Metals

While lumber has many desirable qualities, it has to be pressure-treated with eco-unfriendly chemicals to keep from rotting. With that problem in mind, US scientists are working on a greener alternative – giving the wood a shot of metal oxide.

With gold, beauty and weight are two sides of the same coin. Now, by mixing it with plastic instead of other metals, researchers have created a new form of gold with as little as one-10th the usual weight, but retaining the same purity.

The quality of 3D-printed metal parts could soon improve, thanks to new research out of Australia. Scientists there have determined that the application of ultrasound boosts the strength of such items, by modifying their microstructure.

If you wanted to have a replica of Michelangelo's David in your home, you'd need plenty of space to show it off. But the replica 3D-printed by Exaddon and ETH Zurich would fit in any home, though you may need a microscope to see it.

Scientists at North Carolina State University have determined that a new composite metal foam should outperform aluminum when used in the construction of aircraft wings.

Researchers have taken advantage of defects to make silver much stronger while still being conductive – breaking a theoretical limit in the process.

Chromium and nickel nanoparticles from tattoo needles may be responsible for some allergic reactions to tattoos.

In the pure white snow of Antarctica, scientists have found rare isotopes that don't occur naturally on Earth. The isotope, known as iron-60, is usually forged in the crucible of supernova explosions, and the researchers believe it fell to Earth as our solar system passed through an interstellar gas cloud.

New Hubble observations show that WASP-121b is a planet that’s so intensely hot it’s vaporizing heavy metals and venting them into space. As if that wasn’t enough, the poor planet is also being stretched into a football shape thanks to the strong gravity of its host star.

One year out from the Tokyo games Japan has unveiled its Olympic medals, which will adorn winning athletes in metals recycled from discarded gadgets. Tons of scrap metal was recovered from small electronics collected all over the country for the initiative.

The South Pole-Aitken basin on the Moon is the largest impact crater in the solar system, measuring about 2,500 km (1,550 mi) across at its widest point. And now scientists have detected something strange buried under the crater.

Although smartphones perform many tasks on their own, they're also able to make devices such as drones, robots and cameras cheaper and/or more capable by acting as their "brains." One of the latest gadgets to receive such a treatment is the humble – and potentially treasure-finding – metal detector.