Scientists have, for the first time, created a biosynthetic spider silk that behaves like the real thing. And they may soon make it even stronger.

How Einstein's equivalence principle extends to the quantum world has been puzzling physicists for decades, but a research team has now found the key to this question.

Light may be the missing ingredient in making usable quantum silicon computer chips, according to researchers. The team has engineered a silicon chip that can guide single particles of light — photons — along optical tracks, encoding and processing quantum-bits of information known as 'qubits'.

Once in the territory of science fiction, 'nanobots' are closer than ever to becoming a reality, with possible applications in medicine, manufacturing, robotics and fluidics. Today, scientists report progress in developing the tiny machines: They have made nanobot pumps that destroy nerve agents, while simultaneously administering an antidote.

For thousands of years, people in the Middle East and South America have extracted water from the air to help sustain their populations. Drawing inspiration from those examples, researchers are now developing a lightweight, battery-powered freshwater harvester that could someday take as much as 10 gallons per hour from the air, even in arid locations.

Blood banks around the world are continually in need of type O blood, which can be universally administered in an emergency. Researchers have identified an enzyme that converts A- and B-type blood to O with 30 times more efficiency than previously studied enzymes.

Soldiers on the battlefield or at remote bases often have to wait weeks for vital replacement parts. Now scientists report they have found a way to fabricate many of these parts within hours under combat conditions using water bottles, cardboard and other recyclable materials found on base as starting materials for 3D printing.

When a shipwreck is brought up from the sea depths, the wood quickly starts deteriorating. Scientists are reporting a novel way to use 'smart' nanocomposites to conserve a 16th-century British warship, the Mary Rose, and its artifacts. The new approach could help preserve other salvaged ships by eliminating harmful acids without damaging the wooden structures themselves.

At a time when drug overdoses are becoming more prevalent and lethal, a new report provides a snapshot of regional illicit drug use and, for the first time, highlights the complexity of detecting and treating patients at hospital emergency departments for a severe drug-related event.

The idea that light has momentum is not new, but the exact nature of how light interacts with matter has remained a mystery for close to 150 years. New research may have uncovered the key to one of the darkest secrets of light.