With a growing number of people connecting to the Internet everyday, Internet cables are under the threat of a "bandwidth explosion." Free-space optical (FSO) communication is a promising candidate to lighten the load. FSO uses visible or infrared light to wirelessly transmit data through open air as opposed to using cables, which have limited bandwidth. The technology provides a low-cost and low-power alternative to traditional radio-freque...

A Northwestern University research team is developing a tool to rapidly test millions and perhaps even billions or more different nanoparticles at one time to zero in on the best particle for a specific use. When materials are miniaturised, their properties change, offering new possibilities. But determining what nanoparticle size and composition are best for a given application, such as catalysts, biodiagnostic labels, pharmaceuticals and electr...

A development from Northwestern University's Manijeh Razeghi could be another tool for protecting our borders. Supported by the Department of Homeland Security, Razeghi's lab has created a broad-band tunable infrared laser that has implications for the detection of drugs and explosives. The robust, all solid-state laser can be rapidly tuned to emit in the wavelength range that encompasses the critical "fingerprint" region where most molecular fea...

From visible light to radio waves, most people are familiar with the different sections of the electromagnetic spectrum. But one wavelength is often forgotten, little understood, and, until recently, rarely studied. It’s called terahertz, and it has important applications in imaging and communications.

Northwestern University scientists have created a prosthetic ovary using a 3D printer, which allowed mice that had their ovaries surgically removed to bear live young. The results were presented on the 2nd of April, at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, ENDO 2016, in Boston.

Merely a decade ago, people were amazed that their cellular phones could send a simple text message. Now smartphones send and receive high-res photos, videos, emails with large attachments, and much more. The desire for endless data has become insatiable. "The ability to deliver information from one location to another has played a very important role in advancing human civilization," said Robert P.H. Chang, professor of materials science and eng...

A team of Northwestern Engineers have created a new way to print 3D metallic objects using rust and metal powders. While current methods rely on vast metal powder beds and expensive lasers or electron beams, Northwestern’s new technique uses liquid inks and common furnaces, resulting in a cheaper, faster, and more uniform process.

When building a shelter on Mars, the best way is going to be using materials that can be found on location. This is because building materials would vastly increase the payload the rocket would need to carry and the cost of getting it to Mars. For NASA's 3D-printed Mars habitat challenge, contestants came up with hypothetical solutions. But a team led by associate professor Gianluca Cusatis at Northwestern University's McCormick School of En...