Highlights
Soft Materials
A gel that is clearly revolutionary
21 January 2014An innovative design turns soft hydrogels into ionic conductors with diverse applications, from artificial muscles to transparent audio speakers
Metabolism
Imaging the brain’s energy usage
21 January 2014A new imaging technique that produces metabolic maps of brain activity may improve disease diagnosis and reduce patient exposure to radiation
Hand Pose Estimation
Gaining the upper hand
21 January 2014Human–computer interactions could be improved by a new efficient and accurate hand-gesture-recognition model
Polymers
Pushing back against drug-resistant bugs
21 January 2014Antibiotic-resistant bacteria may have met their match in polymers that render them vulnerable once again
Lab-on-a-chip
Lab-on-a-chip realizes potential
14 January 2014A portable instrument that replaces a full-size laboratory provides accurate multi-element analysis in less than a minute
Thin Films
Double-layer capping solves two problems
14 January 2014Using a newly developed technique, protective casings for microscale devices can be built quickly and cheaply without damaging components
Catalysts
Carbon dioxide tamed
14 January 2014Using a copper catalyst to unite carbon dioxide with organic molecules under mild conditions could make this ubiquitous gas industrially useful
Corrosion
Mitigating corrosive effects
14 January 2014A study of the thermodynamic properties of copper connections uncovers a route to improving the reliability of electronic devices
A*STAR Institute Of Molecular And Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB)
Preserving embryonic instructions
14 January 2014Single-cell analysis shows how embryonic cells maintain proper patterns of gene regulation
Water Purification
Heavy metals meet their match
14 January 2014In just seconds, a low-cost porous organic polymer can cut toxic metal concentrations in water to inconsequential levels
Graphene
Graphene sees the light
17 December 2013Sheets of carbon just one atom thick could make effective transparent electrodes in certain types of photovoltaic cells
Tissue Engineering
Hydrogel fibers make tissue generation efficient
17 December 2013Cell-filled hydrogel fibers could provide the basis for engineered tissues to effectively repair damaged organs
Hepatitis B Virus
Getting personal with hep B vaccines
17 December 2013Manipulating a population of blood cells in an individual could help to activate immune responses against the hepatitis B virus
