Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Russia absorbing Ukraine, leader says
KIEV, Ukraine, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A merger between the Ukrainian state energy company and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom is a power grab by the Kremlin, a former Ukrainian...
Opposition fuming over secret nuclear deal
BERLIN, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The German opposition has reacted angrily over revelations that the government, as part of its decision to extend the life of nuclear power...
'Self-repairing' photovoltaics not damaged by the Sun
Plant mimicking device could be 40% efficient at converting incoming sunlight
Iran claims self-sufficiency in gasoline
TEHRAN, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Daily gasoline production in Iran has increased to the level that the country has become self-sufficient, the Iranian oil minister said. ...
Gravity probe 'caught the cold'
Europe's gravity probe, Goce, is returned to health after being knocked offline because some onboard systems got too cold as the satellite circled the Earth.
New method for infrared remote sensing to analyze traffic pollution
Scientists at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, are testing infrared remote sensing technology to evaluate the pollutant emissions associated with motor vehicle traffic which allows for analysis of all...
Critically endangered whales flee Russian oil, gas boom
Russian oil and gas company Rosneft is conducting oil and gas exploration work that may have caused the critically endangered western gray whale to flee its main feeding ground.
Supercomputing on a cell phone
Many engineering disciplines rely on supercomputers to simulate complicated physical phenomena - how cracks form in building materials, for instance, or fluids flow through irregular channels. Now, researchers in...
Peter Higgs, UCL and William Waldegrave | Jon Butterworth
We're not just looking for his boson, we also gave Higgs a fellowship and explained his mechanism to William WaldegraveI won't make a habit of writing about my meals. But yesterday I...
How long does selenium radiate in nuclear waste?
In order to estimate the safety of final storage for nuclear wastes, it is important to know the half-lives of the radioactive elements of the nuclear waste as accurately as...
Researchers Create Nanostructures, and Whip Up a Recipe, Too
The potential applications of nanostructures include storing hydrogen in future fuel-cell cars and delivering drugs inside the body. But they have also inspired the imagination of a Manhattan chef.
Global Qi standard powers up wireless charging
The Wireless Power Consortium today launched the Qi 1.0 standard which enables consumer electronic brands and device manufacturers to bring interoperable wireless inductive charging devices to market. The Consortium also...
LCLS comes online
The recently opened Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SNAL) provides scientists around the world with a brilliant new tool to understand fundamental properties of...
...physicists seek a Holy Grail, a so-called theory of everything that u...
...physicists seek a Holy Grail, a so-called theory of everything that unites quantum theory and relativity. In their new book, Hawking and Mlodinow argue that such a theory, which they...
Studying transition between insulating and conducting states in complex oxides
When water freezes or boils, its atomic structure undergoes a phase transition in response to temperature change. Phase transitions are common in nature, and have been exploited to make devices...
When It Comes to Car Batteries, Moore's Law Does Not Compute
A team at I.B.M.'s Almaden Research Center in California is trying to develop a new battery technology called lithium air that could allow a car to go 500 miles on...
Quantum physics adds twist to chess
The unpredictable nature of quantum physics has been mimicked by Queen's University computer scientists to invent a new version of chess.
Imec reports large-area silicon solar cells with high efficiency
At the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (Valencia, Spain), Imec presents several large-area silicon solar cells with a conversion efficiency above 19%.
Cobalt-controlled communication: Fine performance tuning of organometallic molecular wire
(PhysOrg.com) -- Smaller and smarter: this is the aim of research in the quest for ever faster electronic devices smaller in size but capable of performing more complicated tasks. Devices...
Students invited to spin their theses
ESA is offering European students the opportunity to conduct hypergravity experiments, with a call for proposals for the 2011 ‘Spin Your Thesis!’ campaign.
Notes from Chicago
I am Lily, a new postdoc at Argonne National Lab. I'm the one who thinks she can find the Higgs boson by listening to it. Thanks Jon for letting me play on...
'Slow light' on a chip holds promise for optical communications
A tiny optical device built into a silicon chip has achieved the slowest light propagation on a chip to date, reducing the speed of light by a factor of 1,200.
Scientists Mimic Chloroplasts - Meaning Solar Cells That Fix Themselves
It would seem that mimicking nature would be among the easiest things to do for science. After all, it's right there, in front of us, happening for millions of years. Take...
Tiny solar cells fix themselves
A mix of chemicals borrowed from plants with tiny tubes of carbon can spontaneously create tiny, self-repairing solar cells.
Kinect's Israeli partner sees a remoteless world
(AP) -- Inon Beracha envisions a world where your movements control the gadgets and devices around you. There's no remote control to lose, no buttons to push. The air...
Exercise equipment that makes routines less so
Inventions such as the Altus Rip Slide, CoreGlide, KoreFit and Spheerz enhance workouts through challenging, dynamic movements.Adding dynamic movement to strength exercises, such as doing a squat on a moving...
Truth Told: How Martial Artists Break Concrete
How martial arts is used to break boards or concrete with bare hands. The truth: practice, power, and follow through.
Future Wireless Technology, 4G LTE, is Superfast
Fourth-generation, long-term-evolution (4G LTE) wireless technology much faster than 3G. They claim.