Video: UH Hilo student-led marine science research team takes second place in nationwide U.S. Dept of Energy algae competition - University of Hawaii at Hilo

A swimming robot does not necessarily need a bulky motor or powerful mechanical parts to move through water. MIT researchers have demonstrated that a single, carefully engineered layer of living muscle cells can generate enough force to propel a tiny robot forward. The engineers developed an extremely thin swimming robot that uses living muscle tissue to move its fins. Described in a new study published in Advanced Functional Materials, the device has a flexible gel framework roughly the length and width of a stick of gum. The gel forms two fins, each coated with a layer of muscle cells far thinner than a human hair. These cells have been genetically modified to contract when exposed to light.

How staff and students from a trio of universities in London, UK are working together to produce resources that showcase minoritised chemists ‘We often learn about the same well-known scientists,’ says Anisah Hussain, a fourth-year student at Imperial College London, UK. ‘I was really interested in the opportunity to shed light on some scientists who have equally as important contributions to chemistry but have perhaps been overlooked.’

The Moon is getting closer to its full phase, with more of its surface visible as the days go by. Here's what you can look for when you look up at the sky tonight. What is today's Moon phase? As of Friday, Oct. 23, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waxing Gibbous phase, with 90% of its surface visible. Tonight, without the use of visual aids you should be able to spot the Copernicus Crater, the Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Fecunditatis. If you have binoculars you'll also see the Endymion Crater, the Alphonsus Crater, and the Clavius Crater. Plus, if you have a telescope, you'll also see the Linne Crater, Rima Ariadaeus, and the Apollo 17 landing spot. When is the next Full Moon? The next Full Moon will take place on October 25 or 26, depending on your timezone. What are Moon phases? The Moon takes around 29.5 days to travel around Earth, and its appearance changes throughout the month. As it moves around our planet, we see different amounts of its sunlit side, from a slim crescent to the quarter phases and eventually a Full Moon. It then begins the cycle again.

In September 2018, China Daily ran a story that found its way to my desk. It featured the photograph of a beautifully preserved fossil skull with huge brow-ridges, with a caption speculating – wrongly, as it would turn out – that it belonged to a species of human known as Homo heidelbergensis. The article told a remarkable story about the discovery of this fossil some 85 years earlier. Japanese forces had been occupying the city of Harbin in north-eastern China in 1933. They ordered a team of local workers to help build a railway bridge across the Songhua River.