NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology
helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet,
microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries
and innovations that began with NSF support.
![Photo of a gecko, which has a unique ability to scamper across shear surfaces and vertical walls.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/gecko_adhesive1_l.jpg) |
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How to Make Adhesive as Good as a Gecko Materials scientist Ali Dhinojwala and his team use nanotechnology to develop adhesive tapes that stick better than a gecko’s foot Released
October 16, 2008
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![Photo of professors and graduate students.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/japan1_l.jpg) |
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Students Give High Marks to First U.S.-Japan Glass Science School Meeting brings U.S. university students and researchers together with their Japanese counterparts to talk about new developments and potential collaborations in glass research Released
August 21, 2008
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Illustration of photocathode gun.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/photocathode_gun_l1.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Brightest X-ray Vision at the Nano-scale Superconducting 'universal toolkit' for scientists, engineers will conserve energy, too Released
June 6, 2008
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![2007 In Review](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/2007_review_text_l.jpg) |
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2007: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported advances and activities reported last year Released
January 30, 2008
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Nattharika Aumsuwan and Marek Urban, part of team who developed antibiotic coating process.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/microbe_coating_3_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
New Coating Could Prevent Infection From Surgical Tools and Implants Development of penicillin-coated surfaces could save thousands of lives from infection Released
September 7, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Eric Weeks and shaving cream with squishy physics spelled in black letters](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/weeks_squishy42_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
The Science of All Things Squishy NSF-funded Emory researcher shares the excitement of cutting-edge physics phenomena with kids of all ages Released
August 16, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Photo of a man in front of one of the pyramids](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/barsoum_pyramid_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
The Surprising Truth Behind the Construction of the Great Pyramids Were the stone blocks carved from natural limestone or cast with an early version of concrete? A materials science research team provides evidence to answer this age-old mystery. Released
May 18, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Chemist Peidong Yang is the 2007 winner of the National Science Foundation's Alan T. Waterman Award.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/yang_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Berkeley Nanotechnology Pioneer to Receive $500,000 Waterman Award
Annual prize from NSF recognizes outstanding young individual who is revolutionizing research Released
May 15, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Georgia Tech researcher Zhong Lin Wang holds a prototype nanogenerator.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/1_l1.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Minuscule Generators Convert Motion Into Nanoscale Electricity Source
Energy from tiny movements, ultrasound waves and even bloodflow can charge the devices Released
April 5, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
!["NanoBucky" is a 3-D nanoscale model made from tiny, carbon nanofiber "hairs."](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nano1_l.jpg) |
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Getting a Feel for the Nano World
New models help introduce the blind to careers in nanoscale science and engineering Released
March 27, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Princeton REU student Claire Woo at work in the laboratory of Jay Benziger.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/Claire-Woo_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Hydrogen-Powered Lawnmowers?
New design could open door to small-scale fuel cells Released
January 22, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![2006 in Review](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/2006inreview_l.jpg) |
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2006: Year in Review A look back at some of the NSF-supported activities highlighted last year Released
January 9, 2007
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Researchers are using vitamin C (background) to craft certain plastics more efficiently.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/vitaminc_polymers_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Vitamin C and Water Not Just Healthy for People -- Healthy for Plastics, too
New manufacturing techniques may lead to cheaper, "greener" plastics Released
October 23, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Jackeline Quinones](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/main_thumb4.jpg) |
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Fueling Ideas in Global Environmental Collaboration Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute melds student teams and experts for a fresh look at fuel cell design and emissions control Released
October 18, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Electrons hitting an iron-carbide filled carbon nanotube cause it to contract and extrude material.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nano_l1.jpg) |
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Nanotubes Not for Toothpaste . . . Yet Researchers Squeeze Even Rock-Hard Materials Through Minuscule Carbon Tubes Released
July 25, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![With strong magnetic fields and cold temperatures, magnetic order in barium-copper silicate emerges.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/haze_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Purple Haze Ancient pigment reveals secrets about unusual state of matter Released
July 11, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![The nanogels could be used for tissue engineering, artificial membranes, and drug delivery.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nanogels_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Researchers Create New Organic Gel Nanomaterials
Materials are chemically reversible and environmentally benign Released
July 7, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Silicon-oxygen nanoparticles aggregate to form zeolites.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/crystal1_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Crystal Sieves, Born Anew
Hard data resolves decades-old mystery of how certain zeolites form Released
April 17, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Georgia Tech Professor Zhong Lin Wang holds a sample nanowire array.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nanogenerator1_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Nanogenerators May Spark Miniature Machines
Devices convert simple motion into electricity Released
April 13, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Aquatic bacteria attach to a surface, and each other, by their glue-secreting holdfasts.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/1512_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Waterproof Superglue May Be Strongest in Nature
Bacterial adhesive is 2-3 times stronger than common commercial glues Released
April 11, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Single-molecule diodes are gatekeepers for electrons in a circuit.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/diode_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Device Only Atoms Across May Allow Infinitesimal But Powerful Computers
Single-molecule diode may change Moore's "law" of microchip memory Released
April 3, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![A wire-packed glass fiber passes through the eye of a needle.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/fiber_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
New Process Builds Electronics Into Optical Fiber
Advance could lead to building a range of devices inside tiny light transmitters Released
March 16, 2006
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Univeristy produced a sample of the modified collagen.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/collagen_sample_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Modified Collagen Could Be a Boon for Medicine Altered protein could help shape the growth of engineered tissue Released
September 20, 2005
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Microdisplacement printing](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nanomanu_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
A New Technique for High-Precision Nanomanufacturing
Released
August 25, 2005
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![Nanotubes in the artificial gecko foot.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/gecko2_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Carbon Nanotubes Made to Stick Like a Gecko's Foot
Released
August 15, 2005
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![The new "smart" bio-nanotubes.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/nanotube_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
A "Smart" Bio-Nanotube
Novel structure made from cell components could deliver drugs, genes on command Released
August 9, 2005
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![A Duke University researcher studies the properties of granular materials.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/granular_materials2_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
The Shifty Nature of Grains
Qualities of granular materials provide insight into both nature and industry Released
June 22, 2005
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![FAST-ACT crystals](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/crystals3_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Nano-engineered Powders Tackle Toxic Chemicals Thirsty grains act fast to clean up messes Released
April 28, 2005
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![spherical dendrimers](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/percec_science_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Molecular Self-Assembly Technique May Mimic How Cells Assemble Themselves Researchers have created tree-like molecules that assemble themselves into precisely structured building blocks of a quarter-million atoms. Such structures may help build nanostructures for molecular electronics or photonics materials. Released
July 30, 2004
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
![drawing of a triangular faucet opening.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/optimal_l.jpg) |
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
Triangles, Not Circles, Make Optimal Faucets It had long been assumed that circular nozzles, such as those used by ink-jet printers to deposit tiny droplets of ink, were the best shapes for the job. Now, mathematicians at Harvard University have shown that triangular may be the way to go. Released
July 30, 2004
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![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115171743im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) |
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