Photonics Hot List: May 3, 2024

May 3, 2024
In this episode: cork proves effective for oil clean-up, synthetic goosebumps find practical apps, and a team creates a first-of-its-kind metafluid.

In this episode of Photonics Hot List...

Oil spills are devastating for marine life and the environment alike. And the problem can be exacerbated by chemical dispersants designed to clean up. Now, researchers led by a team at Central South University in China has discovered a nontoxic way to help.

Relying on the precise control of microactuation, researchers from the Max Planck Institute have created a synthetic system that emulates goosebumps, which could someday benefit a plethora of applications—from biomedical devices to artificial intelligence.

A team from Harvard SEAS has created a first-of-its-kind metafluid that’s versatile, highly adaptable, and its thermodynamic, optical, and rheological properties are tunable…all of which make it poised to revolutionize things like energy conversion and shock absorption.

About the Author

Justine Murphy | Multimedia Director, Digital Infrastructure

Justine Murphy is the multimedia director for Endeavor Business Media's Digital Infrastructure Group. She is a multiple award-winning writer and editor with more 20 years of experience in newspaper publishing as well as public relations, marketing, and communications. For nearly 10 years, she has covered all facets of the optics and photonics industry as an editor, writer, web news anchor, and podcast host for an internationally reaching magazine publishing company. Her work has earned accolades from the New England Press Association as well as the SIIA/Jesse H. Neal Awards. She received a B.A. from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

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