Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Cement's Basic Molecular Structure Finally Decoded
In the 2,000 years since the Roman Empire employed a naturally occurring form of cement to build a vast system of concrete aqueducts, researchers have analyzed the molecular structure of...
Germany Unveils Plan for Massive Swarm Power
Hoping that many hands will make lighter work, German energy company Lichtblick has teamed up with Volkswagen on a project to install 100,000 miniature gas power plants in people's homes over the next...
NIST calculations may improve temperature measures for microfluidics
If you wanted to know if your child had a fever or be certain that the roast in the oven was thoroughly cooked, you would, of course, use a thermometer...
Choosing a Low Radiation Cell Phone
(PhysOrg.com) -- An Environmental Working Group (EWG) team has released a consumer guide on the radiation levels emitted by over 1,000 cell phones sold in the U.S. The guide is...
Individual cells isolated from biological clock can keep daily time, but are unreliable
Alexis Webb enters a small room at Washington University in St. Louis with walls, floor and ceiling painted dark green, shuts the door, turns off the lights and bends over...
Britain’s First Dual Fuel Bus Will Cut Emissions By Half
A consortium brought together by low carbon experts is launching the first bus in the UK to run on clean, biomethane gas.
Baby boomers' boon? LED light and green tea cream to smooth facial wrinkles
Scientists in Germany are reporting a major improvement in their potential new treatment for facial wrinkles that could emerge as an alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery. The non-invasive technique...
Researchers simplify fabrication of nano storage, chip-design tools
Advances by the Rice University lab of James Tour have brought graphite's potential as a mass data storage medium a step closer to reality and created the potential for reprogrammable...
Michigan scientists working on super-fast, secure computing
Air Force Office of Scientific Research(AFOSR)-supported physicists at the University of Michigan are developing innovative components for quantum, or super-fast, computers that will improve security for data storage and transmission.
The Shrinky Dink solution
Toys don't usually inspire high-tech innovation, but Michelle Khine's childhood favorite did just that.
Contraception can reduce carbon emissions
LONDON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- British researchers have concluded that contraception is a much cheaper way to reduce carbon emissions than conventional green technologies.
Prototype NIST method detects and measures elusive hazards
A chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has demonstrated a relatively simple, inexpensive method for detecting and measuring elusive hazards such as concealed explosives and toxins,...
High in sodium: Highly charged tungsten ions may diagnose fusion energy reactors
Just as health-food manufacturers work on developing the best possible sodium substitutes for low-salt diets, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have acquired new knowledge on...
The Wild Side: The Creation of Charles Darwin
Darwin's anniversary year continues to be celebrated with exhibitions, lectures, postage stamps and, now, a feature film.
New NIST Trace Explosives Standard Slated For Homeland Security Duty
NIST researchers have developed a new reference material to use in calibrating and testing trace-explosives detectors like those used at airports.
Genomics sciences guarantees better results in the art of winemaking
While the art of fine winemaking is a beautiful thing, winemakers are increasingly turning to the power of science to give them the tools they need to ensure a high...
Light at the speed of a bicycle and much more
The speed of light, 300 million metres per second, was long thought an immutable constant and has defined our understanding of matter and energy but recent research in the area...
Watch Out for Anomalous Couplings in WW Production
The CDF collaboration has recently released a study of the production of pairs of W bosons in a large bounty of proton-antiproton collisions produced by the Tevatron collider -3.6 inverse...
Quantum Viruses
Can we bring life forms into quantum states? Will we ever manage to elevate Schrodinger's cat from thought experiment to real-life experiment? A recent publication suggests the answers to above...
Proposed Quantum Computer Consists of Billions of Electron Spins
(PhysOrg.com) -- While researchers have already demonstrated the building blocks for few-bit quantum computers, scaling these systems up to large quantum computers remains a challenge. One of the biggest problems...
A slide show for drug discovery
Hydrogel slide offers key advantages over traditional microarray platforms
Quantum Leap
The biography of a physicist with an almost supernatural affinity for his field and a curious lack of connection to society.
Cosmic Log: Not-so-stupid microbe tricks
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Researchers swap tales of magical microbes that can manufacture drugs, clean contaminated water or generate electricity.
Bacteria Take On Completely New Flat Shape To Fit Through Nanoslits
It appears that bacteria can squeeze through practically anything. In extremely small nanoslits they take on a completely new flat shape. Even in this squashed form they continue to grow...
Solar cell shipments in Japan hit record high in April-June
Demand for solar cells has been growing rapidly in Japan with a record generating capacity of 83,260 kilowatts shipped to the domestic market between April and June, up 82.5 percent...
Laser Cooling May Create "Exotic" States of Matter
The technique, which could be used to boost efficiency in optical telescopes, may also help scientists create new "crystalline and glassy" states of matter, a study says.
Better Way to Measure Particle Shape Proves Popular
Tiny particles are pivotal to climate change, public health, and nanotechnology. A significant fraction of these particles are aspherical, yet scientists must routinely assume the particles are spherical to interpret...
Novel Anti-inflammatory Molecules Of Microbial Origin
By studying the mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis, molecules with anti-inflammatory properties have been identified by researchers. These molecules, as well as several new analogs, have now been synthesized. In a...