Northwestern University

Over the past few years we have seen a string a studies shed light on the way we can learn and form memories while we sleep. Now a new paper focussed on motor skills is deepening our understanding of the relationship between slumber and brain function.

A team of engineers has given microchips a new ability – the power of flight. Inspired by wind-dispersed seeds, these “microfliers” are shaped like tiny propellers to catch the wind, and may be the smallest flying structures ever made by humans.

Researchers have proposed a fascinating way to eliminate CO2 in the notoriously hard-to-abate shipping sector. The ships would use existing marine fuels, run through solid oxide fuel cells, and all CO2 would be stored back in a partitioned fuel tank.

A new thermoelectric material may be the most efficient one yet. The new and improved polycrystalline form of purified tin selenide has all the right properties to make it a practical material for converting waste heat into electricity.

Astronomers have detected the final piece of the gravitational wave trifecta – a black hole swallowing a neutron star. Two separate events rolled in just days apart, with the black holes gobbling up the stars like Pac-Man rather than Cookie Monster.

In a breakthrough that could greatly ease the burden for patients recovering from cardiac surgery, scientists have developed a new type of temporary pacemaker that never needs to be removed, instead dissolving safely in the body once its job is done.

As the world's strongest artificial material, graphene may have a lot to offer the world of construction, and scientists have offered another example of this by using it to create a novel form of cement that is highly resistant to water and cracks.

A new sponge-like material likened to a Swiss Army knife could help scientists tackle the problem of phosphate pollution and algae blooms, with the ability to not just capture phosphate from water sources but allow it to be collected for reuse.

When someone has a problematic skin condition, the affected skin is typically either stiffer or softer than normal. A new sensor has been shown to detect such differences, potentially allowing doctors to diagnose problems more quickly and easily.

A new proof of concept study has demonstrated how certain types of protective gut bacteria can help negate the damaging side effects of toxic chemotherapy drugs, raising the prospect of future probiotics designed to enhance gut health in cancer patients.

Astronomers are another step closer to solving the intriguing cosmic mystery of fast radio bursts. Five signals have been traced to their points of origin within the spiral arms of galaxies, narrowing down the list of suspects behind them.

Scientists have used a novel implant to program social interactions between mice for the first time, which they say lays the groundwork for better understanding the way hierarchies and relationships are formed in complex groups of individuals.