A common food additive, recently banned in France but allowed in the US and many other countries, was found to significantly alter gut microbiota in mice, causing inflammation in the colon and changes in protein expression in the liver, according to new research.

A newly discovered nanocluster has a geometry that ''has not been observed in chemistry heretofore,'' the researchers say.

Researchers have gained new insights into the energy states of quantum dots. They are semiconductor nanostructures and promising building blocks for quantum communication. With their experiments, the scientists confirmed certain energy transitions in quantum dots that had previously only been predicted theoretically: the so-called radiative Auger process.

Researchers have demonstrated how machine learning could help design lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells with better performance.

A team used an infrared laser to cool a solid semiconductor by at least 20 degrees C, or 36 F, below room temperature.

Scientists have developed a new approach for generating layered, difficult-to-combine, heterostructured solids.

A study identified which pairs of atoms in a catalyst nanoparticle are most active in a reaction that breaks down a harmful exhaust gas in catalytic converters. The most active particles contained the biggest proportion of one particular atomic configuration -- one where two atoms, each surrounded by seven neighboring atoms, form pairs to carry out the reaction steps. The results are a step toward engineering cheaper, more efficient catalysts.

Biophysicists have developed a high-throughput super-resolution microscope to probe nanoscale structures and dynamics of mammalian cells, showing in unprecedented detail the twists and turns of an organelle important for cell division.

Researchers discovered a new way to engineer optoelectronic devices by stretching a two-dimensional material on top of a silicon photonic platform.

Researchers demonstrate a high level of control over a type of colloid in which the suspended particles take the form of hollow, nanoscale cubes. This case has only previously been explored through theoretical calculations.

Molecular switches are the molecular counterparts of electrical switches and play an important role in many processes in nature. Nanotechnologist now produced a photographic film at the atomic level and thus tracked the motion of a molecular building block. The result was a light-controlled 'pedalo-type motion', going forward and backward.

New research on the two-dimensional (2D) material graphene has allowed researchers to create smart adaptive clothing which can lower the body temperature of the wearer in hot climates.

One of the largest problems with cancer treatment is the development of resistance to anticancer therapies. A research team found that repurposing a commonly used chemotherapy drug using a nanoparticle was more effective than both a solution of the pure drug and other available treatments.