Science in Action

Ever bitten into a burger that exploded with smoky chipotle zing, only to later discover it was secretly infused with the ghost pepper's fiery wrath? Welcome to the thrilling world of flavor creation.

The supply of stable quality and production volume for the practical use of carbon nanotubes is critical for the proliferation of this unique group of materials. Read one expert's take on the state of research.

Is there life on the icy moons of the solar system? In the subsurface of Mars? Could be, just don’t expect E.T.

What if you could create a new type of semiconductor that could be more efficient in terms of absorbing the energy of the sun? New materials and configurations help us understand inevitable defects.

Aaron Specht tries to improve public health conditions using X-ray fluorescence and a heavy dose of globetrotting to spot heavy metals in compromised populations.

Two-dimensional materials have the potential to replace Silicon on microprocessors in computers. If we want to replace Silicon with some of these emerging materials, we must understand everything about it and need standard characterization routes for it too. AFM-Raman with TERS is an essential tool.

Plastic airplanes? Nanotechnology makes it possible, with the help of AFM-Raman/TERS instrumentation. Read about how it all comes together.

At the nanoscale, heterogeneous interfaces take on unique properties, adding a layer of complexity that AFM-Raman and TERS can help uncover.

See how X-ray fluorescence allowed researchers to discover the subtle paint formulations that give Van Gogh’s artwork its depth and realism

Quantum materials ― 2D sandwiches of one atom thick sheets will take us into the next electronics revolution. Read about one researcher’s quest, using a customized microscopy system performing multiple spectroscopies.

Read about how fluorescence sensors can be used as biological detectives and also enhance display technology development.

Yury Gogotsi, Ph.D., is a co-inventor of MXenes (pronounced ‘maxines’). It’s touted as the next evolutionary leap in two-dimensional nanomaterials and materials science in general, and could provide countless benefits like high-power energy storage (think of a car battery charging in a few minutes), metallic electrical conductivity, flexibility and transparency required for wearable technology.

Was there life on Mars? We'll soon find out, as the Mars 2020 expedition, which launched on July 30, 2020, will explore an ancient lake bed with XRF for signs of life. It may change our ideas of evolution in the universe.

A common accessory - the plastic straw - is contributing to a type of contaminant affecting our ecosystems, not to mention the human food chain.

Mourou’s goal was to develop an ultra-short, high-intensity laser pulse without destroying the equipment used to produce it.

Scientists use nanoparticles in a variety of applications, including medicine, pharmaceuticals, electronics, biomaterials, energy production and consumer products.

This is the field of food science. Each food has its own unique food problem. And food scientists are responsible for designing ways to manufacture and preserve the quality and safety of those foods throughout its lifecycle.

“People strive to make devices faster and more energy efficient,” He said. “If we can study the fundamental properties and see if proposed materials would be suitable for these types of applications, it can help people design or make devices.”

Vargas, a Ph.D., is the Lead Scientist for the Analytical and Materials Analysis Laboratories at Birla Carbon. And the Marietta, Georgia-based company’s world revolves around carbon black.

Nuclear fusion is viewed by many as the holy grail of clean, renewable energy.

To most scientists, climate change is real. The challenge is to find more and better energy sources to generate electricity that do not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Satellite communications, military radar systems and those 5-G networks you will soon depend on have something in common. Scientists base these systems on microelectronics – the design, manufacture, and use of integrated circuits.

A semiconductor manufacturer in the Silicon Valley faced a sizable setback. Something was contaminating its product, and the company halted production. That cost the manufacturer millions of dollars a day.

Large, land-based gas turbines are the worker bees behind energy production. These devices convert the heat from nuclear fuel, concentrated solar power and fossil fuels like coal and gas, into electricity.

Large vaulted ceilings, old woodwork and stained glass dating back to the early 1900s overpowers you as you walk into the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) faced a challenge. It wanted to conduct photoemission spectroscopy in the extreme low UV range using a tunable light source. It’s a difficult application. No off-the-shelf instruments existed to achieve its goals.

Nanomaterials have been at the forefront of scientific research for more than a decade. These tiny materials are defined as microscopic substances measuring 1 nm to 100 nm in size.

In less than two years, mankind will begin a journey that will open new doorways in its understanding of the universe.

Witkowski works for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He’s a chemist with the Trace Examination Section of the Forensic Chemistry Center. His job is to make sure the food, drugs and supplements you consume aren’t tainted or counterfeit, and he uses Raman spectroscopy to do that.

Inside a small, neat lab, tucked away inside the engineering building at Rutgers University in New Jersey, a researcher is trying to use cheap and renewable sources in order to upgrade them to new useful products and fuels.

The result of Martin’s research could help create abundant, low-cost, clean energy on a global scale.

Scientists believe phenolic compounds, like those found in olive oil, can contribute to a lower rate of coronary heart disease and prostate and colon cancers.

Imagine reading a newspaper with an LED-like display that folds to fit in your pocket.

Richard Loomis is trying to make a better solar cell. And he’s taken a road off the beaten path to achieve that goal.

Visualize slicing a rock so thin it’s transparent to the eye. That’s what Eric Ellison must do to study which minerals host life.

Imagine killing cancer cells with oxygen compounds. Then tracking the cancer’s metabolism with near ultraviolet light sources. That’s the potential result of the pioneering work by a team at the University of Nevada-Reno.

The primary role of a drinking water treatment plant is to provide clean drinking (disinfected) water.

A material unfamiliar to the masses may provide a huge leap in solar energy technology over the next few years.

Doctors can treat certain types of cancers with non-toxic light-emitting molecules, photosensitizers, and light. This is the essence of Photodynamic therapy, an up and coming treatment model for certain cancers.

The University of Cincinnati geology professor studies paleobiology – the study of ancient life. But what he’s also doing is uncovering evidence of the possibility of life beyond this planet.

Researchers have focused on the terrestrial system to identify the missing carbon, such as in rivers and glaciers. Baker’s group is focusing on groundwater.

Now, HORIBA Scientific has developed the perfect supplement for these highly capable research spectrofluorometers.

This winter, John Priscu plans to drill thousands of feet below the frozen ice of Antarctica and expects to find living creatures. If he’s successful, it could help change the way we see our planet.