Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Astronaut balancing act: Training to help explorers adapt to a return to gravity
Challenges associated with long-duration spaceflight do not end with landing. Astronauts often suffer from balance problems that lead to dizziness and difficulty standing, walking and turning corners when they return...
Safer space vehicles thanks to optic fiber sensors
A research team has developed a new protection system for the European Space Agency that is designed to enhance the safety of space vehicles.
The other Nobel prize winners
Barack Obama picked up his Nobel peace prize in Oslo today, but less high-profile recipients have also been rewardedBarack Obama was the centre of attention when he picked up the Nobel peace...
Ibero-America to foster applied research
Boosting applied research and innovation in the Ibero-America region was the key agreement reached at the 19th Summit of Heads of State, held in Portugal last week.
Older dental fillings contain form of mercury unlikely to be toxic
A new study on the surface chemistry of silver-coloured, mercury-based dental fillings suggests that the surface forms of mercury may be less toxic than previously thought. It appears online in...
Electromagnetic fields as cutting tools
Squealing tires and the crunch of impact - when an accident occurs, the steel sheets that form a motor vehicle's bodywork must provide adequate impact protection and shield its passengers...
Entropy alone creates complex crystals from simple shapes, study shows
In a study that elevates the role of entropy in creating order, research led by the University of Michigan shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organise into complex quasicrystals...
Energy efficiency technologies offer major savings, report finds
Energy efficiency technologies that exist today or that are likely to be developed in the near future could save considerable money as well as energy, says a new report from...
Dark Matter Discovered? Don't Bet on It
A team is about to announce a possible detection of dark matter, but experts say the evidence will likely be unclear [Read more]
Partial-Hand Amputees Get Better Bionic Fingers
It seems like every few weeks someone claims to have built the newest and most revolutionary prosthetic hand, and while breakthroughs on that front are amazing, what about all the partial-hand amputees, those...
Atom Smasher Catches 1st Proton Collisions
CERN Records High-Energy Collisions in Preparation for Studies on Big Bang Theory
Toshiba Develops High Performance CMOS Device Technology for 20nm Generation LSI
(PhysOrg.com) -- Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has developed a breakthrough technology for steep channel impurity distribution that delivers a solution to a key problem for 20nm generation CMOS...
Manure focus of electricity effort in Kan.
ULYSSES, Kan., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A planned project in southwest Kansas is focused around using cow manure to create fuel that can help produce electricity, an official said.
First fuel cell boat cruises Amsterdam's canals
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Emitting only water vapor and gliding silently through Amsterdam's centuries-old canals, a canal boat -- a popular tourist attraction -- powered by fuel cells made its debut...
'Killer application' for protein synthesis is retracted
Lost lab notes hamper attempts to repeat crucial experiment.
Tiny Nuclear Batteries to Power Micro Devices
A company has developed tiny nuclear batteries for both military and civilian uses, ranging from wireless vehicle or building monitors to implantable medical sensors.
Halifax university to dismantle nuclear reactor
Dalhousie University in Halifax is preparing to decommission the decades-old nuclear reactor sitting in the heart of its campus.
Turning metal black more than just a novelty
University of Rochester optics professor Chunlei Guo made headlines in the past couple of years when he changed the colour of everyday metals by scouring their surfaces with precise, high-intensity...
Reporter’s Notebook: Emergency measures
“Can somebody let her out of there?” asked an audience member plaintively.“Her” was Taylor Williamson, a student in the Product Engineering Processes class (2.009), and she was trembling inside a 4-1/2-foot-tall glass cylinder...
Engineers on course to make super-efficient solar-electric powered boat
A team of academics and students has begun work on a solar-electric powered boat which they claim will be one of the most sophisticated to enter the annual prestigious Solar...
How dinoflagellates protect themselves during photosynthesis
During photosynthesis at high light intensities dangerous oxygen radicals can form inside cells. Dinoflagellates have a unique light-harvesting complex (antenna) which can divert superfluous energy extremely efficiently to avoid this...
Nanomedicine: ending 'hit and miss' design
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the promises of nanomedicine is the design of tiny particles that can home in on diseased cells and get inside them. Nanoparticles can carry drugs into...
Berkeley Lab experts assist in the greening of China
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists Lynn Price and Nan Zhou expected the long banquet and endless toasting. What they did not expect on a recent trip to a cement plant...
Gallium nitride transistor could replace silicon
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell researcher has created an extremely efficient transistor made from gallium nitride, which may soon replace silicon as king of semiconductors for power applications.
Panasonic Develops A Gallium Nitride (GaN) Inverter IC for Motor Drive with High Efficiency
Panasonic today announced the development of a Gallium Nitride (GaN) -based monolithic inverter integrated circuit (IC) for motor drive. The integrated six GaN-based transistors can be independently driven in a...
Zenn to close Quebec electric car plant
Zenn Motor Company says it will close facilities in Quebec's Laurentians region, as it phases out production of low-speed electric vehicles.
Solar energy powers Marines on battlefield (w/ Video)
A year ago, U.S. Marines operating in the Arabian Desert only viewed the sun as the source of the region's relentless heat. Recently, the Office of Naval Research (ONR)...
Does weak equivalence break down at the quantum level?
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the givens in physics is the weak equivalence principle. This principle has been considered solid since Einstein proposed that it is not possible to detect the...