A new metamaterial silencer inspired by noise-canceling headphones offers dynamic sound control for offices, factories, and public spaces.
Category: innovation
This smarter sound shield blocks more noise without blocking air
A new breakthrough from the Zhang Lab at Boston University is making waves in the world of sound control.
Led by Professor Xin Zhang (ME, ECE, BME, MSE), the team has published a new paper in Scientific Reports titled “Phase gradient ultra open metamaterials for broadband acoustic silencing.”
The article marks a major advance in their long-running Acoustic Metamaterial Silencer project.
Cheaper, Stronger Titanium? New 3D-Printing Breakthrough Makes It Possible
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a new form of titanium for 3D printing that costs approximately 33% less than the titanium alloys currently in widespread use.
Replacing expensive elements
The researchers substituted vanadium, which has become increasingly costly, with more affordable and widely available alternative elements.
Human intestine shows rapid evolutionary changes compared to other mammals
Research from an international team finds that the human gut is a site of rapid change, with recent and important deviations from other mammals, including our closest living relative, the chimpanzee.
Led by Gray Camp, Ph.D., of Roche Innovation Center in Basel, Switzerland; Jason Spence, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan and Craig Lowe, Ph.D., of Duke University, the team used stem cells to create human, chimp and mouse intestinal organoids—tiny models of the intestine that offer an unprecedented glimpse into the development of the small intestine.
The work was published in the journal Science.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for Breakthrough “Click Chemistry” Discoveries
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi, K. Barry Sharpless, and Morten Meldal for pioneering the development of “click chemistry.” The trio will share a prize amounting to ten million Swedish kronor, approximately 925,000 euros.
Ransomware gangs join attacks targeting Microsoft SharePoint servers
Ransomware gangs have recently joined ongoing attacks targeting a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability chain, part of a broader exploitation campaign that has already led to the breach of at least 148 organizations worldwide.
Security researchers at Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 have discovered a 4L4MD4R ransomware variant, based on open-source Mauri870 code, while analyzing incidents involving this SharePoint exploit chain (dubbed “ToolShell”).
The ransomware was detected on July 27 after discovering a malware loader that downloads and executes the ransomware from theinnovationfactory[.]it (145.239.97[.]206).
Breakthrough lung cancer treatment supercharges immune cells with mitochondria
Scientists have found a way to supercharge lung cancer treatment by transplanting healthy mitochondria into tumors, which both boosts immune response and makes chemotherapy far more effective. By combining this novel method with cisplatin, researchers reversed harmful tumor metabolism and empowered immune cells to fight back, all without added toxicity.
Revolutionizing 2D Electronics: Freestanding HZO Membranes Unlock High-κ Integration for Next-Gen Transistors
In a significant advancement for nanoelectronics, an international team of researchers from National Chung Hsing University, Kansai University, and National Cheng Kung University has developed a new strategy to integrate freestanding hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) membranes into 2D field-effect transistors (FETs). This innovation, published in Nature Electronics, promises to overcome one of the main bottlenecks in the adoption of 2D semiconductors: the lack of scalable, high-κ dielectric integration.
Why 2D Semiconductors Need Better Gate Dielectrics
Two-dimensional semiconductors like molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) have long been heralded as successors to silicon, offering exceptional electrical properties at atomically thin dimensions. However, their commercialization in logic devices has stalled due to a critical integration challenge: embedding a gate dielectric that both insulates and enables effective gate control.