A research team at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed an eco-friendly method to fabricate perovskite solar cell (PSC) by incorporating a fluoride additive into a water-based solution. This approach eliminates the use of toxic solvents typically required in PSC production, while achieving power conversion efficiencies above 18%.

Researchers at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute have discovered that low-intensity electrical pulses, through a technique called sub-ablative H-FIRE, don’t destroy tumors outright but instead remodel their environment. In mouse models of breast cancer, the treatment increased blood and lymphatic vessel growth, potentially guiding immune cells toward the tumor. This approach could enhance the body’s natural defenses and improve the effectiveness of other therapies.

Using electrodes in a fluid form, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a battery that can take any shape. This soft and conformable battery can be integrated into future technology in a completely new way. Their study has been published in the journal Science Advances.

Pushing the limits of structured light, Harvard applied physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences report a new type of optical vortex beam that not only twists as it travels but also changes in different parts at different rates to create unique patterns. The way the light behaves resembles spiral shapes common in nature. 

Funded by the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, an agency within the Department of Transportation, this project aims to develop a realistic training system for teams to practice handling hazardous condition response and emergency response. 

A longstanding mystery in Parkinson’s disease research has been why some individuals carrying pathogenic variants that increase their risk of PD go on to develop the disease, while others who also carry such variants do not. The prevailing theory has suggested additional genetic factors may play a role.

To address this question, a new study from Northwestern Medicine used modern technology, called CRISPR interference, to systematically examine every gene in the human genome. The scientists identified a new set of genes that contribute to the risk of Parkinson’s disease, which opens the door to previously untapped drug targets for treating PD.