Treating silicon with carbon dioxide gas in plasma processing brings simplicity and control to a key step for making solar cells.

Chemical treatments enable low-cost light sources to emit specific colors on demand.

Stem cell trafficking to the bone marrow is improved by an enzyme manufactured in silkworms and yeast.

A new electroactive bacterium could help fuel wastewater treatment reactors.

In probably the first observation of its kind, a tricky triggerfish is seen beaching itself before attacking a crab walking along the shoreline.

A decades-old technique for probing protein motions proves more accurate than current practices.

A two-dimensional material mimics the human temperature-sensing system.

Analysis of abnormally deep earthquakes may lead to improved seismic forecasting.

Air-stable coatings can improve the longevity of wearable devices that tap into body heat.

Combining solar-harvesting materials with carbon-dioxide–consuming microbes could be an efficient way to generate clean fuels.

Custom-fabricated lenses make it easy to attach high-tech microscopes directly to cell incubators.

A nutritious millet crop grown mainly in West Africa could be genetically improved for large-scale agriculture in Saudi Arabia.

A molecular mimic designed to promote plant growth and limit witchweed infestation shows promise in initial trials.

Prediction of wind speed and direction for up to several hours in advance improves Saudi Arabia’s wind energy potential.

The ability to efficiently simulate the noise generated by wings and propellers promises to accelerate the development of quieter aircraft and turbines.   

A multisensory graphene-based skin can sense in extreme environments where other sensors cannot be used.

Ultrathin charge-transport layers enable low-cost solar cells to avoid premature degradation from ultraviolet light.

Unique star-shaped polymers have highly tunable properties that will open up a range of new applications.

Multistakeholder collaboration is key for the adoption of molecular approaches that can facilitate accurate, cheaper and faster monitoring of marine ecosystems. 

Researchers develop a better understanding of how novel solar cells developed in the lab will operate under real conditions.

Imaging artifacts discovered in high-resolution electron microscopes may impact development of next-generation electronic devices.

Multilayered carbon material could be the perfect fit for heat management in electronic devices.

A method that lights up tags attached to selected proteins can help to purify the proteins from a mixed protein pool.

Surfaces featuring atomic-scale ledges and steps can act as reusable templates for producing nanoelectronic components.

Combining distinctive properties of two-dimensional materials inspires research to reveal a new frontrunner.

Looking closely at the chemical process that transforms methane into useful products could help unveil more efficient ways to use natural gas.

Identifying the ideal co-catalyst can significantly extend the working lifetime of solar fuel–generating photocatalysts.

Improved imaging of liquid jet sprays can impact fields ranging from inkjet printing to oil and gas processing.

A sequencing approach can home in on a rare mutation within a large number of cells, revealing implications for CRISPR genome editing and early cancer detection.

Efficient yet exceptionally light organic solar cells created entirely by inkjet printing.

Machine learning models can rapidly and accurately estimate key chemical parameters related to molecular reactivity.

Light-responsive building blocks provide organic membranes with light-controlled permeability and selectivity.

A safer technique reveals that corals take up seawater pollutants both directly and indirectly.

Atomically precise nanocluster may provide fresh direction for nanocatalysts. 

Efficient greenhouse complexes that will grow crops using the resources available on desert coasts could improve food security for millions.

Modified metal-organic frameworks that can behave as porous liquids offer new possibilities for gas separation technologies.

An energy transfer process that mimics photosynthesis could help to extract more power from sunlight.

Plasma technology could help the petrochemical industry transition to an electrified, decarbonized future.

A likeness between genes of the SARS and COVID-19 viruses could inform research into potential treatments.

Models based on images from unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites can help farmers to monitor the health of individual trees.

High-capacity oil-adsorbing mats could be deployed in oil spill emergencies to limit ecological damage. 

High-resolution analysis of wind speed across Saudi Arabia can help fast track the expansion of the Kingdom’s emerging world-class wind energy industry. 

Collisions of tiny air bubbles with water surfaces can reveal fundamental characteristics of foamy mixtures.

A high-resolution atmospheric assessment for the northern Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia shows the region has some of the best air quality in the Kingdom.

The successful partnering of perovskite and silicon solar cells leads to solar cells with higher efficiencies that can also be mass produced.

Wire-connected drones may complement or replace the fixed-base stations of cellular communications networks.

Scientists working in KAUST’s Core Lab facilities are continuing to push the boundaries of what the university’s major instruments can do.

A polyimide membrane with regularly sized and spaced pores turns the N95 respirator into a reusable mask for protection against COVID-19.

