Ditch the antibacterial soap this cold and flu season - Popular Science

CARBON nanotubes synthesised using ferrocene have demonstrated antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli in laboratory experiments, suggesting potential applications for nanomaterials in antimicrobial research. Researchers found that multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) inhibited bacterial growth in a concentration-dependent manner, with both minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of 256 µg/mL. The findings highlight the antibacterial properties of the experimental preparation, although further research is needed to determine the mechanisms responsible and whether these effects could translate into practical applications.

Mark Mortimer, best known for his role as Nick Hudson on the soap opera “Another World,” died Sept. 23 after a battle with cancer. He was 59. “Mark Mortimer lived many lives in one lifetime,” his family wrote in his online obituary. “He was an Army veteran, a model, an actor, an entrepreneur and a builder. He was a husband, father, son, brother and friend. He was curious and determined, willing to take chances, start something new, change direction and figure things out along the way. But of all the titles Mark held throughout his life, the two that mattered most to him were husband and dad.”

New aquabot offers a way to design small, efficient “biohybrid” robots. Continue reading MIT’s paper-thin robot swims with power from living cells on Tech Explorist .

Five spooky skywatching targets perfect for naked eye stargazing this Halloween!

s reveals how a severely bleached coral can regain its colour, offering a fascinating glimpse into the recovery processes of these vulnerable marine animals. The images, captured over nine weeks by underwater photographer and researcher Danny Collins, document the transformation of a coral from a ghostly white appearance to a rich golden-brown, with its individual polyps becoming increasingly visible.

Oct 24, 2026 5:00 AMThe Webb telescope sees tiny red dots everywhere. Astronomers can’t agree on what they are, but some believe they may be enormous stars with black holes inside. Courtesy of Mark Belan/Quanta MagazineThe original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Astronomers built the James Webb Space Telescope to pick up faint light from the first billion years after the Big Bang, a chaotic era when vast swaths of hydrogen and helium gas gathered into the chains of galaxies we see today. Even in the telescope’s first images, astronomers could see a whole zoo of mysterious smears of light. One batch of objects proved especially difficult to interpret. They glowed blindingly bright, emitting red light with long wavelengths and shining as brilliantly as a whole galaxy. They were tiny, spanning just a pixel. And they were everywhere. A couple appear in almost every image Webb takes. In 2023, researchers started calling them “little red dots.” Astronomers have repeatedly pointed Webb toward the little red dots, wringing precious new information from these pixels of light. Initially, researchers thought the dots looked kind of like galaxies.