Vacuum

Everything has to end eventually – including the universe itself. It might be hard to imagine a catastrophe big enough to affect the entirety of existence, but here are some of the leading hypotheses about how the universe could end, and when.

While there already are powered suction-cup devices that allow people or robots to climb walls, they only work on smooth surfaces. Chinese scientists, however, have now developed a system that sticks to rough surfaces via spinning water.

Physicists working at the Blackett Physics Laboratory in Imperial College London have designed an experiment to validate one of the most tantalizing hypotheses in quantum electrodynamics: the theory that matter could be created using nothing more than pure light.

Using only a common chemical and a scanning electron microscope, scientists have developed a process that allows insects to survive in a vacuum of about a millionth of atmospheric pressure.

A team of bioengineering students have created a device that lifts up obese patients' abdominal fat during surgery, allowing them to breathe more easily.

Is it possible to create light out of thin air?

Students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have developed a vacuum cleaner to clean up oil spill-affected shorelines.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with engineers from the private sector to develop a next-generation space toilet that is designed to be worn like a diaper.