Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream
Prized for their impressive antlers, red deer have been caught in the hunters' sights for generations. But a deer's antlers are much more than decorative. They are lethal weapons that...
Plasma-in-a-bag for sterilizing devices
The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize health care in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. Through the years, numerous ways of...
Nuclear waste reduction: Polymers designed to mop up radioactive isotopes
Nuclear power could solve our energy problems but it has rather nasty by-products: radioactive waste. Not only the disposal of the old core rods but also reactor operation results in...
Multiferroic compounds used to produce smaller and cheaper digital memories
Is it possible to make even more compact digital memories for portable electronic devices and which consume even less energy? Researchers have recently demonstrated that it is feasible, thanks to...
Fujitsu Develops Technology for Low-Temperature Full-Service Direct Formation of Graphene Transistors on Large-Scale Sub
Fujitsu Laboratories today announced, as a world first, the development of a novel technology for forming graphene transistors directly on the entire surface of large-scale insulating substrates at low temperatures...
Video: Time Traveler Sabotage?
Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku put conspiracy theories about the Large Hadron Collider initial malfunction to rest. One theory suggests a time traveler sabotaged the project.
The Grand Arena
What is the size of the universe? How heavy is it? How big can black holes grow? How small are subatomic particles? How many orders of magnitude will I cross...
A simple way to join an olefin to an arene
Pd-catalysed olefination of an arene can be directed by simple modification to the substrate and amine ligands to steer the catalyst
Bling bling with your ring ring: Dekoden craze sees cell phones get a touch of glitz, glamour
Cell phone owners are ringing the changes and putting a smile on their dial by adorning their mobiles with ornamental stickers, charms and beads -- and the craze just keeps...
Smartphones Could Form Chemical Detection Networks
A NASA researcher has developed a new a new plug-in chemical sensor for the iPhone that can detect airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane, and could possibly help first responders.
In Greenland, warming fuels dream of hidden wealth
(AP) -- Gert Ignatiussen returns to this fjord-front Inuit town with the spoils of his hunting trip. Six seals, all killed with a single shot to the head.
Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide
(PhysOrg.com) -- Architecture could help us tackle climate change, if we start to design our buildings with 'living' materials, according to Dr Rachel Armstrong, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture.
Spin polarization achieved in room temperature silicon
(PhysOrg.com) -- A group in The Netherlands has achieved a first: injection of spin-polarized electrons in silicon at room temperature. This has previously been observed only at extremely low temperatures,...
Nuclear reactors contain safety flaws, watchdog reveals
• Major concerns over European and American designs• Redesign required before plants can be approved for constructionIn the race to provide energy for the nation's future, two multinational companies have led the way...
Albert V. Crewe dies at 82; physics professor captured first image of an atom
In 1970, Crewe used a scanning transmission electron microscope of his own invention at the University of Chicago to capture uranium and thorium atoms. ...
Breakthrough in 'spintronics' could lead to energy efficient chips
Scientists from the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology of the University of Twente and the FOM Foundation have succeeded in transferring magnetic information directly into a semiconductor. For the first time,...
Nanowires key to future transistors, electronics
A new generation of ultrasmall transistors and more powerful computer chips using tiny structures called semiconducting nanowires are closer to reality after a key discovery by researchers at IBM, Purdue...
New nano color sorters from molecular foundry
Researchers have created bowtie-shaped antennae that function as the first tunable nano color sorters, able to capture, filter and steer light at the nanoscale.
Predicting the effectiveness of metal catalysts
Catalysis is a process that is widely used in industry to synthesize molecules or materials. However, determining catalytic mechanisms is a major challenge for modern chemistry. Researchers have now used...
Overcoming barriers for organic electronics
Electronic devices can't work well unless all of the transistors, or switches, within them allow electrical current to flow easily when they are turned on. Engineers have now determined why...
Roku adds more 'channels' of video and other digital content
Owners of Roku's digital video player will soon have a bunch more channels to choose from.
One pot synthesis for nylon precursor
Chinese chemists optimise process to make useful cyclohexanone from phenol in a single step
New chemical reaction offers opportunities for drug development
Researchers led by Conway Fellow, Professor Pat Guiry have solved a chemistry problem that has stumped researchers worldwide for more than a decade. The results have earned the group the...
The goal of robot hockey: to become better engineers (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- It may be a long time before we see robots shooting pucks and making saves in professional hockey, but second-year mechanical engineering students at the University of Alberta...
'Safety valve' protects photosynthesis from too much light
Photosynthetic organisms need to cope with a wide range of light intensities, which can change over timescales of seconds to minutes. Too much light can damage the photosynthetic machinery and...
'Innovation cooperation' to meet climate challenges
Climate talks must move from technology transfer to 'innovation cooperation' to develop and deploy technologies effectively, says Ambuj Sagar.
Comcast bid for NBC Universal could be sealed next week: source
Comcast's bid to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal from General Electric could be sealed next week if GE reaches an agreement with Vivendi, a source close to the...
Powerless in Gaza
Will a 15-year-old power plant that has survived bombings, embargoes, and blockades ever fulfill its mission to bring electricity to Palestine?