Bright, twisted light can be produced with technology similar to an Edison light bulb, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown. The finding adds nuance to fundamental physics while offering a new avenue for robotic vision systems and other applications for light that traces out a helix in space.

Experts from a renowned international brewing and distilling centre are warning people to watch out for counterfeit and illicit alcohol - spirits  - whether they’re travelling abroad over the festive season or celebrating at home. Academics from Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), have warned people to not be complacent about the risks of counterfeit and illicit alcohol. It is not just a problem in far away countries; lots of alcohol sold in the UK and EU is also counterfeit.

Prof. Leslie Leiserowitz realized that malaria was in fact surprisingly pertinent to his research. He learned that the malaria parasite thrives inside red blood cells thanks to its knack for crafting crystals, and he set out to study these crystals, later joining forces with a chemistry faculty colleague, Prof. Michael Elbaum.

A new study – headed by Elbaum and Leiserowitz and conducted in collaboration with prominent research teams around the world – has culminated in a scientific paper that might help outwit the malaria parasite. It reveals in unprecedented detail the structure of crystals that the parasite builds in order to survive. Since most antimalarial drugs are thought to work by interfering with the formation and growth of these crystals, the new findings might lead to improved antimalarial medications.

MARVEL scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute, EPFL and the University of Zurich have used a machine learning model to calculate the screening parameters for Koopmans functionals, a promising approach to expand the power of density-functional theory so that it can be used to predict the spectral properties of materials. The study, published in npj Computational Materials, focussed on two model systems: liquid water and the halide perovskite CsSnI₃. Even with a relatively simple network and learning model, the scientists were able to significantly reduce the computational cost of the algorithm, paving the way to a more efficient calculation of the temperature-dependent spectral properties of interesting materials. 

Humans are by no means alone in the search for more sustainable materials. Nature, too, has been “working” on the problem of sustainability, and it’s been at it for a great deal longer. In a new study, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science show how design tricks employed by ancient creatures such as scorpions and sponges can help optimize the resilience of human-made materials, ultimately advancing sustainable design.