Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of October 4, 2024

01. New security protocol shields data from attackers during cloud-based computation 02. Proof-of-concept design shrinks quantum rotation sensor to micron scale 03. Quantum research paves the way toward efficient, ultra-high-density optical memory storage 04. Research team succeeds in ultra-fast switching of tiny light sources 05. Researchers crack a key problem with sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and grid energy storage 06. Researchers create orientation-independent magnetic field-sensing nanotube spin qubits 07. Researchers observe hidden deformations in complex light fields 08. Scientists uncover light absorbing properties of achiral materials 09. Solid electrolyte composed of nanoparticles shows promise for all-solid-state batteries 10. Geologists […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 27, 2024

01. First liquid-liquid extraction trial finds porous liquids can separate harmful or unwanted alcohols from mixtures 02. Light momentum turns pure silicon from an indirect to a direct bandgap semiconductor 03. New material with wavy layers of atoms exhibits unusual superconducting properties 04. Novel computational method addresses obstacles in phonon-based heat simulation 05. Physicists use quantum correlations of photon pairs to hide images from standard cameras 06. Researchers observe an antiferromagnetic diode effect in even-layered MnBi₂Te₄ 07. Thermal effects in spintronics systematically assessed for first time 08. High-pressure reactions can turn nonporous rocks into sponges 09. Engineers 3D print sturdy […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 20, 2024

01. Quantum researchers cause controlled ‘wobble’ in the nucleus of a single atom 02. New method improves understanding of light-wave propagation in anisotropic materials 03. Printing 3D photonic crystals that completely block light 04. Research team uses terahertz pulses of light to shed light on superconducting disorder 05. Generating spin currents directly using ultrashort laser pulses 06. Energy-saving computing with magnetic whirls 07. This screen stores and displays encrypted images without electronics 08. Why the next pandemic could come from the Arctic — and what to do about it 09. 2D silk protein layers on graphene pave the way for […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 13, 2024

01. Researchers make sound waves travel in one direction only, with implications for electromagnetic wave technology 02. Atoms on the edge 03. Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals 04. Composite plastic degrades easily with bacteria, offers environmental benefits 05. Extreme weather to strengthen rapidly over next two decades, research suggests 06. Molecular simulations and supercomputing shed light on energy-saving biomaterials 07. Sweeping global study charts a path forward for climate-resilient agriculture 08. New quantum error correction method uses ‘many-hypercube codes’ while exhibiting beautiful geometry 09. Scientists uncover hidden source of snow melt: Dark brown carbon 10. Optoelectronic […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of September 6, 2024

01. Entangled photon pairs enable hidden image encoding 02. A device to sort photon states could be useful for quantum optical computer circuits 03. Higher-order topological simulation unlocks new potential in quantum computers 04. On the way to optical logic gates: Study demonstrates the basics for purely optical processing of information 05. Creating an ‘imprint’ on a super photon 06. Researchers create entangled quantum magnets with protected quantum excitations 07. Chemists create gel to prevent leaks and boost lithium-ion battery life 08. Enhancing microbe memory to better upcycle excess CO₂ 09. Geophysicist’s method could give months’ warning of major earthquakes […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 30, 2024

01. Nontoxic ceramic could replace lead-based electronic components 02. Toward a code-breaking quantum computer 03. Manipulation of nanolight provides new insight for quantum computing and thermal management 04. Materials scientists develop road map for designing responsive gels with unusual properties 05. World’s first micromachine twists 2D materials at will 06. Physicists ease path to entanglement for quantum sensing 07. Reconfigurable sensor can detect particles 0.001 times the wavelength of light 08. Proof-of-concept study demonstrates mid-infrared computational temporal ghost imaging 09. Study proposes generalized approach to light-matter interactions 10. Study of disordered rock salts leads to battery breakthrough And others DARPA […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 23, 2024

01. Morphable materials: Researchers coax nanoparticles to reconfigure themselves 02. New software tool aims to reduce reliance on animal testing 03. Printed electronics material can store 1,000 times more charge than current forms 04. Researchers observe ‘locked’ electron pairs in a superconductor cuprate 05. Ultrathin quantum light sources: Scientists show excitonic interactions boost efficiency of entangled photon generation 06. Advanced orbital angular momentum mode switching in multimode fiber utilizing an optical neural network chip 07. MIT engineers design tiny batteries for powering cell-sized robots 08. Scientists investigate triggers of explosive volcanic eruptions in lab simulation study 09. Smart fabrics detect […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 16, 2024

01. Chip that entangles four photons opens possibility of inviolable quantum encryption 02. ‘Amphibious’ sensors make new, waterproof technologies possible 03. Electromagnetic vortex cannon could enhance communication systems 04. MIT researchers use large language models to flag problems in complex systems 05. Researchers discover new material for optically-controlled magnetic memory 06. Study unveils limits on the extent to which quantum errors can be ‘undone’ in large systems 07. First-of-its-kind analysis reveals importance of storms in air–sea carbon exchange in Southern Ocean 08. Earth’s oldest, tiniest creatures are poised to be climate change winners—and the repercussions could be huge 09. Small […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 9, 2024

01. Physicists develop new method to combine conventional internet with the quantum internet 02. Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors 03. Physicists report new insights into exotic particles key to magnetism 04. Researchers identify useful emission lines in the sun’s outer atmosphere 05. Stacking molecules like plates improves organic solar device performance 06. Layered superconductor coaxed to show unusual properties with potential for quantum computing 07. New nanomaterials could boost hydrogen production for clean energy 08. Synergistic aerogel materials developed for heat and fire insulation 09. Modern aircraft emit less carbon than older aircraft, but their contrails may […]

Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of August 2, 2024

01. Method prevents an AI model from being overconfident about wrong answers 02. Twisted carbon nanotubes could achieve significantly better energy storage than advanced lithium-ion batteries 03. When copper becomes transparent: European XFEL creates exotic matter 04. Study: Gases from burning biomass react within clouds, forming secondary organic aerosols 05. An MRI-like tool for quantum materials: Sensor can detect minute magnetic fields at atomic scale 06. New research underscores the close relationship between Saharan dust and hurricane rainfall 07. Researchers trap atoms, force them to serve as photonic transistors 08. Optical fibers fit for the age of quantum computing 09. […]