Science

TechSpot's top science stories of 2022: Space, the final frontier

NASA's InSight lander sends emotional farewell from Mars

Researchers identify twin exoplanets that may be the first water worlds

Solid-state battery breakthrough could greatly extend longevity

Space infrastructure startup to build a multifunctional manufacturing platform in LEO

The final (commercial) frontier: A new space infrastructure startup called "ThinkOrbital" wants to boldly go where no manufacturing corporation has gone before --- low-Earth orbit. It aims to construct a space station for manufacturing various commercial products. It says the platform can also recycle space junk.

Researchers claim they produced a nuclear fusion reaction with a 50-percent net energy gain

Researchers develop nano-thin gold coating to prevent glass from fogging up

In a nutshell: Researchers at ETH Zurich have spent the last few years perfecting a coating capable of passively preventing fogging on glass surfaces. Their latest iteration consists of extremely thin clusters of gold situated between ultrathin layers of titanium oxide on the top and bottom. The resulting coating is able to absorb a portion of infrared radiation from the Sun, which heats up the surface by as much as eight degrees Celsius and prevents condensation from forming.

OpenAI successfully trained a Minecraft bot using 70,000 hours of gameplay videos

China and the US have plans for nuclear-powered moon bases

NASA's Orion spacecraft comes within 81 miles of the Moon during successful flyby

James Webb Telescope captures the formation of a new star

MycelioTronics: using fungal skin to grow biodegradable PCB board

Boston Dynamics sues rival robot dog maker over alleged copyright infringement

NASA adjusts Webb Telescope's schedule to minimize micrometeoroid threats

UK clinical trials transfuse two people using blood produced in a lab

Why it matters: Hospitals have a constant need for donated blood. Approximately 30,000 units per day are used to treat accident victims and people with blood ailments like sickle cell anemia. Hospitals often suffer shortages when they receive a high number of trauma patients. But what if we could duplicate a typical donation in a lab and give it a longer shelf life?

A global helium shortage has doctors concerned about a squeeze on MRIs

In context: Helium is an element that most of us take for granted. We use it to float birthday balloons. It is also a component in some electronics, such as helium-filled hard drives. Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) machines use liquid helium for superconducting magnets. Unfortunately, the earth is running out of this essential element.

Low-cost 'transparent' solar cells reach new efficiency record, electricity-generating windows incoming?

Forward-looking: Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are cheap, transparent, and flexible. The promising technology set a new record in efficiency for turning visible light into electric energy, making it viable for use as energy-collecting windows.

Researchers develop spray-on "metallic" plastic that conducts electricity like metal

Engineers at Harvard developed a robot hand that has pneumatic tentacles instead of fingers

Astronomers are finalizing a 3.2 gigapixel camera that'll map the sky over a decade

Webb's portrait of the Pillars of Creation is a star-filled delight

NASA: DART mission altered asteroid's orbit by 32 minutes

Thanks to modern science and one artist's vision, plants can now wield swords

New supercomputer simulation suggests the Moon may have formed in mere hours, not months or years

FDA approves treatment funded by Ice Bucket Challenge donors