Deceptively flimsy, sea sponges may just be the key to stronger and more effective material design. Michael Monn and Haneesh Kesari investigated the structure properties of the rod-like spicules that give the sponges their shape and found that their tapered shape makes them 33% less likely to buckle under pressure.
Knots have proven useful since the dawn of mankind. Drawing on this as inspiration, Professor David A. Leigh, along with his team at the University of Manchester’s School of Chemistry, synthesized the most complex chemical knot yet, and believe that it holds many promising applications.
It was once thought fruit flies can process more alcohol than their sister species because of a difference in their genome. Now, a collaboration between evolutionary and molecular biologists is challenging this hypothesis by putting ancient genes in modern fruit flies
As a possible solution to exploding batteries, the Yicui lab at Stanford has developed a new microfiber safety mechanism contained inside the battery.
In Black Hole Blues, Janna Levin, eminent astrophysicist, describes the decades-long project to detect gravitational waves and prove Einstein’s theories of general relativity.
A new whole-lung bioreactor system involving the maintenance and delivery of oxygen to the lungs was developed by Yale Professor of Biomedical Engineering Laura Niklason. This system looks to optimize the processes of growing lungs in bioreactors and enables the real-time monitoring of oxygen intake and cell proliferation in the lung.
A computer program, designed to teach users to differentiate between kinds of woodpeckers, attracted the attention of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for its power to improve teaching technology. Assistant Professor Amin Karbasi has been awarded for his promising research.
Researchers study the guts of insects to uncover how a symbiotic microbe develops a part of the tsetse fly’s immune system. This finding raises the importance of understanding the role of bacterial species in the human microbiome.
From fiber optics to wine glasses, a new discovery from the Yale Department of Applied Physics demonstrates how to increase the lifetime of sound in glass and silica materials.
How much did the Ice Age’s widespread mammal extinctions actually impact the ecosystem, and what can this tell us about our mass extinctions today? Dr. Matt Davis of the Department of Geology and Geophysics investigates this question.
A new publication examines how population growth and urbanization will reduce croplands, potentially destabilize governments and instigate social conflict. Yale Professor Karen Seto, a coauthor of the international study, studies urbanization and the changing global landscape.
A study conducted at Yale University found that the TGF-β1 signaling pathway helps the brain recovery following a stroke.