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Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, has transformed how we design and produce objects. Unlike traditional manufacturing methods that remove material through cutting or shaping, additive manufacturing builds objects layer by layer directly from digital models. This approach allows designers and engineers to create complex geometries, lightweight structures, and customized components with remarkable precision. Today, 3D printing is widely used to produce prototypes, automotive parts, consumer products, and medical devices, making it an essential technology in both industry and research. Among the various AM techniques, direct ink writing (DIW) has gained attention for its ability to print objects at room temperature using a wide range of inks. DIW involves extruding a specialized ink through a nozzle onto a surface, where it solidifies to form the desired shape. The versatility of DIW allows for innovative designs, but most current inks rely on fossil-derived pol...

Understanding the true nature of dark matter is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in modern astrophysics. Dark matter does not emit light, but it controls how galaxies form, grow, and move. While the standard theory of Cold Dark Matter (CDM) works extremely well on large cosmic scales, it faces several challenges when we zoom in to the size of galaxies and smaller systems. These puzzles have encouraged scientists to explore alternative ideas—one of the most fascinating being Ultralight Dark Matter (ULDM) . Recent research by Zhang and collaborators reveals a surprising and beautiful phenomenon in ULDM environments: black holes can behave like stones skipping across water rather than steadily spiraling inward. This discovery reshapes how we think about black hole motion, galaxy centers, and even future gravitational-wave observations. Why Look Beyond Cold Dark Matter? The standard CDM model explains the large-scale structure of the Universe remarkably well. It predicts the cosmic...

In the world of modern manufacturing, smaller often means smarter. From tiny medical diagnostic chips to flexible sensors that can bend with the human body, microscale devices are shaping the future of health care, electronics, and environmental monitoring. However, making such small and precise structures—especially on soft materials—has always been a major challenge. Now, researchers at Concordia University have introduced a breakthrough solution: a new 3D-printing method that uses sound waves instead of heat or light. This innovative approach, known as proximal sound printing , allows scientists to directly print extremely tiny structures onto soft polymers like silicone with unprecedented accuracy. Published in 2026, this research shows how sound—something we usually associate with hearing—can become a powerful tool for building the smallest technologies of tomorrow. Why Traditional 3D Printing Struggles at Small Scales Conventional 3D-printing techniques work well for large obje...

Nature has always been one of humanity’s greatest teachers. Over millions of years, living organisms have evolved clever solutions to complex problems—solutions that modern science is only beginning to understand and copy. One such natural marvel is the compound eye of the humble fruit fly. Though the insect itself is tiny and often overlooked, its eyes are a masterpiece of biological engineering. Now, inspired by this natural design, scientists have created a revolutionary artificial eye that can both see and smell , opening exciting new possibilities for drones, robots, and intelligent machines. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an insect-scale bionic compound eye that mimics how fruit flies perceive the world. Their work, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, describes a tiny system called the bio-CE system that combines wide-angle vision with chemical sensing. In simple terms, this artificial eye does not just look around—it also ...

For years, wearable technology—from smartwatches to motion-capture suits used in movies—has relied on the idea that sensors must be tightly fitted to the human body. The assumption seemed simple: the closer a device is to the skin, the more accurate the data it collects. But new research from King's College London is turning that assumption on its head. According to a study published in Nature Communications , tracking human movement is actually more accurate when sensors are placed on loose, flowing clothing rather than tight body suits or straps . This surprising discovery could change the way we think about wearable devices, motion capture in film, medical monitoring, and even robotics. The Study: Loose Fabric as a Motion Amplifier The research team, led by Dr. Howard and Dr. Irene Di Giulio, tested a variety of fabrics on human and robotic subjects performing everyday movements. Sensors were placed on both tight-fitting suits and loose garments. The results were striking: loose...

 Imagine a robot that keeps working even when part of it fails—a robot that can literally share its energy, senses, and information with its broken parts to continue performing its tasks. Thanks to researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), this vision is now a reality. Their breakthrough in modular robotics promises machines that are far more resilient than anything built before. Traditional robots are vulnerable. If a single component fails, the robot can stop working or perform poorly. This limitation is especially significant for robots made up of multiple units or “modules.” While multiple modules allow a robot to perform a wider variety of functions, they also create more points of failure. A broken part can disrupt the entire system. This has been one of the biggest challenges in robotic design: balancing functionality with reliability. But EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Laboratory (RRL), led by Jamie Paik, has developed a solution that flips this pr...

On July 2, 2025, a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of space captured the attention of astronomers worldwide. China’s Einstein Probe (EP) space telescope detected an unusually bright X-ray source, whose brightness changed rapidly over a short period. This extraordinary signal stood out immediately from ordinary cosmic phenomena, prompting rapid follow-up observations by telescopes across the globe. The event, later designated EP250702a (also known as GRB 250702B), may represent a first-of-its-kind observation: an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf star. If confirmed, this discovery would provide direct evidence of one of the universe’s most extreme processes—a black hole feeding on a dense star—and shed light on a long-mysterious population of black holes. A Cosmic Event Unlike Any Other The discovery was made possible by the Einstein Probe’s innovative design, featuring two complementary X-ray instruments. The first, the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT), em...