Northwestern University

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.

New research has demonstrated how odors evoke memories in the brain, in ways stronger than other senses. Using neuroimaging and intracranial electrophysiology the research shows how olfactory pathways communicate directly with the hippocampus.

Four independent experiments across the globe have found that it's possible to establish two-way communications with people in the weird, hallucinatory state of lucid dreaming, opening up a new field of real-time "interactive dreaming" research.

Scientists have studied the brains of a group of elderly individuals with excellent memory known as SuperAgers, and found them to be far more resistant to the troublesome buildup of proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease.