Highlights
Polymers
Charged up and ready to connect
22 October 2013An innovative strategy produces positively and negatively charged polymer chains ideal for generating multifunctional coatings
Materials
Minuscule bumps improve an anti-reflective coating
22 October 2013An anti-reflective film that mimics a moth’s eye is durable and highly effective, overcoming some of the main barriers to commercialization
Energy Monitoring
Real-time energy audit reduces power consumption
22 October 2013Software that monitors industrial machine operations in real time can reduce the overall energy consumption of factories
Tissue Engineering
Hair-like constructs offer drug screening platform
22 October 2013Laboratory-grown structures akin to hair follicles could aid the search for novel drugs to treat baldness and other hair disorders
Iron Oxide Nanoparticles
Inexpensive material boosts battery capacity
22 October 2013Next-generation lithium-ion batteries made with iron oxide nanoparticles could extend the driving distance of electric cars
Reproduction
Mutant flies give mixed-up mating messages
8 October 2013Researchers in Singapore discover a molecule that regulates production of the pheromones that determine whether male flies attract males or females
Mobile Phones
Android versus Apple
8 October 2013A large study of smartphone applications provides a baseline for comparing the security of different mobile providers
Nanoparticles
A simpler route to hollow carbon spheres
8 October 2013Microporous walls and a huge surface area help nanoparticles to boost lithium-ion battery performance
Photonics
Progress with the switch to faster computers
8 October 2013A specialized switch that controls light can regulate the flow of optical data at a speed suitable to accelerate computers
Quantum
Light’s improbable connection mapped
8 October 2013Ultrafast laser pulses and precisely cut optical crystals could control the quantum properties of light
A*STAR Institute For Infocomm Research (A*STAR I²R)
A holistic approach catches eye disease early
8 October 2013An automated assessment of multiple datasets using artificial intelligence accurately diagnoses a common cause of blindness.
Cancer
Lymphoma-linked risk factor identified
24 September 2013A specific genetic variant expressed in a key immune protein heightens an individual’s chance of developing follicular lymphoma
Laser
Laser treatments yield smoother metal surfaces
24 September 2013The properties of metal surfaces, typically prone to corrosion, are now more controllable using laser processing
