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Like something out of a science fiction crime drama, a team of metamaterial scientists from Aalto University says they have created a new material that will enable the world’s first true one-way glass. Unlike current technologies that limit the flow of light through glass, this metamaterial would be the first to allow virtually all of the light to pass through the glass in one direction while reflecting virtually all of the light coming in the other direction. “Glass that’s currently sold as ‘one-way’ is just semi-transparent, letting light through in both directions,” explains a press release announcing the metamaterial breakthrough....

Gold. Credit: Robert von Bonsdorff/Aalto University Study shows new chloride-based process recovers 84% of gold compared to the 64% recovered with traditional methods. Gold is one of the world’s most popular metals. Malleable, conductive and non-corrosive, it’s used in jewelry, electronics, and even space exploration. But traditional gold production typically involves a famous toxin, cyanide, which has been banned for industrial use in several countries. The wait for a scalable non-toxic alternative may now be over as a research team from Aalto University in Finland has successfully replaced cyanide in a key part of gold extraction from ore. The results...