Today I would like to present the turbine-powered optical isolator, a steampunk-sounding bit of hardware that only allows light to pass in one direction. That, I must admit, is a sentence I never ...

A mutant seedling revealed how plant tissues scatter incoming light, allowing plants to sense its direction and move toward it. On a shelf lined with terra cotta pots, herbs bend their stems toward ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. An international team of scientists believe they have finally ...

Researchers have identified key structures in photosensitive plant tissue that allow them to determine the direction of light, leading to positive phototropism. A recent research collaboration between ...

Researchers fabricated an optical element that uses a forest of tiny, antenna-like nanorods, seen here, that together create a metamaterial able to control the spin of light. The metamaterial nanorods ...

Light can generate an electrical current in semiconductor materials. This is how solar cells generate electricity from sunlight and how smart phone cameras can take photographs. To collect the ...