Faculty

rows of plastic bottles

Plastic Recycling Gets a Breath of Fresh Air

Harnessing moisture from air, Northwestern University chemists have developed a simple new method for breaking down plastic waste.

The non-toxic, environmentally friendly, solvent-free process first uses an inexpensive catalyst to break apart the bonds in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most …


closeup of fly

What We Can Learn From How Flies Set the Thermostat

Tiny, cold-blooded animals like flies depend on their environment to regulate body temperature, making them ideal “canaries in the coal mine” for gauging the impact of climate change on the behavior and distribution of animal species. Yet, scientists know relatively …







Interpretation of Neurons

Synthetic Neurons Open the Door for More Intelligent Robots

An interdisciplinary collaboration between Northwestern University and Georgia Tech has created a novel high-performance organic electrochemical neuron that responds within the frequency range of human neurons. The researchers also built a complete perception system by designing other organic materials and …


evolution with microbial banner flowing across

The Secret to Our Big Brains Might Be In Our Gut

Microbes supporting the production of more metabolic energy could be key to the evolution of large brains

Brain tissue is among the most energetically costly in the body. As a result, larger-brained mammals require more energy to support brain growth