Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Climate explained: How white roofs help to reflect the sun's heat
Nilesh Bakshi and Maibritt Pedersen Zari talk about whether the "white-roof" concept really works when it comes to sustainable architecture.
Researchers solve puzzle of Compton scattering: New approach for testing theories in quantum mechanics
When the American physicist Arthur Compton discovered that light waves behave like particles in 1922, and could knock electrons out of atoms during an impact experiment, it was a milestone...
Researchers develop nanometer-thick electromagnetic shielding film using MXene
A Korean research team has developed a technology to fabricate an ultrathin material for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. The research team, led by Koo Chong-Min, the head of the Materials...
Method to synthesize high-quality copper oxide crystals for quantum photonics
Copper oxidation generally means tarnished surfaces and corroded electronics. But the compound Cu2O, or cuprous oxide, is a promising material for quantum photonics, optoelectronics and renewable energy technologies. Now, a...
SNOLAB team helping to develop ventilators that can be built anywhere in the world with off-the-shelf parts
Shortages of ventilators have caused panic the world over during the Covid-19 pandemic. But an international team of physicists and engineers has put its mind to the task of dealing with the...
2020 Cannes Film Festival likely won't happen in 'original form'
Organizers of France's Cannes Film Festival said the prestigious event probably won't go on this year "in its original form."
Chemist developing 3-D simulations of coronavirus spike proteins
Computational chemist Mahmoud Moradi will develop enhanced, 3-D simulations of the molecular dynamics of coronavirus spike glycoproteins to gain better understanding of how the virus binds to human cells.
New research helps explain why the solar wind is hotter than expected
When a fire extinguisher is opened, the compressed carbon dioxide forms ice crystals around the nozzle, providing a visual example of the physics principle that gases and plasmas cool as...
Discovery offers new avenue for next-generation data storage
The demands for data storage and processing have grown exponentially as the world becomes increasingly connected, emphasizing the need for new materials capable of more efficient data storage and data...
Six-junction solar cell sets two world records for efficiency
Scientists have fabricated a solar cell with an efficiency of nearly 50%. The six-junction solar cell now holds the world record for the highest solar conversion efficiency at 47.1%, which...
Researchers demonstrate the missing link for a quantum internet
A quantum internet could be used to send un-hackable messages, improve the accuracy of GPS, and enable cloud-based quantum computing. For more than 20 years, dreams of creating such a quantum network have...
Russia ready to talk hypersonic weapons with U.S., foreign minister says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow is open to holding talks with the United States on the development of advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles.
First mission for the Air Force’s flying hospital pods: Pulling COVID-19 patients from Afghanistan
The C-17 Globemaster III aircraft had three COVID-19 patients on board. (Staff Sgt. Devin Nothstine / U.S. Air Force/)Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here.Last week, an Air Force C-17 lifted off from...
Discovery offers new avenue for next-generation data storage
The demands for data storage and processing have grown exponentially as the world becomes increasingly connected, emphasizing the need for new materials capable of more efficient data storage and data...
Automated 'pipeline' improves access to advanced microscopy data
A new data-processing approach created by scientists at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute offers a simpler, faster path to data generated by cryo-electron microscopy instruments, removing a barrier...
Tandem solar cell world record
A special branch in the famous NREL-chart for solar cell world records refers to a newly developed tandem solar cell. The world-record cell combines the semiconductors perovskite and CIGS to...
Microsystem for faster, more sustainable industrial chemistry
A professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering used a lab reactor, liquefied catalyst, and machine learning for more efficient polymerization design.
Novel high-speed microscope captures brain neuroactivities
A research team has successfully recorded the millisecond electrical signals in the neurons of an alert mouse with their super high-speed microscope - two-photon fluorescence microscope. The new technique is...
Puzzle of Compton scattering solved: New approach for testing theories in quantum mechanics
Light can be used to knock electrons out of atoms, with light particles and electrons bouncing off each other like two billiard balls - Compton scattering. Why electrons can even...
Boson particles discovery provides insights for quantum computing
Researchers have discovered a key insight for the development of quantum devices and quantum computers. Scientists found that a class of particles known as bosons can behave as an opposite...
Four eco-friendly lawnmowers that don’t use gas
Tame your yard. ( Petar Tonchev via Unsplash/)Maintaining a traditional grass lawn takes a lot of labor, and while gas-powered mowers get the job done, they’re a polluter. If you aren’t yet ready...
Making cells ultra-heavy
The life of a fibroblast is heavy, but PhD student Julia Eckert makes it 19.5 times heavier, using the Large Diameter Centrifuge at the ESTEC space research centre in Noordwijk.
Smart lightbulbs with the power to transform your home
Customize home lighting from afar. (Delfi de la Rua via Unsplash/)In the 1980s, commercials for The Clapper brought the concept of sound-activated lighting to families everywhere. In 2012, we shared how you can...
Image: Power glove
Spacewalks are a risky business and wearing a spacesuit that protects against the vacuum outside our atmosphere is cumbersome. This glove is a mockup concept for astronauts that adds extra...
Technologies converge on interacting surfaces in protein complexes
Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have fine-tuned a method to pinpoint surfaces within large multi-protein complexes that are close to, and likely to be directly interacting with,...
Hierarchically mesoporous titanium dioxide materials for energy and environmental applications
Since the first discovery of photocatalytic water splitting on a TiO2 electrode under ultraviolet (UV) light, TiO2 materials have been widely investigated over the past few decades due to their...
Seeking sounds of superfluids
Sound waves reveal the unique properties of an ultracold quantum gas, a model system for describing certain superconductors and forms of nuclear matter. A new study examines the propagation of...
Supercomputing future wind power rise
First detailed study of scenarios for how wind energy can expand to 20 percent of total US electrical supply by 2030. Results showed expansion of installed capacity makes small impact...