Materials Science and Engineering

It's not enough to design the perfect molecule to treat cancer. We must also be able to deliver the molecule into human cells. | iStock/DrAfter123

Nov 1, 2018

Tiny nanostraws could deliver precise doses of molecules into cells

Health, Materials

The tiny light detectors are about 1/1000th as wide as a hair and are lined up next to each other like the gecko's eardrums. | Credit: iStock/fraxnet

Oct 31, 2018

Could gecko ears provide a model for a new light detection system?

Electronics & Networking, Materials, Technology & Society Issue #59

A shift from a smooth surface to a rippled surface prevents light from getting trapped and absorbed. | Illustration by Kevin Craft

Aug 15, 2018

How can we get ever-brighter digital displays?

Electronics & Networking Issue #53

Hydrogen is considered a favorite among alternative energy sources because the major byproduct is pure water. | Illustration by Kevin Craft

Aug 1, 2018

A new technique moves us a step closer toward clean hydrogen fuel

Energy, Materials Issue #52

Previous liquid metals that could produce an electrical current have required extremely high temperatures. | iStock/Asya_mix

Jul 20, 2018

‘Flow batteries’ could offer cost-effective storage for renewable power

Energy, Materials Issue #53

Cortisol influences emotional stress, blood pressure, metabolism, immune response, memory, and other important functions. | Image credit: Getty Images

Jul 20, 2018

What does your sweat know about you?

Materials Issue #52

Jul 13, 2018

A rapid screening technology may improve blood infection diagnosis

Health, Materials Issue #51

Could a water-based battery store huge amounts of wind and solar energy to lessen our reliance on burning fossil fuels? | Pexels/Hilary Halliwell

May 1, 2018

Researchers build a water-based battery to store solar and wind energy

Energy, Materials Issue #47

Could engineering new tissues improve human recovery? | Illustration by Stefani Billings

Mar 12, 2018

Sarah Heilshorn: Building replacement parts for the human body

Health Issue #43

The goal is to quickly and inexpensively identify promising new materials for next generation applications. | iStock/shulz

Mar 5, 2018

Simulate today, innovate tomorrow: The future of materials science

Materials Issue #42

Detecting dangerous DNA: the nano solution | Illustration by Stefani Billings

Jan 10, 2018

Can scientists ‘magnetize’ defective DNA as a cancer detection tool?

Health Issue #38

Emerging biotechnologies don’t come without safety concerns. | Stocksy/Bisual Studio

Nov 20, 2017

Megan Palmer: How do we solve the security challenges in biotech?

Health, Security, Technology & Society Issue #37

A fabric allows temperature to be no issue. | iStock/Mingirov

Nov 14, 2017

A new textile can keep people comfortable whatever the weather

Energy, Materials Issue #35

Stem cells hold the promise of being able to cure ills ranging from spinal cord injuries to cancers. | Image by: luismmolina/Getty Images

Nov 2, 2017

An advance in stem-cell development could help lead to new therapies

Health, Materials Issue #35

Researchers are developing a sodium ion battery based on a compound related to table salt. | Photo by iStock/Konstantin Gushcha

Oct 9, 2017

A promising new kind of battery is based on sodium, not lithium

Energy, Materials Issue #33

Approximately 50 percent of drugs and 30 percent of agrichemicals are chiral, which means they can be left- or right-handed. | Photo by efcarlos/Getty Images

Sep 26, 2017

A new technique could help lead to safer drugs and agrichemicals

Health, Materials Issue #32

A fluid-cooling panel designed at Stanford being tested on the roof of the Packard Electrical Engineering Building | Photo by Aaswath Raman

Sep 8, 2017

How a new cooling system works without using any electricity

Energy, Environment, Materials Issue #31

The eyes of a robber fly, Holcocephala fusca | Photo by Thomas Shahan/Creative Commons

Sep 5, 2017

Insect eyes inspire the design of a new solar cell

Energy, Materials Issue #30

Dynamic window technology has the potential to save about 20 percent in heating and cooling costs. | Illustration by: Stefani Billings

Aug 21, 2017

New energy-saving windows can go from clear to dark in under a minute

Energy, Materials, Technology & Society Issue #29

Instead of relying on silicon-based devices, a new chip uses carbon nanotubes and resistive random-access memory (RRAM) cells. | Courtesy

Jul 11, 2017

A new ‘high rise’ chip breaks computing’s data bottleneck in two ways

Electronics & Networking, Technology & Society Issue #26

How will we harness the power of light in the future? | Illustration by Stefani Billings

Jun 13, 2017

Jennifer Dionne: The power of light

Materials Issue #25

An industrial catalyst cleans up the environment like a sponge. | Image credit: iStock/DNY59

Jun 1, 2017

Using nanotechnology to make a key industrial catalyst more effective

Materials Issue #24

May 2, 2017

Flexible, organic, biodegradable: Developing a new wave of electronics

Materials

Crystals, which have fascinated humans for millennia, are common today in smartphones, laptops and televisions. | Illustration by Stefani Billings

Apr 10, 2017

Crystal paradox: Almost perfect structures made useful by tiny flaws

Materials Issue #20