Nanotechnology

A procedure developed by scientists in Japan can convert fish scales into a carbon-based nanomaterial.

Scientists Create a More Sustainable LED From Fish Scales

Researchers microwaved fish waste to produce a unique nanoform of carbon that could be used for LED devices in the future

One specimen of the ultra-black fish species Anoplogaster cornuta.

Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2020 That May Lead to New Inventions

From soaring snakes to surfing suckerfish, nature is an endless source of inspiration

As the researcher taps the page, numbers appear on screen.

With a Simple Piece of Paper, Engineers Create Self-Powered, Wireless Keyboard

Scientists at Purdue University have found a way to make a piece of paper digitally interactive

Canada-based drone tech firm Draganfly is hoping to roll out the stationary cameras and drones in the next two to three months that can detect people with COVID-19 symptoms.

How Innovators Are Adapting Existing Technologies to Fight COVID-19

Engineers around the world are tweaking drones, robots and smart tools to help prevent the spread of the virus

Scientists filmed a pair of rhenium atoms (simulated here in green) as they bonded over a carbon nanotube (grey)

Watch First-Ever Footage of Atoms Forming and Breaking Bonds

The team used transmission electron microscopy to film the atoms dancing down a carbon nanotube

Double-Sided Tape Inspired by Spiderwebs Could Revolutionize Surgery

The two-sided adhesive instantly dries tissue then creates a strong bond—in just 5 seconds

Nanoscale Structures Give Dragonfish Their Terrible, Invisible Teeth

Crystals in the enamel and an unusual interior structure render the giant teeth invisible, making the fish one of the deep seas's most fearsome hunters

Scientists bioengineer living plants to emit light.

These Glowing Plants Could One Day Light Our Homes

The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum gives us a glimpse into a world where we read by a natural greenish glow

A Nanoscale Light Trick Is the Key to Peacock Spiders' Super-Black Spots

A new study shows how patches of bumpy microlenses capture 99.5 of the light that hits them

The researchers found that an electromagnetic "hotspot" is responsible for producing the burst of plasma

Why Do Grapes Send Sparks Flying in the Microwave?

The effect can be replicated with just about any grape-sized, water-based sphere, from large blackberries to gooseberries, quail eggs and hydrogel beads

It took six days for the scientists to complete the game. Eventually, X emerged victorious

World’s Tiniest Tic-Tac-Toe Game Is Made of DNA Tiles

Brought to you by the creators of the mini 'Mona Lisa', the game offers a dynamic, rather than static, way to manipulate microscopic structures

Upturned under mysterious circumstances, the flagship vessel sank to its undersea grave with roughly 500 innocents—and one ship dog, a mutt dubbed Hatch—trapped within

New Nanotech Returns Henry VIII's Favorite Warship to Its Former Glory

Researchers used tiny magnetic particles to remove the iron ions responsible for the wooden vessel’s decay

This house is just 20 micrometers long and features a tiled roof, seven windows, and a chimney.

Scientists Built the World’s Smallest House

Even a mite wouldn’t fit inside this itty-bitty structure

How Do Tiny Chicks Crack Out of Their Eggs?

The secret is in the egg shells' nanostructure

Researchers think nanowood has enormous potential as a green building material.

Could 'Nanowood' Replace Styrofoam?

Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed a biodegradable material that is both strong and a good insulator

This graphene-filled tube is sensitive to the slightest movements.

This Low-Cost, Graphene Device Could Help Monitor a Baby's Health

Physicists have developed a graphene-based liquid that can sense tiny changes in breathing and heart rate

How Flowers Manipulate Light to Send Secret Signals to Bees

Come-hither blue haloes are just one of the effects employed by nature’s first nanotechnologists

Printed graphene supercapacitor

Flexible Batteries May Soon Be Printed Right On Your Clothes

Graphene supercapacitors, printed directly on textiles, could power medical devices, wearable computers, even phone-charging shirts

A young padawan asks astrophysicist Erin Macdonald a question at a Future Con panel. This year, Smithsonian's Future Con took place as a special programming track within Awesome Con, leading to a number of serendipitous moments like this.

When Cutting-Edge Science Meets Science Fiction, It Packs the House

At Future Con, fans of sci-fi, fantasy and comics met the researchers and engineers who are bringing their stories to life

Jonathan Coleman (center) and team show off a printed electronic label.

New Electronic Labels Could Alert You When Your Milk Spoils

New 2D printed electronics made of the nanomaterial graphene could be used in newspapers, self-updating price tags and more

Page 1 of 3