Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
New kind of optical fiber developed: Made with a core of zinc selenide
Scientists have developed the very first optical fiber made with a core of zinc selenide -- a light-yellow compound that can be used as a semiconductor. The new class of...
Fingerprints of a gold cluster revealed
Nanometre-scale gold particles are currently intensively investigated for possible applications in catalysis, sensing, photonics, biolabelling, drug carriers and molecular electronics. The particles are prepared in a solution from gold salts...
Using math to navigate the Beatles 'Strawberry Fields Forever'
The whimsical music of The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever was made possible using production and editing techniques that were groundbreaking for its time. Beatles' fans probably wouldn't have even noticed...
Science as you've never before seen it
Gallery: A striking panoply of shots from the annual Wellcome Image Awards competition
Enzyme cocktail could eliminate a step in biofuel process
Conversion of biomass to fuel requires several steps: chemical pretreatment to break up the biomass - often dilute (sulphuric) acid, detoxification to remove the toxic chemicals required in pretreatment, and...
Scientists investigate the possibility of wormholes between stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wormholes are one of the stranger objects that arise in general relativity. Although no experimental evidence for wormholes exists, scientists predict that they would appear to serve as...
Fury of Madoff's Ponzi scheme 'victims' has slowed process
Most Ponzi schemes, like almost everything else these days, enjoy a limited life in the public eye. Despite its explosive nature, the same would have been true of the Madoff...
Vortices get organized
Exotic entities that arrange into a crystalline structure at near room-temperature could lead to a new approach to electronic memory.
New form of sulfur discovered in geological fluids
Sulfur is the sixth most abundant element on Earth and plays a key role in many geological and biological processes. Scientist have now identified a novel form of sulfur present...
Gasoline hybrid electric delivery vehicles reduce tailpipe emissions while maintaining fuel economy
The U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently completed a yearlong technology evaluation of gasoline hybrid electric (gHEV) trucks compared with conventional diesel vehicles. A report...
UMD engineers to test boiling at zero-gravity
Here on Earth, the process of boiling is used for tasks ranging from cooking and heating to power generation. In space exploration, boiling may also be used for power generation...
Direct electronic readout of 'artificial atoms'
In addition to flows of electrons, researchers are seeking options for the spin of electrons to be used in future information processing. In combination with these characteristics, a considerably larger...
Physicists develop scalable method for making graphene
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research from the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates a more consistent and cost-effective method for making graphene, the atomic-scale material that has promising applications in a variety of...
Europe needs gas in future energy mix
STAVANGER, Norway, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Incorporating natural gas into the future European energy mix will help the bloc meet its environmental objectives, a Norwegian gas executive said.
Scientists create one-dimensional ferroelectric ice
(PhysOrg.com) -- Everyone knows that when water freezes, it forms ice. But a lesser known fact is that there is not one, but many different kinds of ice, depending on...
Germany's RWE sees tough years ahead
ESSEN, Germany, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- German utility RWE said it expects three years of falling profits because of stagnant power prices, a painful tax on its nuclear reactors...
Mystery of natural sunscreen solved
Compounds found in coral transform light energy from the sun into heat energy without damaging plants
Catalogue of sustainable design resources developed
A new catalog of eco-friendly materials for use in the construction industry has been developed.
Researchers find magnetic link to high-temperature superconductivity
Researchers from the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, a joint SLAC-Stanford institute, have seen strong indications of a relationship between the superconductive and magnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors...
ONR’s TechSolutions creating green ideas that light up ships and submarines
ARLINGTON, Va. - One Sailor's request to replace humming fluorescent bulbs with a quiet alternative inspired the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to create the Solid State Lighting (SSL) project,...
Green: Using Solar Power to Extract Oil
A small California company has set up an unusual pilot project that uses a solar greenhouse instead of natural gas to extract oil from aging fields.
Elusive form of iron captured
Structural and spectroscopic evidence of a highly reactive iron(V) nitride compound
Turning sunlight into fuel
"At the California Institute of Technology, they're developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars," President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union...
SuperB scientists test new ideas at Diamond
Accelerator physicists working on the recently funded SuperB accelerator in Italy have been collaborating with Diamonds accelerator physicists to test new techniques for low emittance tuning, which can potentially benefit...
Nonvolatile memory based on ferroelectric-graphene field-effect transistors is now a step closer to reality
A fundamental component of a field-effect transistor (FET) is the gate dielectric, which determines the number of charge carriers -- electrons or electron vacancies -- that can be injected into...
Multiplexed capillary isoelectric focusing increases efficiency in protein measurements
The Springer journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (ABC) has chosen Oluwatosin O. Dada (34) as the recipient of its Best Paper Award 2010. Dada is the lead author of...
Dot Earth: Message from Dot Earth: Dear Aliens...
How would you introduce humanity to an extraterrestrial intelligence?
Green: A 'Power Conversion Module' That Cuts Waste
The result could be electric cars that drive farther without recharging, the disappearance of bricklike device chargers and solar panels that generate more electricity, the company says.