Bruker plans to deliver its new scanning transmission electron microscope, called GAIA, to research labs in Canada, Germany and the United States by early next year. The instrument uses liquid helium to keep samples stable near absolute zero, as cold as about 7 kelvin, allowing atomic-resolution imaging for 30 hours or more. This follows separate work last year by U.S. researchers who built a similar cooling attachment reaching 20 kelvin for over ten hours of stable imaging.
Researchers continue to push toward superconductors that operate without extreme cooling, a goal that has driven physics research for decades. Despite incremental progress in materials science, truly practical, room-temperature superconductors that could be deployed at scale have not yet been achieved.
Cornell University scientists created a process called Direct Electrode-to-Electrode Regeneration (DEER) that revives worn EV battery electrodes by chemically stripping excess solid electrolyte interphase buildup rather than shredding cells into raw materials. Treated electrodes recovered up to 95% of original capacity and degraded more slowly than untreated batteries, and a second treatment round restored capacity to 90% even after prior regeneration.
CNET published a rundown of ten everyday materials—like cooking oil, vegetable peels and oil-based condiments such as mayo and salad dressing—that gradually build up and clog kitchen drains. The piece notes that these substances often seem harmless when rinsed down the sink, but accumulate into serious blockages over time, and it also flags that chemical drain cleaners aren't always the best fix once a clog forms.
In an interview, a Syensqo executive described a 'performance pyramid' framework, where commodity materials sit at the bottom and high-performance specialty materials sit at the top. He explained that AI's rapid advancement is piling on technical requirements—heat tolerance, purity, electrical performance, chemical and plasma resistance, long-term stability—that push semiconductor and data center materials toward the top of that pyramid, an area where Syensqo focuses its work.
A global memory chip shortage is pushing smaller device makers like Fairphone, Jolla, and Framework to rethink product design, order chips months ahead, and test incoming shipments for counterfeits. Fairphone's CEO says memory now accounts for nearly 60% of the bill of materials on its roughly $400 phones, while SK Hynix's chief has warned the shortage could persist until 2030, peaking in severity around 2027.
Researchers applied mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyze adhesives and glues found on a range of ancient Egyptian artifacts without damaging them, publishing their findings in Science Advances. Alongside expected animal collagens and egg proteins, they identified plant-derived proteins from sesame and moringa (drumstick tree) sources, expanding the known palette of binding materials used by ancient craftspeople.
Apple's Lakeside store in Essex reopens Saturday at 9am after a major redesign that adds sustainable building materials and accessibility features like adjustable seating heights and assisted listening systems. The refreshed store, originally opened in 2007, also includes a dedicated Apple Pickup area, an experience room, and a Genius Bar for personalized support.
Alan Waldenberg, longtime outside counsel to Cerberus Capital Management and personal trust manager for Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, also served as the Pentagon's lawyer on its $400 million equity stake and $150 million loan to rare earth miner MP Materials. Feinberg, Cerberus's founder, now holds vast sway over Pentagon budgets and contracts, and reportedly picked Waldenberg himself to work on the deal. The arrangement surfaced amid a broader Pentagon push, now exceeding $2 billion, to invest directly in critical minerals and battery firms to counter China.
The Black Hole was a surplus store in New Mexico that resold decommissioned equipment from Los Alamos National Laboratories, ranging from vintage oscilloscopes and liquid nitrogen dewars to old dials, calculators, and even A-bomb detonator cables. It functioned as both a working retail operation and an informal museum of Cold War-era nuclear research hardware. A 2017 update confirms the business has since shut down.
Researchers have developed a plasma technology approach aimed at reducing the heavy carbon footprint associated with cement production, one of the most emissions-intensive industrial sectors globally. The method targets the chemical and energy-intensive steps in making cement, offering a potential pathway to lower greenhouse gas output from an industry long considered difficult to decarbonize.
A woman identified as Jane Doe has sued xAI, alleging that Grok was trained on child sexual abuse material depicting her as a preschooler in the early 2000s. She learned of the AI-generated images through a Canadian child protection group after receiving a Justice Department victim notification, and claims xAI stores Grok's outputs to further train the model, compounding the harm.
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