Maths, Physics & Chemistry
Unveiling the secrets of ancient Egyptian ink
The earliest examples of preserving human thoughts by applying ink on a flexible and durable material, papyrus, were found in Ancient Egypt at the dawn of recorded history (c. 3200 BCE). Egyptians used black ink for writing body text, while red ink was often used... click to read more
Non-cuttable material inspired by seashells
Nature is dynamic and complex. Therefore, creatures generate the most efficiently functioning biological materials. For example, abalone sea creatures have shells that resist attacks by predators to crack them open. Shells combine hard calcium carbonate crystals interleaved with softer layers of viscoelastic proteins. The interlinking... click to read more
How an artificial intelligence bends a single molecule
Molecules, which are collections of tightly bound atoms, are all around in everyday life. For example, you can read this article because the light impinging on your retina drives a molecule called retinaldehyde to bend into a new 3D structure. This fine-tuning in the molecule's... click to read more
What can land-free Earth teach us about climate evolution?
Predicting how the climate on our planet is evolving is crucial, especially under the ongoing climate change. But it is a challenging task, because the Earth climate is a complex, ever-changing system, involving many different factors influencing each other: sunlight, atmospheric carbon dioxide, polar ice... click to read more
Strip it out and build it back! Engineering a morphogen gradient
Imagine finding yourself in a thick crowd of people and having to figure out your whereabouts. Before the advent of smartphones, you used to have two main options: asking someone, or inspecting your surroundings in hopes of recognizing any landmarks. The smell of fresh bread... click to read more
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