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Technologies to isolate colonies of human pluripotent stem cells from other cell types in a high-throughput manner are lacking. A microfluidic-based approach that exploits differences in the adhesion strength between these cells and a substrate may soon fill the gap.
A series of breakthroughs is making the fabrication of single-atom devices possible. Their behaviour is controlled by the quantum state of single dopants, and they hold promise for applications such as quantum bits, magnetometers and memories.
Stem cells alter their morphology and differentiate to particular lineages in response to biophysical cues from the surrounding matrix. When the matrix is degradable, however, cell fate is morphology-independent and is directed by the traction forces that the cells actively apply after they have degraded the matrix.
A predictive theoretical framework that incorporates both classical and non-classical crystal-nucleation pathways explains the observed rapid aggregation of metastable clusters in the nucleation process of minerals.
Ceramic surfaces can be rendered hydrophobic by using polymeric modifiers, but these are not robust to harsh environments. A known family of rare-earth oxide ceramics is now found to exhibit intrinsic hydrophobicity, even after exposure to high temperatures and abrasive wear.
Three-photon imaging enables deeper tissue penetration in vivo, however, a lack of imaging probes has restricted its use. Now, this problem has been overcome by engineering non-toxic manganese-doped quantum dots.
A nanostructuring processing route that leads to submicrometre grains and nanometric oxide particles uniformly distributed within the grains' interior is used to fabricate molybdenum alloys that have both exceptional high strength and ductility at room temperature.
The rich dynamics of magnetic materials subject to very short laser pulses is important for both information processing and recording technology. The characterization of these phenomena with nanoscale spatial resolution shines new light on our understanding of them.
By efficiently exploring the huge variety of possible grain shapes, computer algorithms that mimic evolution make possible the design of grains that pack into configurations with the desired mechanical or structural properties.
Two-photon luminescence in metallic nanostructures provides a unique signature of the number of plasmonic modes per unit energy and volume, paving the way for more efficient plasmonic sources, detectors and sensors.
Understanding heat flow across interfaces remains an open question for thermal science. Nanocrystal arrays may play a key role in unlocking this mystery.
Topological insulators have generated much interest in condensed-matter physics. The synthesis and characterization of Bi14Rh3I9, a so-called weak topological insulator, demonstrates that chemists also have much to offer to the field.
The cytoplasm of living cells responds to deformation in much the same way as a water-filled sponge does. This behaviour, although intuitive, is connected to long-standing and unsolved fundamental questions in cell mechanics.
The complete elastic response of a spider's orb web has been quantified by non-invasive light scattering, revealing important insights into the architecture, natural material use and mechanical properties of the web. This knowledge advances our understanding of the prey-catching process and the role of supercontraction therein.
Materials displaying negative linear compressibility are, at present, the exception rather than the rule. An unusually large and persistent example of this phenomenon in the molecular framework material zinc dicyanoaurate dramatically expands the range of mechanical responses conceivable in other materials.
Open crystalline configurations self-assembled from colloids with sticky patches have recently been shown to be unexpectedly stable. A theory that accounts for the entropy of the colloids' thermal fluctuations now explains why.
