Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
All-electric Spintronics Created
Scientists have always attempted to develop spin transistors by incorporating local ferromagnets into device architectures. A far better and practical way to manipulate the orientation of an electron's spin would...
Link between patent law and tech transfer 'not proven'
Strong intellectual property rights do not always ease the transfer of climate technologies and may even hinder it, claims a study.
Nanoparticles come loose during washing
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists say they have discovered silver nanoparticles being used in some brands of socks are being released into the environment during...
Dark matter sleuths to design world's largest WIMP catcher
A team of researchers led by a Case Western Reserve University physicist is planning the world's largest, most sensitive experiment to catch the stuff of dark matter, stuff that's proved...
LANL Roadrunner models nonlinear physics of high-power lasers
For years scientists have struggled with the difficult physics of inertial confinement fusion. This is the attempt to compress a target capsule containing isotopes of hydrogen with high-powered lasers to...
Next-generation microcapsules deliver 'chemicals on demand'
Scientists in California are reporting development of a new generation of the microcapsules used in carbon-free copy paper, in which capsules burst and release ink with pressure from a pen....
TMS Invites Members to Tell Their Materials Science & Engineering Stories through Video Contest
In an effort to engage and connect members through the power of social networking, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) has launched a video contest, "TMS, MSE & Me."...
How To Fix a Broken Collider: the LHC's Restart Checklist
Before scientists can put the Large Hadron Collider back to work this month solving the mysteries of particle physics, the LHC’s engineers face critical repairs to the $5-billion device. First up: Fix the...
Introducing The Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Speaking of cephalopods which have surprised by not being too heavy to fly after all, I was reminded of one little cuttlefish who is actually too heavy to swim: Metasepia...
Chemical causes ant infighting
Researchers have discovered a way to turn normally friendly ants against each other, by interfering with their chemical recognition.
Sweet solution to energy production
Sugarcane biomass, a significant waste product from sugar production, could be a renewable energy source for electricity production, according to research published in the current issue of the international journal...
Lights down in Toulouse
• Streetlights go dim in the absence of pedestrians • Energy-saving trial just the start, says deputy mayor
Magnetic mixing creates quite a stir
Sandia researchers have developed a process that can mix tiny volumes of liquid, even in complicated spaces...
New methods are changing old materials
A company that makes steel for bearings used in heavy trucks had a big problem. The trucks travel through harsh, perilous environments such as Siberia, and an unexpected bearing failure on a...
Thinking About The Box
By re-thinking ideas about packaging size and shape, major environmental gains can be made. Smaller-sized, more easily handled boxes require less goods transport. Focusing on size will get us further...
Video: Ford Accelerates
Ford is gaining ground on its Japanese competitors, as its vehicles have received positive consumer reports. But, as Dean Reynolds reports, Ford still has to overcome much public skepticism.
Daylight Savings Time 2009: When and Why We Fall Back
When is the big daylight saving time (often called daylight savings time) switchover in autumn 2009? Why do we fall back in the first place?
SEMATECH Reports New Approach to Simulate Transistor Noise
Researchers from SEMATECH's Front End Processes (FEP) program have developed a comprehensive transistor noise model capable of extracting defect characteristics from low frequency noise data in advanced gate stack transistors...
Biologists reveal structure of cell nucleus 'gatekeeper'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists led by associate professor Thomas Schwartz (MIT) have worked out a rudimentary architectural plan for the nuclear pore complex (NPC), the gatekeeper of the cell's nucleus.
Silicon-Air Battery: Non-stop Power for Thousands of Hours
Technion scientists have created an environmentally friendly silicon-oxygen battery capable of supplying non-stop power for 1000s of hours. Used like batteries already in use today, they would be lightweight, have...
Does A Curveball In Baseball Really Break?
It's World Series time, which means it's time to talk about physics and baseball once again. This season, among other things, we've covered the farthest homerun ever hit and...
Xerox Develops Silver Ink for Cheap Printable Electronics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Xerox has developed an ink which can be used to print circuits onto plastics, films, and textiles. Although circuits printed on flexible materials aren't new, Xerox's method may...
Research continues on secure, mobile, quantum communications
Researcher Dr. David H. Hughes of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y. is leading a team investigating long-distance, mobile optical links imperative for secure quantum communications capabilities in...
Physicists Are Discovering Ways To Build Rogue Waves Out Of Light
Research into monstrous rogue waves points the way to improved long distance optical communication, and could help us understand how giant, destructive waves form at sea.
Students demonstrate flux pinning in low gravity
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Cornell researchers recently tested their work on the mysterious physical phenomenon of flux pinning aboard a near-zero gravity aircraft.
Electric car stores home power
Researchers are road testing an electric car that, when parked at home, can run appliances or store suplus power from solar panels.
Driving on Air
Contributing Editor Peter Fairley investigates the promise of a small city car that uses pneumatic propulsion.
Solving Hydrogen Storage Limit to Power Green Cars
Hydrogen fuel, with steam as its only byproduct, would be the ultimate clean, green fuel. But it has failed to deliver on this promise due to one enormous stumbling block:...