Understanding the optimal process for fabricating coupled nanocrystal solids could help researchers to improve optoelectronics devices.

An assay for imaging the physical interactions between multiple cell populations could help cancer research and treatment assessment.

Novel red LEDs are more temperature stable than those made using the conventional semiconductor of choice.

Giant clams manipulate light to assist their symbiotic partner.

Modeling shows that coral reefs off the east coast of Saudi Arabia play a vital role in protecting the coastal zone.

More energy-efficient wastewater treatment may be possible by harnessing anammox bacteria’s surprising ability to "breathe" solid-state matter.

Highly modular metal-organic framework-based materials show great potential for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Extra caution is required in developing climate forecasts of enclosed seas.

A facile and mild bromine treatment eliminates surface and bulk defects from perovskites to boost the materials’ optoelectronic properties.

Studies of plankton communities in Red Sea waters provide insights into seasonal variations and dominant control mechanisms.

A water-stable dopant enhances and stabilizes the performance of electron-transporting organic electrochemical transistors.

An old branch of mathematics finds a fertile new field of application.

Scuba divers could send sea life shots in real time using an aquatic internet service.

Discovery of a malaria parasite’s internal clock could lead to new treatment strategies 

Extreme weather patterns and regions at risk of flooding could be easier to spot using a new statistical model for large spatial datasets.

A more sensitive technique shows a cigarette alternative seems to emit more chemicals than manufacturer testing had found.

Understanding how storms unleash more rain over cities in the desert could improve water security in Saudi Arabia. 

By training a search agent to make smarter exploratory decisions, relational data can be classified more accurately and efficiently.

Solar cells based on single-crystal perovskite films hit a new efficiency record of 21.9 percent.

Predictions reveal how pressure and temperature fluctuations in engine cylinders can suppress damaging fuel combustion events.

Customizable magnetic iron nanowires pinpoint and track the movements of target cells.

Structural details of an enzyme complex shed light on DNA replication.

A study of marine Halobates species highlights how their waterproofing techniques, size and acceleration capability helped them colonize the ocean.

Polymers that absorb water from the atmosphere can make it easier to run photovoltaic devices in hot climates.

First high-intensity, low-voltage red LEDs made from nitride semiconductors.

Optical fibers wrapped around date palm trunks could help detect this tree’s most destructive pest early enough to save it.

An integrated detector device could form the basis of a distributed air-quality sensor network.

Device controlled solely by voltage paves the way for spintronics with ultralow power consumption.

Reef fish species uniquely respond to climate change, with some more vulnerable than others.

Transforming spatial statistics to capture the skewness and tail of the statistical distribution gives a clearer picture of weather and climate data.

A layer-based approach raises the efficiency of training artificial intelligence models.

Nanomaterial-based electronic device monitors a key heart health biomarker. 

Copper ions could play a key role when peptide folding goes wrong and leads to harmful aggregates.

A protein hijacked from a bacterial pathogen helps to facilitate more precise genome editing in plants.

Advanced modes of combustion that are controlled by plasma discharges could become key components of the circular carbon economy.

A molecule with a hollow center proves ideal for separating a common industrial chemical mixture.

The conversion of skin cells into brain cells relies on proper insertion of L1 elements.

A framework that helps marine scientists select localized carbon dioxide levels for experiments aims to improve robustness in global warming studies.

Light can simultaneously transfer energy and data to underwater devices, but there’s a long way to go before these systems can be deployed.

E-selectin is grown in silkworms for the first time, revealing new aspects of its binding dynamics.

A Cas protein that cleaves viral RNA has been harnessed in a CRISPR/Cas system to destroy prolific viral infections in crop plants.

Machine learning tasks using very large data sets can be sped up significantly by estimating the kernel function that best describes the data.

Modeling the combustion properties of gasoline is driving the search for cleaner fuels.

A way to remotely charge batteries through flesh could help develop components for permanent implantable medical devices.

Variations in the vibrations of beams of silicon create a sensitive way of measuring pressure changes.

The flow of an electrical current can be imaged directly using magnetic bubbles.

A self-powered water quality sensor could help fish farmers to monitor pollution in their ponds remotely.

Unconventional perovskites with an inverted structure see a leap in efficiency and longevity with an amine-based additive. 

A universal high-performance computing interface allows popular statistical tools to run efficiently on large geospatial datasets.

First evidence that animal DNA methylation patterns can be passed to the next generation.

More efficient photocatalysts could unlock the potential of solar energy.

Carbon dioxide bubbles could be a fast and environmentally friendly way to unclog seawater filters and keep the supply of drinking water flowing.