University of Texas at Dallas researchers are developing a material to protect spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) from harsh environments that can damage vehicles in space, such as satellites, shortening their lifespans.

The research project is supported by a two-year, $1 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

A new study led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; Saudi Arabia) Professor Alexandre Rosado has revealed an unusual microbial world in the Hatiba Mons hydrothermal vent fields of the central Red Sea, a site first discovered by one of his co-authors and colleagues, Assistant Professor Froukje M. van der Zwan. To show this, the study delivers the first "genome-resolved" analysis of these hydrothermal systems, providing an unprecedented view into both the types of microbes present and the metabolic functions that sustain them. 

Washington State University-led researchers have developed a chip-sized processor and 3D printed antenna arrays that could someday lead to flexible and wearable wireless systems and improved electronic communications in a wide variety of auto, aviation, and space industry applications. Reporting in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers used 3D printing, the processor, and an ink made from copper nanoparticles to create the flexible antenna arrays.

After being treated with an electronic eye implant paired with augmented-reality glasses, people with sight loss have recovered reading vision, reports a trial involving a UCL (University College London) and Moorfields Eye Hospital clinical researcher.

Inadequate bedroom ventilation and poor air quality can negatively affect sleep. A recent international study found that the currently prescribed minimum ventilation rates for residential buildings, and especially bedrooms, may be too low and result in disturbed sleep. Therefore, they recommended revisiting the relevant residential building standards so that the ventilation rate with outdoor air can keep CO₂ produced by sleeping occupants at least below 1,000 ppm, or preferably below 800 ppm.