Plate tectonics not needed to sustain life

There may be more habitable planets in the universe than we previously thought, according to geoscientists, who suggest that plate tectonics -- long assumed to be a requirement for suitable conditions for life -- are in fact not necessary.

DNA repair after CRISPR cutting not at all what people thought

Scientists discovered that a well-known DNA repair pathway, the Fanconi anemia pathway, surprisingly plays a key role in repairing double-strand DNA breaks created by CRISPR-Cas9. It acts as a traffic cop to steer repair to simple end-joining or to patching the cut with new, single-strand DNA. Scientists could potentially tweak proteins involved in the pathway to preferentially steer the outcome toward replacement with DNA, which is important for gene therapy for hereditary diseases.

3D printing the next generation of batteries

3D printing can be used to manufacture porous electrodes for lithium-ion batteries -- but because of the nature of the manufacturing process, the design of these 3D printed electrodes is limited to just a few possible architectures. Until now, the internal geometry that produced the best porous electrodes through additive manufacturing was what's known as an interdigitated geometry -- metal prongs interlocked like the fingers of two clasped hands, with the lithium shuttling between the two sides.

'Smart' machine components alert users to damage and wear

Scientists have used advanced additive manufacturing technology to create 'smart' machine components that alert users when they are damaged or worn.

Solar flares disrupted radio communications during September 2017 Atlantic hurricanes

An unlucky coincidence of space and Earth weather in early September 2017 caused radio blackouts for hours during critical hurricane emergency response efforts, according to a new study. The new research, which details how the events on the Sun and Earth unfolded side-by-side, could aid in the development of space weather forecasting and response, according to the study's authors.

Trapping light that doesn't bounce off track for faster electronics

A new protective metamaterial 'cladding' prevents light from leaking out of the very curvy pathways it would travel in a computer chip.

Key weakness in modern computer vision systems identified

In a finding that could point the way toward better computer vision systems, researchers show why computers are so bad at seeing when one thing is not like another.

Magnetic nanoparticles deliver chemotherapy to difficult-to-reach spinal tumors

Researchers have demonstrated that magnetic nanoparticles can be used to ferry chemotherapy drugs into the spinal cord to treat hard-to-reach spinal tumors in an animal model. The unique delivery system represents a novel way to target chemotherapy drugs to spinal cancer cells, which are hard to reach because the drugs must cross the blood-brain barrier.

Parker Solar Probe and the birth of the solar wind

This summer, humanity embarks on its first mission to touch the Sun: A spacecraft will be launched into the Sun's outer atmosphere. Facing several-million-degree Fahrenheit temperatures, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will directly sample solar particles and magnetic fields to resolve some of the most important questions in solar science.

Memory-processing unit could bring memristors to the masses

A new way of arranging advanced computer components called memristors on a chip could enable them to be used for general computing, which could cut energy consumption by a factor of 100.

Top Technology News -- ScienceDaily