Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
New technology lets quantum bits hold information for 10,000 times longer than previous record
Quantum bits, or qubits, can hold quantum information much longer now thanks to efforts by an international research team. The researchers have increased the retention time, or coherence time, to...
Nanoearthquakes control spin centers in silicon carbide
Researchers from the Paul-Drude-Institut in Berlin, the Helmholtz-Zentrum in Dresden and the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg have demonstrated the use of elastic vibrations to manipulate the spin states of...
Quantum leap for speed limit bounds
Nature's speed limits aren't posted on road signs, but physicists have discovered a new way to deduce them that is better -- infinitely better, in some cases -- than prior...
Scientists reveal key steps in the formation of the recycling centers of the cell
Autophagy, from the Greek for "self-eating," is an essential process that isolates and recycles cellular components under conditions of stress or when resources are limited. Cargoes such as misfolded proteins...
Extracting order from a quantum measurement finally shown experimentally
In physics, it is essential to be able to show a theoretical assumption in actual, physical experiments. For more than a hundred years, physicists have been aware of the link...
Temperature checks and no masks: School is back in Russia, but classes are much the same
Russian schoolchildren returned to class this week, with COVID-19 safety measures such as mass testing of school employees marking a different approach from what we see in Canada, where there...
Quantum leap for speed limit bounds
Nature's speed limits aren't posted on road signs, but Rice University physicists have discovered a new way to deduce them that is better—infinitely better, in some cases—than previous methods.
Squaring the circle—Breaking the symmetry of a sphere to control the polarization of light
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Institute of Photonic Sciences have developed a method to generate circularly polarized light from the ultimate symmetrical structure: the sphere. Their approach involves...
Low-temperature plasma device may lead to more efficient engines
Low-temperature plasmas offer promise for applications in medicine, water purification, agriculture, pollutant removal, nanomaterial synthesis and more. Yet making these plasmas by conventional methods takes several thousand volts of electricity,...
A step toward a better understanding of molecular dynamics
EPFL researchers, working at the boundary between classical and quantum physics, have developed a method for quickly spotting molecules with particularly interesting electron properties.
Washington Football Team cuts RB Adrian Peterson
The Washington Football Team on Friday released veteran running back Adrian Peterson.
'Jeopardy!' to return Sept. 14, Ken Jennings joins show
"Jeopardy!" will return on Sept. 14. Host Alex Trebek will be accompanied by former champion Ken Jennings, who joins the game show as a consulting producer.
A novel betavoltaic technology with dyes for better energy production
Electronic devices are becoming smaller, more connected, and more powerful; and they still have one thing in common: they need energy to function. Even miniature implantable medical devices and remote...
Looking skin deep at the growth of neutron stars
In atomic nuclei, protons and neutrons share energy and momentum in tight quarters. But exactly how they share the energy that keeps them bound within the nucleus—and even where they...
Google's Quantum Computer Achieves Chemistry Milestone
A downsized version of the company’s Sycamore chip performed a record-breaking simulation of a chemical reaction -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Boat sellers can't meet rising demand as pandemic scuttles supply chain
Americans who sought to buy a boat this summer to escape coronavirus pandemic restrictions experienced a rude awakening: limited choices and waiting lists.
You won't believe this, but the velour tracksuit is cool again
Remember your grandfather's velour tracksuit or the ones that Britney Spears or Paris Hilton wore? Well, they are back in a big way thanks to Suzie Kondi.
How to imitate natural spring-loaded snapping movement without losing energy
Venus flytraps do it, trap-jaw ants do it, and now materials scientists can do it, too - they discovered a way of efficiently converting elastic energy in a spring to...
When it comes to dodging air pollution roadway users can’t win for losing
Where avoiding polluted air goes, roadway users just can’t seem to catch a break. I mean, while out on the road we’re exposed to air toxics left, right, up, down,...
Physicists Create City-Sized Ultrasecure Quantum Network
Capable of connecting eight or more users across distances of 17 kilometers, the demonstration is another milestone toward developing a fully quantum Internet -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
20 military members join Space Force at enlistment ceremony in Qatar
Twenty enlisted and commissioned military members officially joined the U.S. Space Force during enlistment and oath of office ceremonies this week at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
To make a better sensor, just add noise
Adding noise to enhance a weak signal is a sensing phenomenon common in the animal world but unusual in manmade sensors. Now researchers have added a small amount of background...
Battery-free Game Boy runs forever
Researchers develop first-ever battery-free, energy-harvesting, interactive device. And it looks and feels like a retro 8-bit Nintendo Game Boy.
Wool-like material can remember and change shape
As anyone who has ever straightened their hair knows, water is the enemy. Hair painstakingly straightened by heat will bounce back into curls the minute it touches water. Why? Because...
To make a better sensor, just add noise
Adding noise to enhance a weak signal is a sensing phenomenon common in the animal world but unusual in manmade sensors. Now Penn State researchers have added a small amount...
How to imitate natural spring-loaded snapping movement without losing energy
Venus flytraps do it, trap-jaw ants do it, and now materials scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst can do it, too—they discovered a way of efficiently converting elastic energy...
Wool-like material can remember and change shape
Researchers have developed a biocompatible material that can be 3D printed into any shape and pre-programmed with reversible shape memory. The material is made using keratin, a fibrous protein found...
Proton-electron mass ratio from laser spectroscopy of HD+ at the part-per-trillion level
Recent mass measurements of light atomic nuclei in Penning traps have indicated possible inconsistencies in closely related physical constants such as the proton-electron and deuteron-proton mass ratios. These quantities also...