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Tech NewsGadgetsEvery Note of Polymer Currency Has a Unique Fingerprint That Could be Used to Identify Counterfeits
One of the reasons countries around the world are transitioning from paper to plastic polymer banknotes was the promise they’d be harder to counterfeit—but it didn’t take long for fakes to proliferate. However, an avoidable flaw introduced during the manufacturing process of polymer banknotes could be used as a unique fingerprint to validate legitimate currency. … Continued
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ScienceHealthKids Are Being Exposed to a Lot of Concerning Chemicals Through Plastic Toys
Children’s toys contain many potentially toxic chemicals, recent research suggests. The study highlights over 120 concerning chemicals commonly found in plastic toys that could possibly raise a person’s risk of health problems, including cancer. Scientists have been worried about chemicals found in plastic for a while now, including those in plastic toys. Many of these … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsDo You Want to Eat This New Caffeine-Catalyzed Gel as Much as I Do?
Finally, scientists have delivered exactly what you’ve been asking for: an edible polymer gel made with caffeine. Finally. Wait, you mean to tell me you aren’t upset about the harsh solvents, high temperatures, and toxic metals used to make some edible gels? You aren’t excited about the sheer beauty of organic chemistry, and using a … Continued
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Tech News
Someone Go Find a Practical Use for This Sweet-Ass Conductive Plastic
I’m not gonna lie. Sometimes I see a science paper and think, dang, that’s really cool, I really wish it could do X. Like, maybe a major advancement in flexible, transparent plastic conductors could solve all of my cracked smartphone screen problems. Of course, things are more complex than just that, and a single new … Continued
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Tech News
New Balloon-Like Material Could Make Smart Windows Affordable
The good minds at MIT have used a rubber-like polymer to predict how much light gets transmitted through a material, depending on its thinness and stretchiness. The material could lead to windows that automatically adjust the amount of light that’s let in. We all know that some materials, like balloons, get more transparent the more … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech NewsA New Kind of Molecule Prevents Jet Fuel from Exploding
Jet airplanes load up with tens of thousands of gallons of fuel for transcontinental flights, which can lead to massive explosions in a crash or terrorist attack. But adding “molecular velcro” to fuel can dramatically reduce its volatility, or explosiveness. You can see the difference between the two in the above high-speed video. The untreated … Continued
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Tech News
Secret Molecular Barcodes Could Be Used to Fight Counterfeits
French scientists have created the first synthetic polymers that can store information as bits of 0s and 1s. You might think of it as a highly simplified version of DNA, another molecule that is very, very good at storing information. These new polymers could one day replace DNA in the burgeoning field of molecular barcoding. … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
Tech News
This Sponge Could Help Fill Gaps Where Bone Can’t Regrow Itself
Your bones are masterful self-healers, but certain injuries and defects can leave a gap too wide for new bone cells to fill in. Texas A&M’s Dr. Melissa Grunlan and team have come up with a solution, a biodegradable polymer sponge that supports new bone cell growth, then disappears as it’s replaced by solid bone. There … Continued
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Tech News
IBM Lab Accidentally Makes New Type of Super-Strong, Recyclable Polymer
Strong, durable materials are hard to recycle—they’re designed to stand up to abuse. But research chemists at an IBM laboratory just published their discovery of a never-before-seen family of polymers that’s super strong, self-healing, lightweight, and easy to recycle. And it was discovered completely by accident. Dr. Jeannette Garcia was mixing up a standard recipe … Continued
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Tech News
This Is the World’s First Working Cell Made From Plastic
Scientists have long been toiling to create artificial life, managing to produce man-made cell walls and even synthetic DNA. But now, a team of chemists has produced a functioning cell made from polymers. This is the first ever eukaryotic cell—that just means it contains a nucleus and other sub-units known as organelles within its membrane—to … Continued
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io9An incredible new polymer that heals itself to 97% efficiency
The Spanish scientists who developed it are calling it the ‘Terminator’ Polymer — and for good reason. Like the T-1000 blown to bits, it can spontaneously and independently repair itself without any outside intervention. Scientists have coaxed nanoparticles into self-assembly, and even created a microchip that can heal itself. But this polymer is the first … Continued
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io9
A compound that could turn an entire swimming pool into jelly
Though it sounds suspiciously like Kurt Vonnegut’s ice-nine from Cat’s Cradle, a materials chemist at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands has concocted a polymer that could turn an entire swimming pool into jelly. All that would be required is ample amounts of the compound, some warmth, and 25 minutes of time. The substance, called … Continued
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io9See a magnet pull gold and iron out of a liquid – to kicky music!
Here’s a quick video to satisfy the two loves of everyone with a computer; science and semi-ironic chair dancing. Gold and iron oxide particles are suspended in liquid. The liquid is exposed to a magnet. We see the magnet do its work to the little tune that accompanies the video. The science here is fairly … Continued
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io9
New bleeding, healing plastic will be used on airplanes, not androids
Earlier this week, scientists announced the development of an entirely new genre of plastic that heals itself when it’s scratched or cut, and bleeds like human skin — but researchers say you’re more likely to find these next-gen materials wrapped around a car bumper than you are a freshly minted 800 Series. Bleeding is one … Continued
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io9
How to copy biological growth, and transform 2D gels into 3D shapes
Biological organisms have a nifty trick, where they can grow uniform materials into three dimensional shapes by limiting growth in certain areas. As some cells expand, others don’t, causing the object to warp in three dimensions. Now researchers have applied that same theory to gel sheets, and developed a way of transforming them between flat … Continued
