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Metamaterials are a new class of artificial substances with properties unlike anything found in the natural world. Some have been designed to act as invisibility cloaks; others as superlenses, antenna systems or highly sensitive detectors. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a way to use metamaterials to absorb a wide range of light with extremely high efficiency, which they say could lead to a new generation of solar cells or optical sensors.

'Zinc' is a free, finite element code capable of

Recent breakthroughs have enabled scientists from the Northwestern University's Center for Quantum Devices to build cameras that can see more than one optical waveband or "color" in the dark. The semiconducting material used in the cameras – called type-II superlattices – can be tuned to absorb a wide range of infrared wavelengths, and now, a number of distinct infrared bands at the same time.

By Jo Marchant of Nature magazine A DNA analysis of ancient storage jars suggests that Greek sailors traded a wide range of foods--not just wine, as many historians have assumed. [More]

Cartier, the 164-year-old French luxury house, is well known for its wide range of animal-inspired motifs, which have included likenesses of crocodiles, eagles, parrots, and dragonflies. However, amid this extensive bestiary, it is the familiar silver and onyx-spotted panther pattern that reigns supreme. In 1914, Louis Cartier unveiled his first ...

Using the new beamline, 911-4, at MAX-lab in Lund, Sweden, researchers can study a wide range of different types of material with a resolution of a few nanometres. This could be useful for both basic research and industry in general. The facility is the result of a Danish–Swedish collaboration

Princeton researchers have invented an extremely sensitive sensor that opens up new ways to detect a wide range of substances, from tell-tale signs of cancer to hidden explosives.