New discoveries cast doubt on old theory

Some materials behave unexpectedly. They crack differently than expected, or react in ways that are hard to explain. The answer often lies in their atomic structure. Is it neatly arranged, as in a crystal, or disordered, as in glass? Researchers at the University of Twente have now created a material that is both simultaneously. In two directions it is disordered; in the third, perfectly ordered. Their findings have been published in Nature Communications .

Chemistry: A sophisticated process stacks dye molecules in such a way that their luminosity increases significantly as their size grows - a significant step forward for the electronics of tomorrow.

People living with dementia and their carers in socio-economically disadvantaged areas experience significant barriers in accessing and navigating primary care, a new study led by University of Manchester has found.

Whether a plant can draw water from the soil depends on the soil's physical properties, not the plant itself. This explains why previous programmes aimed at cultivating drought-resistant plants have never been successful. 

VUB-KUL researcher develops mouse model to study tumour development as well as interaction with the immune system and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells. For her PhD at VUB and KULeuven, Aarushi Caro, also at VIB, created a kind of systematics for dentritic cells, a special group of immune cells in the fight against cancer.

Prolonged exposure to microplastics can disrupt vital physiological processes in gorgonians, such as respiration. Although these pollutants do not cause visible damage to tissues and cells, their effects could have an ecological impact on these organisms that structure the seabed, particularly if exposure continues over time occurs alongside other environmental pressures, such as ocean warming, habitat degradation or the growing accumulation of plastics in the marine environment.

A study by UNIGE and EMBL shows how differences in tissue mechanical properties shape the diversity of forms across species.

A new study co-led by the University of Glasgow and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that African countries remain severely underrepresented in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the world's leading medical and cardiovascular journals.

Biological communities in Europe are responding to climate change in markedly different ways, with clear contrasts between ecosystems, according to a new study published in Nature.

Time plays a key role in our perception of pain and administering pain relief and medication for chronic pain-related depression may be more effective at certain times of day, UCL and University of Toronto researchers say.