There are already energy-saving “smart glass” windows that can be electronically tinted to block the sun’s hot rays, thus reducing the need to run air-conditioning systems. Such systems still require electricity to operate, however. Now, scientists from Australia’s RMIT University have developed a coating that allows existing glass to become smart … no power required. …

Ball lightning has been consistently reported for centuries, and yet we still know very little about it. Now, scientists at Amherst College and Aalto University have created quantum ball lightning by knotting together the magnetic spins of atoms, creating a quasiparticle that could help unlock the secrets of the strange phenomenon, or even make for …

Inflatable habitat modules like Bigelow Aerospace’s BEAM may point the way to future space station architecture, but with so many micro-meteoroids and bits of space debris shooting around in low Earth orbit, are they safe? To help minimize the risk, researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and LUNA Innovations Inc. are developing ultrasensitive sensors made from …

The fragile X syndrome is the most common form of intellectual impairment in men, affecting 1 out of 3,600 boys. Now, scientists at the Whitehead Institute used the CRISPR/Cas 9 gene editing method to restore activity to the fragile X syndrome gene in affected neurons. Their work, performed on human brain cells in a dish, …

As useful and ubiquitous as solar energy is becoming, it still has one major Kryptonite: gloomy weather. Now, a team of Chinese engineers has developed a hybrid solar cell that can produce electricity come rain or shine, using the triboelectric effect to harvest energy from the movement of raindrops on its surface. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) …