Physics Buzz

Microscopes are powerful tools for examining biological cells. Under the right conditions and magnification, cell components and activity become visible and diseases can be exposed. Microscopes can inform treatment and saves lives—if they are within reach. With an inexpensive, versatile, and portable new microscope design, researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) and the University of Memphis (U of M) are hoping to increase access to high-resolution microscopes.

Prosthetics, tools, homes, cars—the possibilities of 3D printing are vast and exciting, even more so as researchers develop ways to use on-site materials in remote locations for printing.

If you weren’t at the Science Museum in London on Wednesday night, here’s some of what you missed… Image Credit:  Science Museum/Barry MacDonald Image Credit:  Science Museum/Barry MacDonald Image Credit: Science Museum/Barry MacDonald Couture in Orbit was a high-fashion show inspired by high tech. A welcome by ESA astronaut Tim Peake beamed from the International Space Station set an appropriately space-themed atmosphere before models took futurist designs to the runway. Their unique clothes incorporated of state-of-the-art materials technology—wearable sensors that track movement, fabric made from recycled water bottles, materials that are highly insulating, absorbent, and reflective, and other high performance and smart fabrics . The designers were students at top fashion schools in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. These countries were chosen because Couture in Orbit highlighted the 2014-2016 International Space Station ( ISS ) missions of five European

Originally published: Jan 30 2015 - 10:15am, Inside Science TV By: Marsha Lewis, Contributing Producer ( Inside Science TV ) -- They may look flimsy, but the materials printed with 3-D printing technology are one-of-a-kind, light-weight and super-strong. Materials engineers at LLNL have created a material with a special 3-D printer that mixes hard metal, tough ceramics and flexible plastics. “It can hold more than 100,000-times its own weight. In fact, even more than that," said Chris Spadaccini, a materials engineer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. “One of the benefits of this methodology is the ability to work with a wide range of materials," said Josh Kuntz, a materials engineer at LLNL. “These are things that are generally not available in 3-D printing today,” Spadaccini commented. The engineers create the materials with a sophisticated technology that creates 3-D parts layer by layer.