Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Method makes refineries more efficient
Refineries could trim millions of dollars in energy costs annually by using a new method developed to rearrange the distillation sequence needed to separate crude petroleum into products.
System developed to detect plastic anti-personnel mines
A team of European researchers has devised a method for locating plastic anti-personnel mines, which are manufactured to avoid detection by metal detectors. The technique involves analyzing the temperature of...
SPARKy devices helps amputees return to normal lives
Researchers have developed a prosthetic device that literally puts the spring back into an amputee's step. The scientists have developed and refined SPARKy (for spring ankle with regenerative kinetics) into...
Iraq on collision course with OPEC
LUANDA, Angola, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- OPEC oil producers sought to downplay Iraq's ambitious plans to more than quadruple its oil output when they met in Angola this week.
Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used
Scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used.
From now on, 4 PTB primary atomic clocks will contribute to UTC
The world's best caesium atomic clocks control Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), an atomic time scale on which the time zones used in everyday life are based. But also in navigation...
How do you improve mammogram accuracy? Add noise
Members of a Syracuse University research team have shown that an obscure phenomenon called stochastic resonance (SR) can improve the clarity of signals in systems such as radar, sonar and...
Nanoscale changes in collagen are a tipoff to bone health
Using a technique that provides detailed images of nanoscale structures, researchers at the University of Michigan and Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital have discovered changes in the collagen component of bone...
School classroom air may be more polluted with ultrafine particles than outdoor air
The air in some school classrooms may contain higher levels of extremely small particles of pollutants - easily inhaled deep into the lungs - than polluted outdoor air, scientists in...
Improved recipe for catalysts
Baking the perfect soufflé depends on timing, good ingredients and the right proportions. Exactly the same thing applies to catalysts - the materials that make a chemical reaction work faster...
New-generation reactors help reduce nuclear waste
Advanced technologies offer ways of reducing the quantity of nuclear waste. “New types of nuclear power plants can switch to a closed fuel cycle. It means that nuclear waste wouldn’t...
Tiny nano-electromagnets turn a cloak of invisibility into a possibility
A team of researchers at the FOM institute AMOLF (The Netherlands) has succeeded for the first time in powering an energy transfer between nano-electromagnets with the magnetic field of light.
NREL Evaluates UPS Hybrid-Electric Van Performance
(PhysOrg.com) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has collected and analyzed fuel economy, maintenance and other vehicle performance data from UPS`s first generation hybrid diesel...
Mixed Feelings Soviet-Era Nuke Closure
Lithuanian Uneasy About Saying Goodbye To Last Vestige Of Its Energy Independence
Anamolus effects of Pd powders with hydrogen isotopes
Kitamura, A., et al., Anomalous effects in charging of Pd powders with high density hydrogen isotopes. Phys. Lett. A, 2009. 273(35): p. 3109-3112. http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/KitamuraAanomalouse.pdf
Researchers develop revolutionary technology for manufacturing micro-scale devices
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cranfield University has developed new technology that could significantly reduce the manufacturing costs of complex devices such as electronic noses that sniff out explosives and dangerous chemicals and...
Accelerators and Light Sources of Tomorrow (Part 1: From Linacs to Lasers)
(PhysOrg.com) -- From their humble beginnings as offshoots of the ordinary electric light bulb, particle accelerators have evolved in surprising directions. Among the most productive and promising developments have been...
AECL wins 1st Japan contract
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Tokyo Electric Power Company, the Crown corporation's first contract in Japan.
Ford to Enable Wi-Fi in Autos
A new feature by Ford will allow owners to turn their cars into mobile Wi-Fi hotspots.
This is no smoking gun, nor Iranian bomb | Norman Dombey
Nothing in the published 'intelligence documents' shows Iran is close to having nuclear weaponsSeven years ago Condoleezza Rice said "there will always be some uncertainty" in determining how close Iraq may be to...
An Electrifying Christmas Light Display, Courtesy of Nikola Tesla
A physics fanatic down under is having a very Tesla Christmas this year, creating a 30-foot electrifying display of yuletide cheer by attaching a rotating rod to the top of a Tesla...
World looks ahead post-Copenhagen
A weak international climate agreement leaves room for science to shape the next round of negotiations.
Digital Quantum Battery Could Boost Energy Density Tenfold
(PhysOrg.com) -- Physicists theorize that quantum phenomena could provide a major boost to batteries, with the potential to increase energy density up to 10 times that of lithium ion batteries....
Toronto promises to lead way for electric cars
Toronto is joining 13 of the world's largest urban centres pledging to make their cities electric car friendly.
Researchers are on the path to creating nano-MRI images
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell researchers are devising methods to detect the magnetic fields of individual electrons and atomic nuclei, which they hope to use to make a nanoscale version of magnetic...
Glowing channels: Microanalysis system for rapid mercury detection
(PhysOrg.com) -- Water contaminated with mercury is very dangerous for both people and the environment, as mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals. Though laboratory analyses do deliver...
Electronic nose can select produce with appealing aromas
The use of an electronic smelling system capable of discriminating which tomatoes, melons or other products have a more attractive aroma is a particularly valuable aid for agro-food firms. However,...
Scientists shed light on a mysterious particle, the neutrino
Physicists have begun looking deep into the Earth to study some of nature's weirdest particles -- neutrinos.