Latest news with #KunWang
Emirates 24/7
25-05-2025
- Science
- Emirates 24/7
Organic Molecule Breakthrough Could Replace Silicon in Next-Gen Chips
A team of scientists at the University of Miami, working in collaboration with professors from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester, has developed a groundbreaking organic molecule that could revolutionize the semiconductor and chip-making industries. The newly engineered compound has the potential to replace silicon—traditionally sourced from sand—and metals, which currently form the backbone of modern computer chip manufacturing. According to a statement released by the university, the researchers have unveiled what they believe to be "the most electrically conductive organic molecule ever discovered." The findings open the door to building smaller, more powerful computing devices using naturally abundant elements such as carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. For the past five decades, the number of transistors on a single chip has roughly doubled every two years, in line with Moore's Law. However, as silicon-based electronics approach their physical limits, further miniaturization using conventional methods has become increasingly difficult. That challenge spurred the research led by physicist Kun Wang and his team at the University of Miami, who focused on utilizing ultra-small molecular structures to conduct electricity efficiently. 'To date, no molecular material has allowed electrons to pass through it without a significant loss in conductivity,' Wang said. 'Our work is the first to demonstrate that organic molecules can support electron transport across several tens of nanometers with virtually no energy loss.' Wang added that the molecules developed by the team are stable under ambient conditions and exhibit the highest known electrical conductance over molecular lengths previously deemed impractical. This breakthrough could lead to the creation of classical computing devices that are not only smaller and more energy-efficient but also cheaper to produce. Unlike conventional molecules, whose conductivity typically decreases with size, these new 'molecular wires' defy that trend. They serve as crucial pathways for transferring, processing, and storing information in the next generation of electronic devices. 'What makes our molecular system unique is that electrons travel across it like a bullet—without any energy loss—making it theoretically the most efficient form of electron transport known in any material,' Wang explained. 'Beyond shrinking device size, this structure also allows for functionalities that were not possible with silicon-based components.' **Chemically Robust and Air-Stable** Mehrdad Shiri, a graduate researcher and member of the team, described the development as a major leap toward real-world application. 'This molecule is chemically robust and air-stable, which means it can be integrated with existing nanoelectronic components on a chip, functioning as electronic wires or interconnects between circuits,' he said. Another major advantage is cost: the molecule can be synthesized in a laboratory using inexpensive materials, making it a highly scalable and affordable solution. Its unique properties could enable a new class of computing devices that are more powerful and energy-efficient without raising manufacturing costs. Wang concluded that the molecule's ultra-high conductivity stems from a unique interaction between electron spins at both ends of the molecule. He added, 'In the future, this molecular system could even be used as a qubit—the fundamental unit of quantum computing.' Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The Mariana Trench is home to some weird deep sea fish, and they all have the same, unique mutations
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Fish that survive in extreme deep-sea environments have developed the same genetic mutation despite evolving separately and at different times, researchers say. The scientists also found industrial chemicals in fish and in the ground in the Mariana Trench, meaning human-made pollutants can reach some of the deepest environments on Earth. Deep-sea fish have developed unique adaptations to survive extreme pressure, low temperatures and almost complete darkness. These species adapt to extreme conditions through unique skeletal structures, altered circadian rhythms and either vision that's extremely fine-tuned for low light, or are reliant on non-visual senses. In a new study, published March 6 in the journal Cell, researchers analyzed the DNA of 11 fishes, including snailfish, cusk-eels and lizardfish that live in the hadal zone — the region about 19,700 feet (6,000 meters) deep and below — to better understand how they evolved under such extreme conditions. The researchers used crewed submarines and remotely operated vehicles to collect samples from about 3,900 to 25,300 feet (1,200 to 7,700 m) below the water's surface, in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific and other trenches in the Indian Ocean. Tracing the evolution of deep-sea fishes, the researchers' analysis revealed that the eight lineages of fish species studied entered the deep-sea environment at different times: The earliest likely entered the deep sea in the early Cretaceous period (about 145 million years ago), while others reached it during the Paleogene (66 million to 23 million years ago), and some species as recently as the Neogene period (23 million to 2.6 million years ago). Despite different timelines for making the deep sea their home, all the fishes studied living below 9,800 feet (3,000 m) showed the same type of mutation in the Rtf1 gene, which controls how DNA is coded and expressed. This mutation occurred at least nine times across deep-sea fish lineages below 9,800 feet, study author Kun Wang, an ecologist at Northwestern Polytechnical University, told Live Science in an email. This means all these fishes developed the same mutation separately, as a result of the same deep-sea environment, rather than as the result of a shared evolutionary ancestor — showing just how strongly deep-sea conditions shape these species' biology. Related: How deep is the Mariana Trench? "This study shows that deep-sea fishes, despite originating from very different branches of the fish tree of life, have evolved similar genetic adaptations to survive the harsh environment of the deep ocean — cold, dark, and high-pressure," Ricardo Betancur, an ichthyologist at the University of California San Diego who was not involved in the new study, told Live Science in an email. It's an example of convergent evolution, where unrelated species independently evolve similar traits in response to similar conditions. "It's a powerful reminder that evolution often reuses the same limited set of solutions when faced with similar challenges — in this case, adapting to the extreme conditions of the deep sea," Betancur said. RELATED STORIES —Scientists thought sharks didn't make sounds — until this accidental discovery —Octopus spotted riding on top of world's fastest shark —Golden scaleless cave fish discovered in China shows evolution in action The expeditions also revealed human-made pollutants in the Mariana Trench and Philippine Trench. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — harmful chemicals used in electrical equipment and appliances until they were banned in the 1970s — contaminated the liver tissues of hadal snailfish, the scientists discovered. High concentrations of PCBs and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), flame retardant chemicals used in consumer products until they fell out of popularity in the early 2000s, were also found in sediment cores extracted from more than 32,800 feet (10,000 m) deep in the Mariana Trench. Previous research has also found chemical pollutants in the Mariana Trench, as well as microplastics in the deep sea. The new findings further reveal the impacts of human activity even in this ecosystem that's so far removed from human life. Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 28, 2025
