materials science
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New Research Takes Us One Step Closer To A Bionic Eye
For the first time ever, scientists have 3D-printed an array of light sensors onto an eyeball-shaped surface. Eventually, a scaled-up version of the device could restore vision to the blind, or even improve the vision of sighted people.
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These Birds Evolved Feathers So Dark, They’re Like A ‘Black Hole’
If you’ve seen BBC’s Planet Earth, you may recall of one of its sillier scenes: the bird-of-paradise mating dance. A female hops up to a male, who unveils a mane of feathers and puts on a performance like a drunk rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at a karaoke bar. But when the male bird faces the…
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Overhyped ‘Miracle’ Metal Hydrogen Miraculously ‘Disappears’
Lots of people went wild last month at the news that scientists had suddenly discovered some sort of physics holy grail: Metallic hydrogen, hydrogen that turned into a metal. Gizmodo didn’t buy the hype. Well, according to ScienceAlert, that metal hydrogen sample has now disappeared.
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Ooey-Gooey Hagfish Slime Is An Amazingly Versatile Material
The humble hagfish produces a sticky slime to defend itself from predators, as well as to hunt for its own food. Now a team of Swiss scientists has figured out the physics behind how the hagfish can use the same slimy substance for both purposes, according to a new paper in Scientific Reports.