Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers pinpoint how sorbent materials catch and release carbon
A key component of ambient direct air capture (DAC) systems that remove carbon dioxide from the air is the sorbent material that is used to first capture the carbon and...
US should consider 'stay-at-home' cooling options during pandemic
A new study from Australian scientists at the forefront of climate and health modeling suggests electric fans and water dousing could be a viable stay-at-home cooling strategy as the United...
New fabric could help keep you cool in the summer, even without A/C
Air conditioning and other space cooling methods account for about 10% of all electricity consumption in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Now, researchers reporting in ACS...
Transforming e-waste into a strong, protective coating for metal
A typical recycling process converts large quantities of items made of a single material into more of the same. However, this approach isn't feasible for old electronic devices, or 'e-waste,'...
Healing an Achilles' heel of quantum entanglement
Louisiana State University Associate Professor of Physics Mark M. Wilde and his collaborator have solved a 20-year-old problem in quantum information theory on how to calculate entanglement cost—a way to...
Build a wireless charger right into a table
A smooth tabletop hides the power beneath. (Whitson Gordon/)Ever since I got a phone with wireless charging, it’s been hard to go back. Plugging my phone into the wall feels time-consuming and archaic,...
Scientists tap novel technologies to solve mystery of how water ‘grows’
From the creation of a single droplet to the flow of a river and the world’s hydrological cycle, how water binds together, and to different surfaces, has far-reaching consequences. Examining...
‘Quantum negativity’ can power ultra-precise measurements
Scientists have found that a physical property called ‘quantum negativity’ can be used to take more precise measurements of everything from molecular distances to gravitational waves. We’ve shown that filtering...
“Giant atoms” enable quantum processing and communication in one
MIT researchers have introduced a quantum computing architecture thatcan perform low-error quantum computations while also rapidly sharing quantum information between processors. The work represents a key advance toward a complete quantum computing platform. Previous...
Biphilic surfaces reduce defrosting times in heat exchangers
Ice formation and accumulation are challenging concerns for several industrial applications including heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, aircraft, energy transmission, and transportation platforms. Frost formation on heat...
3-D touchless interactive display detects finger humidity to change color
A novel three-dimensional (3-D) touchless interactive display can change color based on the distance of the user's finger from the screen by detecting subtle shifts in ambient relative humidity, according...
Research team exactly solves experimental puzzle in high temperature superconductivity
Forty-five years after superconductivity was first discovered in metals, the physics giving rise to it was finally explained in 1957 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer...
Simulating quantum 'time travel' disproves butterfly effect in quantum realm
Using a quantum computer to simulate time travel, researchers have demonstrated that, in the quantum realm, there is no "butterfly effect." In the research, information—qubits, or quantum bits—'time travel' into...
New fabrication method brings single-crystal perovskite devices closer to viability
Nanoengineers at UC San Diego developed a new method to fabricate perovskites as single-crystal thin films, which are more efficient for use in solar cells and optical devices than the...
'Giant atoms' enable quantum processing and communication in one
MIT researchers have introduced a quantum computing architecture that can perform low-error quantum computations while also rapidly sharing quantum information between processors. The work represents a key advance toward a...
A method to predict the properties of complex quantum systems
Predicting the properties of complex quantum systems is a crucial step in the development of advanced quantum technologies. While research teams worldwide have already devised a number of techniques to...
Curlicued research tool propels fast-moving fluids for study by neutrons
What do the loopy straws that children like to sip drinks through have in common with cutting-edge science? Ask Ryan Murphy and his colleagues at the National Institute of Standards...
Researchers make proton pump of respiratory chain work in artificial polymer membrane
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, and the University of Halle are...
Steps toward room-temperature superconductivity
The possibility of achieving room temperature superconductivity took a tiny step forward with a recent discovery by a team of Penn State physicists and materials scientists.
Scientists strapped tiny cameras to beetles to get a bug’s-eye view of the world
A tiny camera for a tiny adventure photographer. (Mark Stone/University of Washington/)Ever wondered what the world would look like if you were a foot taller or shorter than you are right now? Even...
Electrochemical doping: Researchers improve carbon nanotube transparent conductors
Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from Aalto University have discovered that electrochemical doping with ionic liquid can significantly enhance the optical and electrical properties of transparent conductors made of single-walled...
Scientists go the distance in electron transfer study
Electron movement—what scientists call electron transfer—powers many of life's functions. For example, a good deal of the energy we derive from the foods we eat is captured by a process...
How plantains and carbon nanotubes can improve cars
A luxury automobile is not really a place to look for something like sisal, hemp, or wood. Yet automakers have been using natural fibers for decades. Some high-end sedans and...
Using light to tune interlayer forces in van der Waals materials
A Chinese-Australian collaboration has demonstrated for the first time that interlayer coupling in a van der Waals (vdW) material can be largely modulated by a protonic gate, which inject protons...
New method to filter extracellular vesicles to improve diagnostics options
Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester discovered an alternative to successfully purify biological particles to better understand how cells communicate with one another.
'Quantum negativity' can power ultra-precise measurements
Scientists have found that a physical property called 'quantum negativity' can be used to take more precise measurements of everything from molecular distances to gravitational waves.
Mets to sign catcher Bruce Maxwell, first MLB player to kneel for anthem
The New York Mets are finalizing a deal with former Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell, who was the first MLB player to kneel during the national anthem.
Bright Peak launches to develop synthetic proteins
Versant-backed biotech firm is building on technology from ETH chemist Jeffrey Bode