Climate change could triple the price of wheat
Climate change could triple wheat prices by simultaneously causing water shortages across major wheat-growing regions in North America, Europe, and Asia. These shortages would increase costs for bread, pasta, and breakfast cereals on supermarket shelves.
Read full story →Hydrogel platform uses vitamin B2 and blue light to simplify living tissue models
A hydrogel platform using vitamin B2 and blue light enables researchers to create customized biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug discovery under cell-friendly conditions. The plug-and-play crosslinking technology allows incorporation of biological molecules including proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids into hydrogels.
Complex odors prove easier to map than expected with machine learning
A machine learning model can map complex odors using chemical composition data, similar to how the Pantone system categorizes colors. The researchers found that odor perceptions cluster predictably based on molecular properties, enabling systematic comparison between different scents.
Laser-cut aluminum foil could replace costly terahertz polarizers
Researchers laser-cut aluminum foil to create wire-grid polarizers for terahertz experiments, replacing components that previously cost thousands of dollars each. The new method uses a simple technique to pattern the foil into the required optical device structure.