Podcast: Photonic quantum chips promise fast future Miloš Popović, an NSF-supported associate professor, discusses a collaboration that has built a photonic quantum system into a traditional electronic chip... Read more at nsf.gov
Epiphytes, plants such as moss and bromeliads found in trees, face growing threats Orchids, mosses and ferns — or epiphytes, defined as nonparasitic plants that grow on other plants — are crucial for Earth's biodiversity and play essential roles in forests worldwide, building habitats in trees for a myriad of other life forms, from… Read more at nsf.gov
Gray whale die-offs driven by food supply swings in changing Arctic conditions A long-term Arctic biological data set maintained by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) scientists has been instrumental in determining the cause of a series of die-offs of eastern Pacific gray whales. According to a U.S… Read more at nsf.gov
Researchers develop promising approach to smaller, more powerful, safer electric vehicle batteries Two factors dominate the development of batteries for electric vehicles: power, which determines the vehicle range; and cost, critical in the competition with internal combustion engines. The targets set by the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate… Read more at nsf.gov
The moon is 40M years older than previously thought By analyzing tiny lunar zircon crystals gathered by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972, researchers recalculated the age of the Earth's moon. Although previous assessments estimated the moon as over 4.42 billion years old, the new study has discovered it… Read more at nsf.gov
Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime They don't know it, but Charles Darwin's finches changed the world. These closely related species — native to the Galapagos Islands — each sport a uniquely shaped beak that matches their preferred diet. Studying these birds helped Darwin develop the… Read more at nsf.gov
Robotic prosthetic ankles improve 'natural' movement, stability Robotic prosthetic ankles controlled by nerve impulses allow amputees to move more "naturally," thereby improving their stability, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at… Read more at nsf.gov
NSF Director Panchanathan headlines the Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa, signs international collaboration arrangement In mid-November, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan traveled to Ottawa, Canada, where he signed a bilateral research arrangement during a ceremony hosted by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. He also served as a featured… Read more at nsf.gov
Novel bacterial proteins from seafloor shine light on climate and astrobiology Gigatons of greenhouse gas are trapped under the seafloor, and that's a good thing. Around the coasts of the continents, where slopes sink down into the sea, tiny cages of ice trap methane gas, preventing it from escaping and bubbling up into the… Read more at nsf.gov
Caribbean parrots thought to be endemic are relicts of millennial-scale extinction In a study supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and published in the journal PNAS, researchers have extracted the first ancient DNA from Caribbean parrots, which they compared with genetic sequences from modern birds. Working… Read more at nsf.gov
Making hydrogen from waste plastic could pay for itself Hydrogen is viewed as a promising alternative to fossil fuel, but the methods used to make it either generate too much carbon dioxide or are too expensive. Now, Rice University researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using… Read more at nsf.gov
NSF Director Panchanathan attends Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce 2023 Ovation Gala, receives Lifetime Achievement Award On Nov. 4, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan traveled to Austin, Texas, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC). The award was presented during GAACC's… Read more at nsf.gov
NSF and partners kick off the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot Program On Nov. 7, representatives from federal agencies, academia and the private sector gathered at the U.S. National Science Foundation to kick off a collaborative process to design a pilot program for a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource… Read more at nsf.gov
Making AI smarter with an artificial, multisensory integrated neuron The feel of a cat's fur can reveal some information, but seeing the feline provides critical details: Is it a housecat or a lion? While the sound of fire crackling may be ambiguous, its scent confirms the burning wood. Our senses synergize to give a… Read more at nsf.gov
Study shows that a single neuron’s parallel outputs can coordinate many aspects of behavior A new MIT study funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation focuses on a single cell in one of nature’s simplest nervous systems. It provides an in-depth illustration of how individual neurons can use multiple means to drive complex behaviors.In… Read more at nsf.gov
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan On Friday, Oct. 27, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan visited the University of California, Santa Barbara, to meet with students, faculty and researchers, tour cutting-edge facilities and share NSF's approach to… Read more at nsf.gov
NSF appoints new special assistant to the director for sexual assault and harassment prevention and response implementation The U.S. National Science Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Renée V. Ferranti as the new special assistant to the NSF director for sexual assault and harassment prevention and response implementation. In this crucial role, Ferranti… Read more at nsf.gov
MilliMobile is a tiny, self-driving robot powered only by light and radio waves Moving robots demands a lot of energy. Batteries, the typical power source, limit lifetime and raise environmental concerns. Researchers have explored various alternatives, but each has drawbacks: Insects roam; chargers limit range; lasers can burn… Read more at nsf.gov
Tiny bubbles could reveal immune cell secrets and improve treatments Macrophages are small cells vital to the immune system that could lead to cell-based therapies for many medical conditions. But realizing the full potential of macrophage therapies relies on being able to see what these cells are up to inside our… Read more at nsf.gov
NSF invests in civil infrastructure resilient to climate change The U.S. National Science Foundation has invested $3.5 million in ambitious new civil infrastructure research to create transformative and equitable solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Civil infrastructure includes water… Read more at nsf.gov
