New Atlas

Materials Audio available

"Metallic wood" makes nickel as strong as titanium, but five times lighter

David Szondy January 28, 2019

A new technique has been used to turn ordinary metals into "metallic wood" with a greatly improved strength-to-weight ratio. By manipulating materials at the atomic scale, scientists claim to have created a sheet of nickel that is as strong as titanium, but up to five times lighter.

A microscopic sample of the researchers’ "metallic wood"

Space Audio available

"Planet Nine" may be a distant, dusty disc of rock and ice

Michael Irving January 22, 2019

In recent years astronomers have found evidence that there might be a huge “Planet Nine” lurking on the fringes of the solar system. A new study has now poured some cold water on the idea, instead pitching the possibility that a dusty disc is causing all the weirdness out there.

An artist's rendering of the hypothetical Planet Nine

Health & Wellbeing

Cambridge-developed brain-training app claimed to improve attention and concentration

Rich Haridy January 21, 2019

A new brain-training app has been shown to improve attention and concentration after just one month of use. The smartphone game, developed by scientists from the University of Cambridge, is now commercially available, but not all experts are convinced of the app’s purported beneficial effects.

The Decoder brain-training app is currently available for Apple devices through a developer called Peak

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Comprehensive new breast cancer risk prediction tool “could be a game changer”

Rich Haridy January 15, 2019

A new online tool has been developed that allows GPs to effectively calculate a patient's risk of developing breast cancer. The system is the first to combine a broad array of different elements, including genetics and environmental factors, to come up with a precise risk evaluation.

A new online tool developed to calculate breast cancer risk is the first to account for ...

Robotics

Robot hand rocks a merry tune

Paul Ridden December 24, 2018

Mimicking the complex movement of a human hand is not an easy task for roboticists. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have looked at simplifying the design of a robotic hand, and developed a piano-playing soft skeleton bot that rocks the keyboard.

The robot hand can play simple musical phrases by rocking and rolling the wrist

Computers

AI system focused on finding overlooked links in millions of scientific studies

Rich Haridy November 28, 2018

In an exciting collaboration between computer scientists and cancer researchers at the University of Cambridge, a novel AI system has been developed to help sort through millions of scientific studies and help researchers uncover previously missed connections.

A new AI system is designed to help scientists find previously undiscovered connections in the mass ...

Medical Audio available

Anti-obesity molecule promises to help fat cells burn more energy

Rich Haridy November 27, 2018

A new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge has excitingly discovered a blood-based molecule that can both increase the amount of brown fat in the body and activate its calorie-burning processes.

A molecule has been discovered that helps convert inactive white fat into active brown fat and ...

Space Audio available

Gigantic "ghost" galaxy spotted circling the Milky Way

Michael Irving November 13, 2018

Astronomers have spotted a mysterious “ghost” galaxy orbiting the Milky Way. Huge but extremely faint, the oddball galaxy has been named Antlia 2, and it might just be weird enough to force us to rethink what we know about galactic physics and dark matter.

The new galaxy, named Antlia 2 (right) is extremely faint compared to the Milky Way (middle) ...

Energy Audio available

Scientists awaken dormant enzymes to give artificial photosynthesis a boost

Nick Lavars September 3, 2018

Researchers around the world have made some promising advances in artificial synthesis of late, but researchers from the University of Cambridge say they can produce better results by reactivating a natural mechanism that vanished through billions of years of plant evolution.

Scientists have created an artificial photosynthesis device said to absorb more sunlight than natural photosynthesis itself

Medical

Brain implant stops seizures in mice

Ben Coxworth August 30, 2018

Although seizures can be controlled via pharmaceuticals, there are often some unpleasant side effects – plus the medications don't work on all people. According to new research, however, a soft and flexible neurotransmitter-dispensing brain implant may someday do a better job.

Although effective on mice, the device probably won't see use in humans for several years