In turn, this leads to the formation of the characteristic protein "tangles" found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's, the researchers told Neuron.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Scientists find new dementia gene

The group is also looking into medical applications: the laser might, for example, help to detect in a patient's breath molecules characteristic of ulcer formation.

ECONOMIST: Lasers

Plate tectonics, the formation of faults and the moving of the continental crust over a molten interior, is a characteristic unique to Earth and it meant that minerals evolved far beyond those on any other planet in the Solar System.

ECONOMIST: Minerals