Feb 06, 2026 Physicists have found a way to measure the time involved in quantum events and found it depends on the symmetry of the material. (Nanowerk News) “The concept of time has troubled philosophers and physicists for thousands of years, and the advent of quantum mechanics has not simplified...
A color-changing microneedle sensor made from food ingredients can detect spoilage through sealed packaging
Feb 06, 2026 A food-safe gelatin microneedle sensor pierces sealed packaging and changes color as food spoils, offering consumers a real-time alternative to static expiry dates. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Open a package of fish from the refrigerator three days after buying it and you face a familiar dilemma. It looks fine....
Researchers break materials theory with a new type of plastic
Feb 06, 2026 Researchers created a plastic combining toughness with easy reshaping via physical, not chemical, bonds, enabling repairable impact-resistant materials. (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Wageningen University & Research have developed a new type of plastic that, according to materials theory, should not be able to exist. Its properties sit...
Researchers find a way to 3D print one of industry’s hardest engineering materials
Feb 06, 2026 The approach uses 3D printing to produce WC-Co cemented carbides - ultra-hard materials used in cutting and construction tools - while reducing the waste and cost of conventional manufacturing. (Nanowerk News) Tungsten carbide–cobalt (WC–Co) is prized for its hardness, but that same property makes it unusually difficult...
Engineering humanity’s most important crops for a warming planet
Feb 06, 2026 Combining genetic, structural, and digital innovations can provide an opportunity to develop climate-resilient cereals that can maintain yields and quality in a rapidly warming world. (Nanowerk News) Rising day and night temperatures are threatening rice, wheat, and maize production by disrupting plant growth, grain filling, and grain...
JWST reveals an exceptional richness of organic molecules in one of the most infrared luminous galaxies in the local Universe
Feb 06, 2026 A new study has uncovered an unprecedented richness of small organic molecules in the deeply obscured nucleus of a nearby galaxy. This provides new insights into how complex organic molecules and carbon are processed in some of the most extreme environments in the Universe. (Nanowerk News) The...
Stacked carbon nanotube films turn a touch sensor into a self-computing skin
Feb 06, 2026 A flexible electronic skin stacks carbon nanotube layers to sense touch position and pressure simultaneously, performing classification through its physical structure rather than external processors. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Pick up a coffee cup and your hand performs a series of computations so fast and fluid you never notice...
A 3D-printed delivery system enhances vaccine delivery via microneedle array patch
Feb 05, 2026 Researchers have used 3D-printing technology to improve the viral titer of microneedle array patches, resulting in effective immunogenicity and protection against infection in mice. (Nanowerk News) The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an urgent need for efficient, durable, and widely accessible vaccines. This prompted several important innovations in vaccine...
MXene flakes reveal how electrolyte chemistry drives charge storage
Feb 05, 2026 Single MXene flakes show two electrolyte dependent redox pathways, clarifying nanoscale charge transfer and guiding development of fast pseudocapacitors. (Nanowerk News) MXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood....
DNA shape enables fast electronic data storage and molecular encryption
Feb 05, 2026 DNA nanostructures store and encrypt data using physical shape, enabling fast electronic readout and secure molecular information processing. (Nanowerk News) Since the dawn of the computer age, researchers have wrestled with two persistent challenges: how to store ever-increasing reams of data and how to protect that information...