Lifeboat Foundation

Photodetectors, sensors that can detect light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation, are essential components of imaging tools, communication systems, and various other technologies on the market. These sensors work by converting photons (i.e., light particles) into electrical current.

Researchers at Zhejiang University have recently developed a new photodetector that could detect light within a broader bandwidth. Their device, presented in a paper published in Nature Electronics, could be used to develop new and more advanced imaging technologies.

“Our recent project is based on traditional charge-coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imaging technologies,” Prof. Yang Xu, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. “Our novel imaging devices combining CCD’s MOS photogate for high sensitivity and CMOS’s independent pixel structure can significantly benefit monolithic integration, performance, and readout.”

From action heroes to villainous assassins, biohybrid robots made of both living and artificial materials have been at the center of many sci-fi fantasies, inspiring today’s robotic innovations. It’s still a long way until human-like robots walk among us in our daily lives, but scientists from Japan are bringing us one step closer by crafting living human skin on robots. The method developed, presented June 9 in the journal Matter, not only gave a robotic finger skin-like texture, but also water-repellent and self-healing functions.

“The finger looks slightly ‘sweaty’ straight out of the culture medium,” says first author Shoji Takeuchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Since the finger is driven by an electric motor, it is also interesting to hear the clicking sounds of the motor in harmony with a finger that looks just like a real one.”

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Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to University of Toronto and University of Waterloo researchers.

In a new study recently published in Nano Energy, the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils—derived from tree bark —in a prototype self-powered device capable of sending a wireless signal to a smartphone via bluetooth.

Such devices can be used to track biometric data such as heart rate, oxygen levels or skin conductivity. The innovation could improve the performance of these devices while lowering their environmental impact.

A new study has shown for the first time that the Bluetooth signals constantly emitted by our smartphones have a unique fingerprint.

Researchers have taken the wraps off “Symbiote,” what they call a “nearly-impossible-to-detect” Linux malware that’s targeting the financial sector.

Cybersecurity researchers have taken the wraps off what they call a “nearly-impossible-to-detect” Linux malware that could be weaponized to backdoor infected systems.

Dubbed Symbiote by threat intelligence firms BlackBerry and Intezer, the stealthy malware is so named for its ability to conceal itself within running processes and network traffic and drain a victim’s resources like a parasite.

The operators behind Symbiote are believed to have commenced development on the malware in November 2021, with the threat actor predominantly using it to target the financial sector in Latin America, including banks like Banco do Brasil and Caixa, based on the domain names used.

Cybercriminals are impersonating popular crypto platforms such as Binance, Celo, and Trust Wallet with spoofed emails and fake login pages in an attempt to steal login details and deceptively transfer virtual funds.

“As cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) become more mainstream, and capture headlines for their volatility, there is a greater likelihood of more individuals falling victim to fraud attempting to exploit people for digital currencies,” Proofpoint said in a new report.

“The rise and proliferation of cryptocurrency has also provided attackers with a new method of financial extraction.”

“When the Human Genome Project began in 1990, it had a projected budget of $3 billion. […] Now, one company claims to have achieved the major milestone of whole genome sequencing for just $100.”

Ultima Genomics, a biotech company based in California, has emerged from stealth mode with a new high-throughput, low-cost sequencing platform that it claims can deliver a $100 genome.

When the Human Genome Project began in 1990, it had a projected budget of $3 billion. Some researchers believed it would take centuries to map all 20,000+ genes and to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs making up DNA, though in the end it took 13 years. Since then, genome sequencing has undergone technology and cost improvements at a rate faster than Moore’s Law (a long-term trend in the computer industry that involves a doubling of performance every two years). What used to require billions of dollars and many years of work is now several orders of magnitude cheaper and possible in a matter of hours.

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The probe will wait in space for a yet unknown, but very exciting, object to arrive.

Europe’s Comet Interceptor probe will lurk in space, waiting for a pristine interstellar comet to zoom by.