Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Spallation Neutron Source First Of Its Kind To Reach Megawatt Power
The Department of Energy's Spallation Neutron Source, already the world's most powerful facility for pulsed neutron scattering science, is now the first pulsed spallation neutron source to break the one-megawatt...
Solar Power in a Water War
Many plans to meet the nation’s demand for power with renewable energy could consume billions of gallons of water every year.
"Time Telescopes" Could Make Data Transfer 27 Times Faster
If it were up to us, everything would be faster by at least one order of magnitude, but the laws of physics often get in the way of unlimited speed and efficiency....
Licence to go where no chemist has gone before
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have overcome one of the significant research challenges facing electrochemists. For the first time they have found a way of probing right into the...
Probe's pass and brake at Mercury
Nasa’s Messenger probe will use its third and final fly-by of Mercury to slow itself sufficiently to get into orbit in 2011.
Champagne science: study reveals chemical components in bubbles
Bubbles bursting from a glass of champagne release a host of chemicals that make every sparkling glass an uplifting sensory experience, a study has shown.
Clemson researchers study energy savings with electric cars and IntelliDrive technology
Clemson University researchers have been awarded a $470,000 National Science Foundation grant to study making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) more efficient to reduce fossil fuel use.
Improved robotic hand captures mechanical engineering top award
The Virginia Tech College of Engineering's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) has captured another top award for its updated innovative robotic hand that can automatically change its grasping force using...
Nanotech researchers develop artificial pore
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, University of Cincinnati (UC) biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane.
300 mph: New Land Speed Record for a Hydrogen Powered Vehicle
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the complaints that many have with regard to vehicles powered by alternative energy is the fact that they don't really have a lot of speed. However,...
Zenn to cease electric car production
The Toronto-based Zenn Motor Company has announced it will cease production of its electric car, which had been hailed as a mini-revolution in the industry.
Aircraft emissions could influence climate change through cloud formation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Aircraft emissions can affect the properties of cirrus clouds, contributing to climate change. This was a key finding from PNNL scientist Dr. Xiaohong Liu and his colleagues from...
This (Past) Week in the Future: September 21-25
The Future--what a place. A time more than a place, perhaps, but here at PopSci, a tangible thing. To wit: our future world where we'll sniff stem cells, control cyborg beetles and...
Microchip uses nanotechnology to detect cancer
Canadian researchers have developed a prototype microchip that could one day lead to a portable device that could diagnose cancer in 30 minutes.
IBM notes 20th anniversary of moving atoms
ARMONK, N.Y., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Monday marked the 20th anniversary of IBM's Don Eigler becoming the first person in history to move and control individual atoms.
Pushing the cold frontier in an orderly fashion
Physicists are continually reaching new lows as they reduce the temperatures of samples in their laboratories. But even nano-kelvins are not low enough to overcome the entropy (a measure of...
Transonic Hulls, Inspired by Racing Yachts, Could Add Stealth To Navy SEALs' Boats
A knife-like boat design provides a covert, fuel-efficient ride An undercover team of Navy SEALs isn’t worth much if their transport boat’s wake betrays their approach. Nor does it help if they come...
Weathering System Cuts Product Testing Time
(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers design a new auto paint, a better solar device or a sturdier vinyl siding. But how can they know if the new products deserve a five-year,...
Lab-grade economics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Can economists conduct studies with solid scientific foundations? MIT's Joshua Angrist explains how to carry out 'natural experiments' with numbers.
Stretching opens up possibilities for graphene
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers say they have found a simple way to improve the semiconducting properties of the world`s thinnest material - by giving it a good tug.
LHC gets warning system upgrade
Engineers hope an early warning system being installed at the Large Hadron Collider could prevent incidents of the kind which shut the machine last year.
Australia 'uranium' dust concerns
Environmentalists in Australia fear waves of red dust blown in from the outback may contain radioactive particles.
New Nanochemistry Technique Encases Single Molecules In Microdroplets
Inventing a useful new tool for creating chemical reactions between single molecules, scientists have employed microfluidics to make microdroplets that each contain a single molecules of interest. By combining this...
Feature: Computing sees the light
In a bid to overcome the limitations of existing microchips, researchers are now working on developing the next generation of integrated circuits.
New Electronic Concept: How Hybrid Motors Could Become Cheaper
Not all that long ago, hybrid vehicles were still really exotic. Now, you see them more and more frequently on our roads. However, hybrid cars are not mass-produced as their...
New Technique Allows Scientists To Penetrate Yeast Cells' Hard Exterior
If you want to know how a cell responds to a particular chemical, the experiment is simple: Inject it with that chemical. Micropipettes -- tiny needles that can puncture a...
Lab-on-a-Chip Performs 1,000 Chemical Reactions At Once
Flasks, beakers, and hot plates may soon be a thing of the past in medicinal chemistry labs. Instead of handling a few experiments on a benchtop, scientists may simply pop...
What Mott Insulators, Wedding Cakes And Quantum Transitions Have In Common
Transitions are exciting because at temperatures close to absolute zero the transition from one quantum phase to another can provide a deeper understanding of fundamental laws of the universe. A...