The Latest Science on How to Keep COVID-19 Out of School Classrooms
Open windows, use glass screens in front of desks; Aerosol spread of virus in classrooms with air conditioning poses issues for students, teachers. As the…
Biophysics
Lily the Barn Owl and Innovative Technology Reveals How Birds Fly in Gusty Winds
Scientists from the University of Bristol and the Royal Veterinary College have discovered how birds are able to fly in gusty conditions — findings that…
How Cells Build Organisms: Key Control Mechanism That Cells Use to Self-Organize Discovered
Live-cell imaging shows the dynamic environment and extent of cell movement that occurs as the nascent spinal cord is formed during early development. Credit: Tony…
Evaporation Critical to Coronavirus Transmission As Weather Changes: Effects of Humidity, Temperature, and Wind on COVID-19
Impact of evaporation on virus survival, concentration, transmission. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise worldwide, it is increasingly urgent to understand how climate impacts the…
Super-Resolution Imaging: World’s Smallest Ultrasound Detector Developed – Smaller Than a Blood Cell
Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed the world’s smallest ultrasound detector. It is based on miniaturized photonic…
COVID-19 Warning: Flushing Public Restroom Toilets Can Spew Clouds of Particles Carrying Viruses
Using a public restroom? Mask up! Think you don’t need to worry about COVID-19 while using a public restroom? A group of researchers from Yangzhou…
COVID-19 Warning: Humid Air Can Extend Lifetime of Virus-Laden Aerosol Droplets
Scientists report a detailed model of aerosol transport through air, considering several environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity and ambient flow. The novel coronavirus that…
Advanced Cryo-EM Reveals Viral RNA Replication Complex Structure in “Game-Changing” Detail
For the first time, scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have generated near atomic resolution images of a major viral protein complex responsible for…
Levitation That’s No Trick: Scientists to Perform “Touchless” Chemical Reactions
Levitation has long been a staple of magic tricks and movies. But in the lab, it’s no trick. Scientists can levitate droplets of liquid, though…
Virtually Captured: Biomechanical Snapping Mechanisms of the Venus Flytrap Revealed
The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) takes only 100 milliseconds to trap its prey. Once their leaves, which have been transformed into snap traps, have closed,…
Specialized Proteins May Halt the Severe Cytokine Storms Seen in COVID-19 Patients
Team designs antibody-like receptor proteins that can bind to cytokines, as possible strategy for treating coronavirus and other infections. One of the defining features of…
Optical Illusion Created by Butterflies’ Wing Scales Is Secret to Ultra-Black, Lightweight Materials
Some butterflies have ultra-black wings that rival the blackest materials made by humans, using wing scales that are only a fraction as thick — here’s…
High-Speed Video Reveals Bumblebees Carry Heavy Loads in Energy-Efficient “Economy Mode”
Bumblebees are the big lifters of the insect world, able to fly back to the hive with almost their own bodyweight in nectar on board….
Scientists Explore How Fire Ants’ Raft Building Skills React As Fluid Forces Change
How Fire Ants Build Rafts to Adapt in a Very Wet Environment Fire ants build living rafts to survive floods and rainy seasons. Georgia Tech…
Microdevice Simultaneously Measures Biophysical Properties and Position of Single Cells
Tracking the lateral position of single cells and particles plays an important role in evaluating the efficiency of microfluidic cell focusing, separation, and sorting. Traditionally,…
Warning: Shaking Head to Get Rid of Water in Ears Could Cause Brain Damage
Though it is a common method to release trapped water in the ear canal, researchers say the acceleration of head shaking needed to free water…
Revolutionary Optical Tweezers Manipulate Atoms, Molecules and Living Cells Like “Tractor Beams”
A Remote Control for Everything Small Atoms, molecules or even living cells can be manipulated with light beams. At TU Wien a method was developed…
Quieter Drones Inspired by the Physics of Mosquito Mating Ritual Sounds
Research could also lead to nontoxic method using sound to diminish mosquito breeding. Mosquitoes flap their wings not just to stay aloft but for two…