Glass

Vibration-absorbing, sound-damping materials such as sheets of rubber and expanded foam tend to be thick, bulky and soft. A new material is a big exception to that tendency, however, as it absorbs vibrations while staying stiff and thin.

Using a 3D printer that works with molten glass, researchers forged LEGO-like glass bricks with a strength comparable to concrete. The bricks could have a role in circular construction in which materials are used over and over again.

Scientists have demonstrated a new potential treatment for bone cancer. A bioactive glass laced with a toxic metal was able to kill up to 99% of the cancer without harming healthy cells, and could even help regrow healthy bone after.

Glass-fragment waste typically just ends up in landfills, but perhaps that doesn't always have to be the case. A study shows that ground glass particles can be mixed with soil to produce a plant growth medium that's actually better than soil alone.

Lots of glass surfaces can brighten up a room, but it also lets in too much heat as well as neighbors’ prying eyes. A new metamaterial is not only more transparent to light, but adds privacy, cools the room inside, and automatically cleans itself.

Glass might soon have some competition from an unlikely rival – bamboo. Scientists in China have turned regular old bamboo into a transparent material that’s also resistant to fire and water, and suppresses smoke.

Bricks made of discarded glass and recycling-waste ash have been shown to insulate better than regular bricks, while also requiring less energy to produce. And of course, they additionally use materials which would otherwise end up in landfills.

Scientists are using UV-emitting glass to keep problematic undersea biofilms at bay. The technology may find use in applications such as underwater viewing ports and camera lenses, and perhaps even one day the hulls of ships.

After decades of physics-based theorizing, researchers have succeeded in creating a novel optical metamaterial using conventional materials. Its enhanced electromagnetic effect may make true one-way glass a reality and solar panels more efficient.

Today's internet- and cellular-connected cars require antennas more than ever, but working the devices into vehicles' bodies limits the design possibilities. LG is out to change that, with a windshield-integrated transparent antenna.

More than a decade ago, a Swedish audio startup looked to stand out from the Bluetooth speaker space by rocking a see-through vibe. Now the company is taking a step towards providing "the complete listening experience" with the Transparent Turntable.

10,000 years in the future, explorers could end up getting rickrolled, thanks to a Global Music Vault due to be built in Norway. It features Microsoft’s Project Silica, a tough new data storage medium that’s never gonna give you up.