The never-ending fight against bacteria has taken a turn in humanity’s favour with the announcement of a tool that could give the upper hand in drug research. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has produced alarming headlines in recent years, with the prospect of commonly prescribed treatments becoming obsolete setting off alarm bells in the medical establishment.

A small rectangle of pink glass, about the size of a postage stamp, sits on Professor Amy Shen’s desk. Despite its outwardly modest appearance, this little glass slide has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of processes, from monitoring food quality to diagnosing diseases. The slide is made of a ‘nanoplasmonic’ material — its surface is coated in millions of gold nanostructures, each just a few billionths of ...

Scientists from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and collaborators at the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that the interactions between particles trapped in light distributed along an optical microfiber, as well as the speed of particle movement were different based on the light's characteristics. The results were recently published in Scientific Reports.

Perovskite solar cells are the rising star in the photovoltaic landscape. Since their invention, less than ten years ago, their efficiency has doubled twice and it is now over 22% - an astonishing result in the renewable energy sector. Taking the name 'perovskite' from the light-harvesting layer that characterises them, these solar cells are lighter, cheaper, and more flexible than the traditional crystalline silicon-based cells.

The detection of CO in the air is a vital issue, as CO is a poisonous gas and an environmental pollutant. CO typically derives from the incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels, such as cooking gas and gasoline; it has no odour, taste, or colour and hence it is difficult to detect. Scientists have been investigating sensors that can determine CO concentration, and a team from the OIST, in tandem with the University of Toulouse, has found an in...

Magnetic gears transmit rotary motion like mechanical gears but instead of teeth they use magnetic attraction and repulsion between rotating magnets. Dr Johannes Schönke, a postdoctoral scholar at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, published a theory which extends the possibilities and applications for smooth magnetic couplings, which can produce an even motion without any counterforce. This research ha...