Physical Sciences
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Dr Francesco Muia | Unlocking the Universe’s Secrets with Ultra-high-frequency Gravitational Waves
In the early 1900s, Einstein revolutionized our understanding of space and time, revealing them as interconnected aspects of the universe’s fabric – known as ‘spacetime’. Spacetime isn’t a rigid background. Like a ball on a trampoline, heavy objects like the Sun warp spacetime around them, drawing the planets into orbits. When heavy objects move extremely fast – such as when two black holes orbit each other and merge or in highly energetic events like those occurring in the early universe – the warping becomes extreme, generating waves that spread through spacetime. These ‘gravitational waves’, first discovered in 2015, offer scientists new tools to explore the universe.
Dr Kei Toyota | A New Way to Create Conductive Polymers for Technological Applications
Polymers, made from incredibly long chains of smaller molecules, make up many materials used in the modern world. From simple plastics to medical devices and solar cells, polymers represent a diverse and exciting area of science. The majority of polymers are made from carbon-based molecules. Perhaps even more fascinating are hybrid polymers, which are composed of both carbon-based and metal-based components. Hybrid polymers have unique properties, such as conductivity, making them especially desirable for new technologies. Dr Kei Toyota at the Panasonic Corporation in Osaka, Japan, has been investigating new ways to develop hybrid polymers.
Dr Egle Tomasi-Gustafsson | Dr Simone Pacetti – Probing the Proton: Understanding the Structure of Sub-Atomic Particles
The world around us is made up of atoms, which we can break down into smaller sub-atomic particles. Protons are positively charged sub-atomic particles – made up of three fundamental particles called ‘quarks’. Quarks are one of the building blocks of matter, and different combinations of them make up different sub-atomic particles. The proton has two ‘up’ quarks and one ‘down’ quark, which have different masses and charges. However, when we add up the masses of these three individual quarks, we get a lighter mass than the mass of a proton. So, what else is contributing to the proton’s mass?
Dr Xiushan Yin | Developing Accurate and Rapid COVID Tests for People with Colour Blindness
Diagnosing viral infections, such as COVID-19, can be challenging. The most accurate way to identify a virus is by detecting its genetic information, but viruses are merely a tiny packet of genes encased in a protein shell. When a virus has infected a host, such as a human body, identifying viral genes amongst the host’s genes is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, scientists have a trick – to make copies of the needle, until needles outnumber the hay straws. This is called nuclear acid amplification, which forms the basis for the gold-standard PCR test for COVID-19. Dr Xiushan Yin and his colleagues at the Shenyang University of Chemical Technology have been further refining this amazing technology to help tackle COVID-19.
Dr Philip Norcott | Improving Nuclear Magnetic Resonance with SABRE-DREAM
Opioid use disorder has been on the rise in the USA, fueled by an increased availability of fentanyl and other opioids. Current gold-standard treatments involve using opioid agonist drugs, such as methadone or buprenorphine alone or in combination with opioid antagonists, to address cravings and withdrawal. However, these treatments suffer from high levels of patient relapse and can pose safety risks. A promising alternative lies in using hallucinogenic compounds that can enable ‘neuroplasticity’, which means changing the brain’s neural architecture, potentially allowing patients to overcome their addictive behaviors.
Dr Ilario Losito | Maximising the Healthy Compounds in Olive Oils
Secoiridoids are a family of healthy compounds found in olive oil. The type, ratio, and amount of the four major secoiridoids in olive oil depends on several factors. These include the olive variety, the region in which it was produced, and the process used to extract the oil. Understanding how to optimise the secoiridoid content in olive oil is a key focus for many food scientists. Towards this aim, Dr Ilario Losito from the University of Bari Aldo Moro and his colleagues extensively analysed 60 different types of olive oils produced in Italy. They used specialist chemistry techniques to determine the secoiridoid content of these olive oils.
Sara Stančin – Sašo Tomažič | Improving 3D Orientation Tracking in Gyroscope Sensors
Gyroscopes are widely used to measure the orientations and rotation speeds of moving objects – but according to one pair of researchers, the techniques we currently use to measure them are introducing significant and easily avoidable errors. Through their research, Dr Sara Stančin and Dr Sašo Tomažič, both at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, introduce a mathematical framework which accounts for how all three rotations measured by a gyroscope happen simultaneously, rather than in a sequence.
Dr Anett Kondor | Using Advanced Techniques to Test the Performance of Recycyled Bathroom Tissue
As we attempt to reduce our environmental impact, many fields have changed. This includes bathroom tissue manufacturers, who are under increasing pressure to employ recycled paper as a sustainable raw material. Motivated by this shift, Dr Anett Kondor and her research team at Surface Measurement Systems Ltd studied four types of bathroom tissue, both recycled and non-recycled, to compare their water-adsorption performance.
Building a World-leading Microelectronics Research Group
Based at the University of Macau, the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (SKL-AMSV) conducts cutting-edge microelectronics research. The story of SKL-AMSV is a great example of how to build a world-renowned laboratory from scratch, with limited resources.
Yuki Fuseya | Exploring Turing Patterns at Atomic Levels
Patterns can be found across the entire natural world – from the spots on a leopard’s coat to stripes in mineral deposits deep underground. Such motifs are better known as Turing patterns – named after the famous mathematician and codebreaker, Alan Turing, who proposed the theory behind them. Turing patterns are often found on large scales, but they become much rarer at smaller scales, with very few known examples at microscopic and atomic scales. Aharon Kapitulnik and Yuki Fuseya have revealed a new atomic-scale Turing pattern, which arises in an atom-thick layer of bismuth atoms.
Professor Valerii Vinokur – Professor Anna Razumnaya – Professor Igor Lukyanchuk | Reinventing the Capacitor
Modern microelectronics is currently facing a profound challenge. The demand for even smaller and more closely packed electronics has hit a stumbling block: the power emitted in these devices releases more heat than can be efficiently removed. Now, the Terra Quantum team proposes a solution based on the seemingly counterintuitive phenomenon of ‘negative capacitance’.
Dr Jekan Thangavelautham | Spacecraft for Exploring Extreme Environments in the Solar System
From the hottest deserts to the deepest oceans, life on Earth has evolved to thrive in many harsh environments. Given these capabilities, some scientists are exploring the possibility for life to emerge in extreme environments found throughout the solar system.
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