“Thinner than a human hair.” A new innovation for smart fibers that are woven into the fabric of daily clothing

Scientists from China and Singapore have created ultra-thin smart fibers, which are thinner than a human hair, and can be woven into everyday clothing, occupying less than 5% of the total fabric volume.

The innovative smart fiber is based on semiconductors, which could represent a breakthrough in the field of smart clothing and wearable electronics.

The Chinese newspaper South China Morning Post, citing an article in Nature magazine describing the scientists' invention, said that the fibers are resistant to water and washing. It is thinner than a human hair and can be woven into everyday clothing, while occupying less than 5% of the total fabric volume. As pointed out by the project's lead researcher Wei Li, users will not feel any different from ordinary clothes when wearing them.

The vest equipped with such fibers will be able to exchange photographs with other users through a wireless communication system based on optical components. A similarly knitted hat will help a visually impaired person cross the road safely by sending signals to his smartphone. A “smart” jacket worn before entering a museum could act as a tour guide, collecting information about exhibits and transmitting it to the user's earpiece. In addition, these fibers can find wide use in the field of health and medicine.

The team of scientists also plans to develop batteries that include smart fibers in the future to supply electricity to display screens and computing elements. A set of these fibers could potentially replace familiar smartphones.

Fragments of the asteroid that struck Berlin reveal that it is an "extremely rare" space rock.

A team of amateur scientists and researchers have tracked down fragments of an asteroid that struck Earth over Berlin, Germany, on January 21, which appears to be "extremely rare."

Fragments of the small asteroid, called 2024 BX1, burned up in the sky above Berlin and turned into a harmless fireball on Sunday (January 21), just two hours after they were discovered by astronomers.

Researchers and amateur scientists searching for remaining parts of the space rock around Berlin found some fragments over the past weekend.

The team, including meteorite scientist Peter Jeniskens, found that the rock fragments are "extremely rare" because they resemble rocks found on Earth.

Such "extremely rare" space rocks make up only 1% of all known meteorites.

The space rock, which is about 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide, was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Christian Szarnieczky just two to three hours before it collided with our planet's atmosphere, according to the International Astronomical Union.

NASA then confirmed the discovery of the asteroid about 20 minutes before the collision.

The asteroid was first known under its provisional name Sar2736, and was captured on camera as it appeared and disappeared in the sky over Berlin at around 00:33 UTC.

His sighting was unusual because 99% of near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of less than 30 meters have not yet been discovered, according to astronomers.

Since the space rock collided with our planet, a specialized team of about 12 to 21 individuals, including experts and students from the National History Museum, has scanned the field for the remaining small fragments, according to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Center.

However, the search proved difficult at first, as the meteorites bore a striking resemblance to common terrestrial rocks.

A large portion of the fragments was found for the first time last Thursday, and then two other meteorites weighing 5.3 grams and 3.1 grams, respectively, were discovered over the weekend.