Heidelberg University

Scientists have created “acoustic holograms” that can assemble matter into 3D objects, using just sound. The technique works with various types of particles and even living cells, allowing for a new kind of 3D printing that’s fast and contact-free.

The analysis of volcanic gases allows scientists to determine what processes are taking place deep within volcanoes. And while big, expensive drones have previously been used to sample those gases, a small consumer model can now do the job.

Strange celestial objects known as brown dwarfs could be classed as either the largest possible planets or the smallest possible stars. Now astronomers from Heidelberg University have found evidence of brown dwarfs forming like planets, as opposed to stars.

​Different types of whiskies can be chemically very similar, to the point that standard tests sometimes can't tell them apart. With that in mind, researchers have developed what's being described as a synthetic tongue – it scientifically differentiates between whiskies via their "flavor."