The LIGO detector uses 4-km-long (2.5-mi) arms. But now, a Northwestern University team is aiming to build a gravitational wave detector small enough to fit on a tabletop, which could detect signals the larger facilities miss.
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The first polarized light from a gamma ray burst billions of light years away is helping astronomers gain a better understanding of collapsing stars and other high-energy phenomena. Originating in the constellation of Fornax, the light brighter than a billion suns came from massive jets of plasma.
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Researchers at Northwestern University have used a non-invasive form of magnetic brain stimulation to improve the memory of older adults. After just five short sessions the older adults scored as well as a younger cohort on a variety of memory tasks.
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There’s plenty to be said about the negative health effects of jet lag, but could a journey through the clouds have a silver lining? New research suggests that indeed it might, uncovering evidence that disruptions to circadian clocks can have a protective effect on neurons.
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Prematurely-born babies usually have at least five or six hard-wired sensors attached to their bodies, tracking vital stats such as breathing, blood pressure, blood oxygen and heartbeat. Thanks to newly-developed technology, however, all those cumbersome wires may soon become a thing of the past.
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The first manned, round-trip to Mars could involve up to three years of travel time, so researchers from Northwestern University will be monitoring the crew of two simulated flights to the Red Planet to learn how to help astronauts work and live together in the equivalent to one small room.
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There has been a lot said and written about the possibilities of graphene sheets, but material scientists at Northwestern University are casting their minds toward a malleable form of the material that can be kneaded and molded like Play-Doh.
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Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a self-healing coating that can patch up its imperfections in a matter of seconds. It can do so even when underwater or in chemically-harsh environments.
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In June 2018, a bright light burst in Northern Hemisphere skies. At first it looked like any other supernova, but soon turned out to be far weirder. Known as AT2018cow (or “The Cow”), astronomers now believe they’ve captured an unprecedented look at the birth of a black hole or a neutron star.
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It almost goes without saying that space is a pretty harsh environment. Now researchers have examined what effects that environment might have on bacteria, and found that the bugs are mutating in response – but that probably isn’t cause for concern.
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