchers may have just opened the door to a future where quantum technology no longer depends on multi-million-dollar cryogenic systems.
In this video, we break down Stanford University’s groundbreaking 2025 research that demonstrated room-temperature photon-electron quantum entanglement on a silicon-compatible chip. While this is not yet a full quantum computer, it represents a major step toward solving one of the biggest challenges in quantum technology: the extreme cooling requirements that have limited quantum systems for decades.
We’ll explore how twisted light, molybdenum diselenide (MoSe₂), valley states, and silicon nanostructures work together to create stable quantum interactions without dilution refrigerators operating near absolute zero. You’ll also learn what this breakthrough means for the future of quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum cryptography, and the emerging quantum internet.
🔹 What Stanford actually built. 🔹 Why current quantum computers require ultra-cold temperatures. 🔹 How room-temperature quantum entanglement was achieved. 🔹 The role of twisted photons and valley states. 🔹 What this breakthrough can and cannot do today. 🔹 Potential impact on IBM, Google, Microsoft, IonQ, and the broader quantum industry. 🔹 The future of room-temperature quantum networks and computing.
If this technology successfully scales, it could dramatically reduce the cost, complexity, and energy requirements of quantum systems, potentially transforming quantum technology from a specialized laboratory tool into a widely deployable platform.
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China’s latest carbon nanotube breakthrough is generating excitement across the global technology sector and could revolutionize the future of electronics, energy storage, aerospace engineering, and advanced manufacturing. In this video, we explore how carbon nanotubes offer exceptional strength, conductivity, and efficiency, making them one of the most promising materials for next-generation technologies. From ultra-fast chips and powerful batteries to lightweight aircraft and cutting-edge AI systems, the potential applications are enormous. As the race for technological leadership accelerates, this innovation could play a major role in shaping the future. Watch the full analysis to discover why the tech industry is paying close attention.
