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Imagine a material that can be 3D printed into complex electronic structures, conducts electricity efficiently, works safely with the body, and does not need lengthy chemical treatment after printing . Scientists have now taken an important step toward making this possible. A research team led by Oh has developed a new type of conductive ink called PEDOT:PSS-ionic liquid colloidal (PILC) ink . The material is designed for 3D printing of bioelectronic devices and could help researchers build flexible sensors, medical implants and other electronic systems that interact directly with the human body. The development addresses several major problems that have limited the use of conductive polymers in 3D printing. Why PEDOT:PSS Is Important Three-dimensional printing has become an important manufacturing technology because it can quickly create customized objects with complicated shapes. In healthcare and biomedical research, 3D printing is especially useful because devices can be designed f...

3D printing has already transformed the way engineers, researchers and manufacturers create complex objects. But a new approach called Tomographic Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (TVAM) could take this technology much further. Researchers led by Tisato and colleagues have demonstrated a method that combines volumetric 3D printing with embedded 3D printing to create multi-material structures and extremely small internal channels in a single printing process. The technique could open new possibilities for microfluidics, advanced manufacturing, robotics, medical devices and other technologies that require complex structures made from different materials. Moving Beyond Layer-by-Layer 3D Printing Most familiar 3D printers create objects layer by layer. In material-extrusion technologies such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) , a printer moves a nozzle along a programmed path and deposits material one line at a time. Direct Ink Writing (DIW) follows a similar principle but can print sp...

A new hollow nanoreactor inspired by the way living cells organize chemical reactions could provide a cleaner and more efficient route for producing hydrogen peroxide using visible light. The innovative material combines a light-trapping inner cavity with a proton-shuttling outer shell, allowing chemical reactions to occur in a highly controlled nanoscale environment. The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society . It was led by Prof. Li Can at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Jian Liu's team at Inner Mongolia University. The researchers developed a hollow CdS@polydopamine nanoreactor that imitates two important characteristics of living cells: controlled compartmentalization and efficient movement of chemical species. Their work demonstrates how principles found in biology can be incorporated into artificial nanomaterials for applications in clean chemistry and artifi...

Astronomers have discovered what could be the fastest known star in the Milky Way. Named S301 , the star is racing around Sagittarius A* , the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, at an astonishing speed of about 25,000 kilometers per second . That is more than 8% of the speed of light and roughly 100,000 times faster than a commercial aircraft. But S301 is remarkable for another reason: it passes closer to Sagittarius A* than any other star observed so far. Its extreme orbit could give scientists a rare opportunity to measure the rotation, or spin, of the black hole and test Einstein’s theory of general relativity in one of the most extreme environments in the Universe. A Star on an Extraordinary Orbit Sagittarius A* contains the mass of roughly four million Suns and lies at the center of the Milky Way. For decades, astronomers have carefully tracked stars moving around it to understand how gravity behaves near such an enormous object. S301 has now emerged as an esp...

For decades, scientists have largely viewed the ovary as a passive storage system containing a limited supply of eggs that gradually disappears with age. A new study published in Nature Aging challenges that idea. Researchers from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Radboud University Medical Center have discovered that mouse ovaries appear to actively regulate how many dormant eggs begin growing at any given time. Surprisingly, even as the total egg reserve falls dramatically with age, the proportion of eggs entering the growth phase remains almost exactly the same—about 14% . According to senior author Dr. Elvan Böke, this suggests that the ovary may somehow sense the size of its remaining egg reserve and adjust egg activation accordingly. The mechanism responsible for this control is still unknown, but the finding reveals a previously unrecognized form of ovarian biology. The Ovary May Be Monitoring Its Own Egg Supply Female mammals are born with a limited number of immatur...

A tiny screw-shaped robot has taken an important step toward a new way of treating difficult-to-reach brain conditions—without the need to open the skull. Researchers from the University of Twente (UT) and Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc) have successfully steered a miniature magnetic robot through real brain tissue using only a magnet positioned outside the body. The experiments were performed using sheep brain tissue in the laboratory. The team has also developed a mathematical model that can predict when the robot will lose control. This could become an important tool for safely guiding tiny robots through delicate tissues in future medical procedures. The study has been published in the journal Advanced Science . A New Way to Reach Difficult Areas of the Brain Some brain conditions are extremely difficult to treat because the affected area may be located deep inside the brain. These include blood clots caused by stroke, deep-seated tumors, brain lesions and vascular m...

As humanity prepares for future missions to Mars, scientists are studying a danger that may seem small but could become a major health challenge: Martian dust . NASA has proposed an initial health standard for the amount of fine Martian dust astronauts should be exposed to inside their habitats. The recommended limit is 0.1 milligram of fine Martian dust per cubic meter of air, averaged over 24 hours, for exposure periods of up to 30 days . Although astronauts may not walk on Mars for several years, NASA needs safety standards today. Spacecraft, spacesuits, airlocks and habitats take many years to design, build and test. Engineers need clear health targets so they can develop systems that protect astronauts from dust before a mission ever leaves Earth. Why Is Martian Dust a Concern? Mars is covered by a layer of loose material called regolith , which includes dust, sand and broken rocks. Martian dust is extremely fine and can easily become airborne. The problem becomes even more seriou...