#nanoworld hashtag - Bluesky

Polymers that crawl like worms: How materials can develop direction without being told where to go Researchers at the University of Vienna have uncovered a surprising phenomenon: polymer chains with segments that simply fluctuate at different intensities can spontaneously develop directional, persistent motion when densely packed – even though nothing in the system points them in any particular direction. This "entropic tug of war," driven by fundamental physical constraints, could help explain how DNA organizes and moves inside living cells, and may lead to new materials. The study was currently published in Physical Review X.

1 month ago

5-Mar-2026
#Polymers that crawl like worms: How #materials can develop direction without being told where to go
New findings can help to better understand #DNA dynamics in living #cells

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118843

#science #nanoworld

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Self-organization of cell-sized chiral rotating actin rings driven by a chiral myosin Understanding how microscopic interactions between proteins in cells produce large-scale organization and asymmetry is a fundamental question in cell biology. In a recent study, researchers from Japan investigated how actin and myosin create cell-scale structures using experimental setup. They found that Chara corallina myosin XI—a fast motor protein—drives actin filaments into large unidirectionally rotating rings. Their findings reveal physical principles of self-organization, inspiring new ways to design self-organizing biomimetic materials for biotechnological applications.

1 month ago

18-Feb-2026
#SelfOrganization
of cell-sized #chiral rotating actin rings driven by a chiral #myosin
Researchers explore how actin filaments and a motor protein can spontaneously give rise to cell-sized structures

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1116748

#science #nanoworld

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Snowflakes just got metal: Researchers discover emergence phenomenon in metal nanocrystals In a new study from Northern Arizona University, a group of researchers discovered that when fabricated gold, copper and iron nanocrystals clump together during a lightning-fast chemical reaction, they form pentagonal constructs that strongly resemble natural snowflakes, a phenomenon that holds incredible implications for the future of nanotechnology.

2 months ago

14-Jan-2026
Snowflakes just got #metal: Researchers discover emergence phenomenon in metal nanocrystals

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1112736

#science #nanoworld #crystals

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Science history: Richard Feynman gives a fun little lecture — and dreams up an entirely new field of physics — Dec. 29, 1959 In a short talk at Caltech, physicist Richard Feynman laid out a vision of manipulating and controlling atoms at the tiniest scale. It would precede the field of nanotechnology by decades.

3 months ago

It's "plenty of room at the bottom" day. www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/part... #nanoworld #science #nanotechnology #richardFeynman

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Héctor Corte-León

@hcorteleo.bsky.social

3 months ago

Héctor Corte León on Instagram: "3 of the most common artefacts in Static Force imaging and how to avoid them. Tips and tricks of atomic force #microscopy by your #AFM expert #hectorvstheafm Discover ... 7 likes, 0 comments - hectorvstheafm on December 22, 2025: "3 of the most common artefacts in Static Force imaging and how to avoid them. Tips and tricks of atomic force #microscopy by your #AFM exper...

3 of the most common artefacts in Static Force imaging and how to avoid them. Tips and tricks of atomic force #microscopy by your #AFM expert #hectorvstheafm Discover the #nanoworld
www.instagram.com/reel/DSju8s9...

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Malaria parasites are full of wildly spinning iron crystals. Scientists finally know why. The first known metallic nanomotor in biology is powered by rocket fuel.

5 months ago

29-Oct-2025
#Malaria parasites are full of wildly spinning #iron #crystals. Scientists finally know why.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1103926

#science #nanoworld #plasmodium

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Molecules bend, properties change! Nanographene transforms through oxidation The collaborative research group led by Ehime University have synthesized a novel pyrrole-fused aza-nanographene that bends into a ladder-shaped structure due to its unique “gulf-edge” regions. The molecule shows remarkable oxidation-dependent electronic behavior: a diradical open-shell dication and a globally aromatic closed-shell tetracation. This finding reveals how molecular curvature and oxidation state govern electronic properties, paving the way for designing redox-active π-conjugated materials and organic molecular switches.

5 months ago

28-Oct-2025
#Molecules bend, properties change! #Nanographene transforms through oxidation
Structural changes and electronic properties of pyrrole-fused aza-nanographene revealed based on oxidation state

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1103603

#science #nanoworld #chemistry

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5 months ago

20-Oct-2025
Did marine life in the palaeocene use a #compass?
Based on a sophisticated method, an international team has succeeded in mapping #magnetic domains in giant fossilised magnetic #microparticles: these may have served as compasses for ancient organisms […]

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Researchers ‘zoom’ in for an ultra-magnified peek at shark skin What gives shark skin its toughness and sleek glide? Tiny, tooth-like scales called dermal denticles. Made of the same material as teeth, these structures protect sharks and reduce drag—especially crucial during mating. To uncover how denticles change with age and between sexes, researchers used high-powered electron microscopy on bonnethead sharks. The ultra-detailed images revealed striking variations in denticle shape and size across life stages and body regions. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how shark skin evolves as both armor and adaptation.

