Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Cause behind the characteristic shape of a long leaf revealed
Applied mathematicians dissected the morphology of the plantain lily, a characteristic long leaf with a saddle-like arc midsection and closely packed ripples along the edges. The simple cause of the...
Bioengineers succeed in producing plastics without the use of fossil fuels
Scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals, heralding the creation of environmentally conscious plastics.
Wind turbine noise rules 'dated'
The government needs to update its guidance on the impact of noise from wind turbines, a campaign group says.
High-tech origami: Water droplets direct self-assembly process in thin-film materials
Researchers have developed a technique for fabricating 3-D, single-crystalline silicon structures from thin films by coupling photolithography and a self-folding process driven by capillary interactions.
New Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230 unveiled
Nokia today unveiled two new 3G slider phones, the Nokia 6700 slide and Nokia 7230, made for the design-conscious consumer and optimized for socializing and sharing with those closest to...
Power of osmosis used to deliver eco-friendly energy
A Norwegian firm is testing a renewable and emission-free source of energy that harnesses the power of water through osmosisThe world's first test plant to harness osmotic power, a new emission-free source of...
Skin cells ruffle to heal open wounds
Novel microscopy technique captures migrating skin cells
Peptide-mineral interaction images created
LIVERMORE, Calif., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have created images with the resolution of a single molecule of the interaction between peptides and a mineral surface.
Selling chip makers on optical computing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer chips that transmit data with light instead of electricity consume much less power than conventional chips, but so far, they've remained laboratory curiosities. Professors Vladimir Stojanović and...
Large Hadron Collider's 1st collisions recorded
Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have successfully smashed together two beams of protons in the machine's particle accelerator for the first time.
Arsenic biomethylation required for oxidative DNA damage
Biomethylation of arsenic compounds appears to cause oxidative DNA damage and to increase their carcinogenicity, according to a new study published online November 23 in the Journal of the National...
Metal gives pigment the blues
Researchers studying manganese oxides unexpectedly discover a new way to achieve blue hue
First Proton-Proton Collisions In CMS!
My blog is not a place for hot-off-the-press news - in it you are more likely to find discussions on material well digested and thought over. Nevertheless, I do not...
Why not mashed paper towels on the Thanksgiving menu?
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2009 -- Why do people eat mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day but not mashed paper towels? That's not such an odd question from a...
Straightening messy correlations with a quantum comb
Quantum computing promises ultra-fast communication, computation and more powerful ways to encrypt sensitive information. But trying to use quantum states as carriers of information is an extremely delicate business. Now...
Insulin and core body temperature linked
LA JOLLA, Calif., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A team of scientists led by the Scripps Research Institute says it has discovered a direct link between insulin and core body...
Machine Converts CO2 into Gasoline, Diesel, and Jet Fuel
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have built a machine that uses the sun's energy to convert carbon dioxide waste from power plants into transportation fuels such as gasoline,...
Design fixed for 1,000mph car
The UK team aiming to smash its own land speed record by driving a car beyond 1,000mph settles on a final design for the vehicle.
New Reactor Uses Sunlight to Turn Water and Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel
Talk about a Eureka moment. Scientists at Sandia National Labs, seeking a means to create cheap and abundant hydrogen to power a hydrogen economy, realized they could use the same technology to "reverse-combust"...
First programmable quantum computer created
Ultracold beryllium ions tackle 160 randomly chosen programs
"Big Bang" machine set to yield surprises
GENEVA (Reuters) - Scientists could begin garnering information on the origins of the universe in the coming months as the world's biggest particle collider starts moving to full power next...
Indian engineer invents device to stop rampaging elephants
An Indian inventor has created a device to stop rampaging elephants in their tracks, amid concern about human injuries and deaths when they run amok, his company said Monday.
New hydrogen-storage method discovered
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. The discovery paves the way for an...
Low carbon straw house passes fire safety test
A newly designed straw house -- built of pre-fabricated straw-bale and hemp panels -- has fire resistance as good as houses built of conventional building materials, according to researchers in...
Small optical force can budge nanoscale objects
With a bit of leverage, researchers have used a very tiny beam of light with as little as 1 milliwatt of power to move a silicon structure up to 12...
Nuclear Bomb Detectors Stopped by Material Shortage
The Department of Homeland Security has had to stop deploying machines for detecting smuggled nuclear bombs because the U.S. has run out of a crucial raw material, experts say.
Nuclear weapons: Predicting the unthinkable
If a nuclear weapon were detonated in a metropolitan area, how large would the affected area be? Where should first responders first go? According to physicist Fernando Grinstein, we have...
Heat to produce more power
Scientists have developed a more efficient way to generate power from low-grade heat sources, such as geothermal.