Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Spider silk can create lenses useful for biological imaging
Spider silk is useful for a variety of biomedical applications: It exhibits mechanical properties superior to synthetic fibers for tissue engineering, and it is not toxic or harmful to living...
Is the hydrogen tech 'revolution' hope or hype?
Can hydrogen - a relatively clean source of fuel - help power the economy of the future?
Cartwheeling light reveals new optical phenomenon
Researchers have discovered details about a novel type of polarized-light matter interaction with light that literally turns end over end as it propagates from a source.
GE lands $101.3M to build engines for F-15EX aircraft
General Electric was awarded $101.3 million to produce engines for F-15EX aircraft for the Air Force, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
Mathematical noodling leads to new insights into an old fusion problem
Scientists have gained new insight into a common type of plasma hiccup that interferes with fusion reactions. These findings could help bring fusion energy closer to reality.
The best selfie lights to make your photos and videos pop
See more. (Arteum.ro via Unsplash/)With influencers flooding Instagram and other internet platforms over the past few years, selfie lights have rocketed in popularity. They help enhance your filming area’s lighting by cooling or...
Mathematical noodling leads to new insights into an old fusion problem
A challenge to creating fusion energy on Earth is trapping the charged gas known as plasma that fuels fusion reactions within a strong magnetic field and keeping the plasma as...
Geologists identify deep-earth structures that may signal hidden metal lodes
If the world is to maintain a sustainable economy and fend off the worst effects of climate change, at least one industry will soon have to ramp up dramatically: the...
Chemist adds details of 'cold collisions of hot molecules' to theories of molecular interactions
When two cars collide at an intersection -- from opposite directions -- the impact is much different than when two cars -- traveling in the same direction -- 'bump' into...
Microscope allows gentle, continuous imaging of light-sensitive corals
Many corals are sensitive to bright light, so capturing their dynamics with traditional microscopes is a challenge. To work around their photosensitivity, researchers developed a custom light-sheet microscope (the L-SPI)...
Study reveals magnetic process that can lead to more energy-efficient memory in computers
Researchers have made an important advance that could lead to more energy efficient magnetic memory storage components for computers and other devices.
Ultrafast light wave electronics: Light from inside the tunnel
Steering and monitoring the light-driven motion of electrons inside matter on the time-scale of a single optical cycle is a key challenge in ultrafast light wave electronics and laser-based material...
MIT Energy Initiative awards eight seed fund grants for early-stage MIT energy research
Eight individuals and teams from MIT were recently awarded $150,000 grants through the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Seed Fund Program to support promising novel energy research. The highly competitive annual program received a...
Huntington Ingalls nets $936M for Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
The Navy has awarded Huntington Ingalls with a $936 million contract for the construction of an additional Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyer.
World's widest graphene nanoribbon promises the next generation of miniaturized electronics
With literally the thickness of one carbon atom and electrical properties that can surpass those of standard semiconductor technologies, graphene nanoribbons promise a new generation of miniaturized electronic devices. The...
Emergence of chirality and structural complexity in single crystals at the molecular and morphological levels
Imagine trying to build a Colosseum-type edifice—including arches, vaults and various protrusions—while abiding by two strict rules: Only one type of brick may be used, and these bricks are required...
Light from inside the tunnel
Steering and monitoring the light-driven motion of electrons inside matter on the time-scale of a single optical cycle is a key challenge in ultrafast light wave electronics and laser-based material...
Buzzing to rebuild broken bone
Healing broken bones could get easier with a device that provides both a scaffold for the bone to grow on and electrical stimulation to urge it forward, UConn engineers reported...
Versatile LED irradiation system: From disinfection to medical treatments
For disinfection purposes, a compact system can be equipped with UV LEDs to eliminate germs on critical surfaces such as mobile phones. It can also be assembled with LEDs providing...
Scientists develop N-doped self-cleaning membranes that use visible light irradiation
Researchers from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S. have recently employed atomic layer deposition (ALD) to fabricate...
Researchers find large linear negative thermal expansion in intermetallic Cr-Se-Te compounds
Researchers used a variable temperature X-ray diffractometer (XRD) at China's Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF) under Hefei Institutes of Physical Science and have found large linear negative thermal expansion...
Revisiting energy flow in photosynthetic plant cells
By developing innovative methods to visualize energy changes in subcellular compartments in live plants, the team of Dr. Boon Leong Lim, Associate Professor of the School of Biological Sciences of...
Decoding material wear with supercomputers
Wear and friction are crucial issues in many industrial sectors: What happens when one surface slides across another? Which changes must be expected in the material? What does this mean...
Carl Reiner, comedian and 'Dick Van Dyke Show' creator, dies at 98
Carl Reiner, an actor, comedian, writer, producer and director who created "The Dick Van Dyke Show," died Monday of natural causes.
Face mask construction, materials matter for containing coughing, sneezing droplets
Currently, there are no specific guidelines on the most effective materials and designs for facemasks to minimize the spread of droplets from coughs or sneezes to mitigate the transmission of...
Researchers control elusive spin fluctuations in 2D magnets
A team developed a new imaging technique that is fast and sensitive enough to observe elusive critical fluctuations in two-dimensional magnets. This real-time imaging allows researchers to control the fluctuations...
Video: Microgripper captures single cells for tissue biopsy
The remotely guided device offers a simple way to manipulate cells
Face coverings made from layered cotton fabric likely slow the spread of COVID-19 better than synthetics
Researchers have completed a new study of how well a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics filter particles of a similar size to the virus that causes COVID-19. Of the...