The placenta may be one of the least understood organs, but it’s important to study its effects on the health of a developing fetus. Researchers at Iowa State University have used microfluidic models of the organ, a placenta-on-a-chip, to see if, and how much, caffeine can cross from mother to baby.
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Toxic algae blooms can be nasty, killing fish, other wildlife and sometimes even people. One of the main causes of such blooms is excessive amounts of fertilizer running off of fields and into waterways. A new type of buried sensor, however, could help address that situation.
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Rubber and metal are usually thought to sit at opposite ends of the stiffness spectrum, but a new composite material developed at Iowa State University could switch from the flexibility of the former to the stiffness of the latter after being bent, twisted or squeezed.
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If you're trying to produce crops that require less water, then you need to know how much water those plants are using. Scientists have taken a new approach to finding out, by producing graphene-based moisture sensors – they take the form of strips of tape that are applied to the leaves.
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It's not just airplane wings that need to stay ice-free in the winter – it's also pretty darn important that the runways not be icy, either. With that in mind, an Iowa State University team has developed a new type of electrically-conductive concrete that melts snow and ice.
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"Transient electronics" are designed to degrade in the presence of environmental triggers such as heat, light or moisture, once they've served their purpose. Now, scientists have created a battery for such devices, that falls apart along with them when exposed to water.
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Researchers have produced novel micro-sized particles filled with liquid metal that retains its liquid state at room temperature and are able to meld with each other.
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Engineers at Iowa State University may have gotten one step closer to the ability to make objects invisible with the development of what they are calling a flexible, stretchable and tunable meta-skin that can suppress radar detection.
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When Vincent was found abandoned as a kitten, he had no hind legs below what would be considered his shinbones. But thanks to the kindness of strangers, some titanium implants and the skills of a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, Vincent can now walk on all fours.
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If you had to grasp a tiny delicate object such as a blood vessel, doing so with traditional tweezers would be a very painstaking process – just a little too much pressure, and the object could be crushed. Instead, scientists have developed miniature coiling tentacles for doing the job.
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