news

Microtechnics/Electroengineering - Physics/Material Science - 12.06
Controlling magnetic clouds in graphene
12 Jun 2013 - Wonder material graphene can be made magnetic and its magnetism switched on and off at the press of a button, opening a new avenue towards electronics with very low energy consumption.

Life Sciences - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 17.05
Electrical boost to mental arithmetic powers
A weak electrical signal can boost people's powers of mental arithmetic over a period of months, suggests a small scale study at the University of Oxford. - The technique involves placing electrodes on the scalp of the head and applying random electrical noise to stimulate parts of the brain and encourage nerve cells to fire.

Physics/Material Science - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 9.05
Pear shaped atomic nuclei
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that some atomic nuclei can assume the shape of a pear which contributes to our understanding of nuclear structure and the underlying fundamental interactions.

Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 2.04
Sonic lasso catches cells
Academics have demonstrated for the first time that a "sonic lasso" can be used to grip microscopic objects, such as cells, and move them about. - The research by academics at the University of Bristol's Department of Mechanical Engineering and the University of Dundee's Institute for Medical Science and Technology is published online in Applied Physics Letters . - The researchers have shown experimentally how tiny particles, such as cells, or any small objects can be trapped by a spinning ultrasonic, or sonic, vortex.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 21.02
Sniffing out the side effects of radiotherapy may soon be possible
Researchers at the University of Warwick and The Royal Marsden - NHS Foundation Trust have completed a study that may lead to clinicians being able to more accurately predict which patients will suffer from the side effects of radiotherapy.

Physics/Material Science - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 1.02
Routes towards defect-free graphene
A new way of growing graphene without the defects that weaken it and prevent electrons from flowing freely within it could open the way to large-scale manufacturing of graphene-based devices with applications in fields such as electronics, energy, and healthcare.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 8.01
Researchers identify new target for common heart condition
Researchers have found new evidence that metabolic stress can increase the onset of atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.

Physics/Material Science - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 13.06.2012
No evidence for "knots" in space
Theories of the primordial Universe predict the existence of knots in the fabric of space - known as cosmic textures - which could be identified by looking at light from the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the relic radiation left over from the Big Bang.

Microtechnics/Electroengineering - Physics/Material Science - 30.03.2012
Honeycombs of magnets could lead to new type of computer processing
By Simon Levey - Friday 30 March 2012 - - Scientists have taken an important step forward in developing a new material using nano-sized magnets that could ultimately lead to new types of electronic devices, with greater processing capacity than is currently feasible.

Physics/Material Science - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 2.02.2012
Graphene electronics moves into a third dimension
Wonder material graphene has been touted as the next silicon, with one major problem – it is too conductive to be used in computer chips. Now scientists from The University of Manchester have given its prospects a new lifeline.

Life Sciences - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 19.09.2011
Scientists can now ’see’ how different parts of our brain communicate
A new technique which lets scientists ‘see' our brain waves at work could revolutionise our understanding of the human body's most complex organ and help transform the lives of people suffering from schizophrenia and ADHD.

Microtechnics/Electroengineering - Physics/Material Science - 31.08.2011
Scientists observe smallest atomic displacements ever
UCL scientists are part of an international team which has developed a novel X-ray technique for imaging atomic displacements in materials with unprecedented accuracy. - The team has applied the technique to determine how a recently discovered class of exotic materials - multiferroics - can be simultaneously both magnetically and electrically ordered.

Microtechnics/Electroengineering - Physics/Material Science - 12.08.2011
Bilayer graphene: another step towards graphene electronics
Researchers have taken a step forward in studying the wonder material graphene and revealing its exciting electronic properties for future electronic applications. The academics have revealed more about the electronic properties of its slightly fatter cousin – bilayer graphene.

Microtechnics/Electroengineering - Medicine/Pharmacology - 24.05.2011
Expert discovers simple method of dealing with harmful radioactive iodine
Expert discovers simple method of dealing with harmful radioactive iodine - A novel way to immobilise radioactive forms of iodine using a microwave, has been discovered by an expert at the University of Sheffield.

Life Sciences - Microtechnics/Electroengineering - 31.03.2011
Fruit fly antennae are tuned in
Links: - UCL Ear Institute - Research paper in Current Biology - The antennal ears of different fruit fly species are actively tuned to high-frequency components of their respective mating songs, according to new research led by UCL scientists.