5 months ago

15-Oct-2025
Researchers ‘zoom’ in for an ultra-magnified peek at #sharkSkin

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1101875

#science #nanoworld #biomaterials #sharks

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Atom-scale stencil patterns help nanoparticles take new shapes and learn new tricks Inspired by an artist’s stencils, researchers have developed atomic-level precision patterning on nanoparticle surfaces, allowing them to “paint” gold nanoparticles with polymers to give them an array of new shapes and functions. The “patchy nanoparticles” developed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers and collaborators at the University of Michigan and Penn State University can be made in large batches, used for a variety of electronic, optical or biomedical applications, or used as building blocks for new complex materials and metamaterials.

5 months ago

15-Oct-2025
#Atom-scale stencil patterns help #nanoparticles take new shapes and learn new tricks
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102084

#science #nanoworld

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What is the significance of the evolution from chiral molecular macrocycles to chiral topological macrocycles? A novel strategy was designed for guiding supramolecular macrocycles into nanoscale chiral topological toroids, establishing hierarchical self-assembly pathways for advanced chiroptical materials

6 months ago

26-Sep-2025
What is the significance of the evolution from #chiral molecular #macrocycles to chiral topological macrocycles?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1099922

#science #chemistry #selfAssembly #nanoworld #macromolecules '#supramolecularChemistry #chirality

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8 months ago

21-Jul-2025
#Gecko-inspired #cancer #therapy could lead to fewer side-effects, better patient outcomes
The new ultra-sticky particles can be loaded with #chemotherapy drugs and attached to tumors, minimizing impact to healthy tissue

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1091643 #science […]

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Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries There are more than 50 theories for the function of this 12-sided, pentagonal-faced bronze object — but archaeologists have never quite figured it out.

8 months ago

of course that's a #molecularModel of C20H20 #dodecahedrane - complete with the hydrogens. Teaching device for Roman organic #chemistry courses. www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/roman... #nanoworld

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New tool allows researchers to track assembly of cells’ protein-making machines With a new mapping tool, Princeton engineers have revealed how a factory inside cells builds ribosomes, the machinery responsible for protein synthesis. The system opens the door to treatments and medicines.

9 months ago

I gather this is about reconstructing #ribosome #assembly in the #nucleolus - the PR is a bit wild but may be worth looking at the paper in Nature.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089618 #science #nanoworld #CellBiology #structuralBiology

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9 months ago

25-Jun-2025
Creation of new #molecule could help develop stamp-sized hard drives capable of storing 100 times more data than current tech

well, if you have to cool your postage stamp to 100 K, the device is still going to be rather big.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1088652 […]

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9 months ago

17-Jun-2025
Speed-snap science: solving for molecular details in a flash

Caltech’s new technique, called Compressed Ultrafast Planar #Polarization #Anisotropy #Imaging (CUP2AI), enables real-time, non-invasive, wide-field fluorescence polarization measurements that can provide unprecedented […]

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10 months ago

6-Jun-2025
Ultra-selective #aptamers give viruses a taste of their own medicine
Inspired by the way #viruses attach to cells, EPFL scientists have developed a method for engineering ultra-selective aptamers. The synthetic molecules bind to targets like viral spike proteins, making them useful […]

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‘Sharkitecture:’ A nanoscale look inside a blacktip shark’s skeleton Using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography with detailed 3D imaging and in-situ mechanical testing, researchers are peering inside shark skeletons at the nanoscale, revealing a microscopic “sharkitecture” that helps these ancient apex predators withstand extreme physical demands of constant motion. After hundreds of millions of years of evolution, scientists can now finally see how shark cartilage works at the nanoscale – and learn from them.

10 months ago

20-May-2025
‘Sharkitecture:’ A nanoscale look inside a blacktip shark’s skeleton
FAU study maps internal #structure in unprecedented detail

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1084462

#science #nanoworld #anatomy #evolution #sharks #biomechanics

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Scientists have found a way to ‘tattoo’ tardigrades If you haven’t heard of a tardigrade before, prepare to be wowed. These clumsy, eight-legged creatures, nicknamed water bears, are about half a millimeter long and can survive practically anything: freezing temperatures, near starvation, high pressure, radiation exposure, outer space and more. Researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters took advantage of the tardigrade’s nearly indestructible nature and gave the critters tiny “tattoos” to test a microfabrication technique to build microscopic, biocompatible devices.

11 months ago

who gave the #ethics clearance for #tattooing #tardigrades?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081415 #science #nanoworld

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Revolutionary microscope reveals quantum dance of atoms in twisted graphene Weizmann Institute scientists introduce a powerful tool to explore quantum phenomena — the cryogenic Quantum Twisting Microscope (QTM). Using this pioneering instrument, researchers have observed — for the first time — the interactions between electrons and an exotic atomic vibration in twisted sheets of graphene, called a "phason." These findings shed new light on the mysterious superconductivity and “strange metallicity” that emerge when graphene sheets are rotated to the “magic angle.”

11 months ago

23-Apr-2025
Revolutionary microscope reveals #quantum dance of atoms in twisted #graphene

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081143 #science #nanoworld

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1 year ago