Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists find key to cheaper hybrids
Australian scientists have used modified gortex to create revolutionary fuel cells that could make hybrid vehicles more affordable and reliable.
Nano Sculptures In Gold
If someone is charged up, the color of their face might change, but they don’t immediately pull off one of their arms, only to reattach it as a third leg....
X-ray Diffraction Looks Inside Aerogels In 3-D
The first high-resolution x-ray diffraction imaging of an aerogel, performed at beamline 9.0.1 of the Department of Energy's Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has revealed the aerogel's...
China Becomes A Physics Powerhouse
Judged by the astonishing increase in journal papers written by scientists in China, there can be little doubt that China is finding its place as one of the world's scientific...
Functional Nanoribbons Carved Using Super-heated, Nano-sized Particles Of Iron
Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a new method by which graphene films can be etched along flawless, crystallographic axes using hot nanoparticles, a technique that results in...
Yahoo Board Unscathed After Annual Meeting
Yahoo's board emerged unscathed from the company's annual meeting, despite expectations of shareholder dissatisfaction.
Al Gore: Energy Crisis Can Be Fixed
Al Gore is challenging Americans to produce all electricity through wind, sun and other green energy sources within 10 years. Katie Couric spoke with the former vice president about his...
The Choreography of Dancing Molecules
Polymers can be made to glow or change colors when activated by light or electric charge. This makes them good candidates for a new type of display screens based on...
Predicting Outbreaks Of Plague With The Help Of Satellite Images
Normally percolation theory is used to describe the movement of liquid through porous material. A good example of percolation is when hot water is forced through ground coffee in an...
China's 'rapid renewables surge'
Rapid investment in low carbon energy catapults China to second place in the global renewables ranking, a report shows.
Alok Jha on why algae could be used as a fuel
Alok Jha on claims that fuel made from algae may power cars of the future
Germany to boost atomic research
BERLIN, July 31 (UPI) -- The German government said it will increase funding for atomic research despite an agreement to phase out nuclear energy.
Researchers put workout into a pill
LA JOLLA, Calif., July 31 (UPI) -- Scientists in California said they've found a way to offer the benefits of exercise in a pill.
The Amazing Quantum World Of Ultra Cold Matter
Scientists have been fascinated by the concept of absolute zero, the temperature at which everything comes to a complete stop. But physics tells us otherwise: absolute zero cannot be reached...
'Major Discovery' Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution: Scientists Mimic Essence Of Plants' Energy Storage System
Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. Researchers have now hit upon a...
Letters: Religion and the ethics of science
Letters: Those who hold an absolutist view should not be dismissed as simply peddling metaphysics
SUVs safer than portrayed
SUVs are not as dangerous as sometimes thought, but they have serious safety drawbacks and may seem safer than they are because of their driving demographic.
Feature: Study shows safer used vehicles affordable
A study of Australian car crashes has found that the most safest used cars are not necessarily the most expensive.
Twin lasers measure more precisely
New laser technology using two lasers is dramatically more precise at measuring, from astronomic to atomic distances, than older techniques.
Glass behaviour nearer explanation
Scientists have discovered that vibrations in glass may explain its strange mixture of behaviours as it changes between being a liquid and being a solid.
Catalyst heralded as solar-power breakthrough
Add simple metal salts to a beaker of water, apply a current, and watch the clean, green hydrogen bubble forth.
Hydrogen Power on the Cheap--Or at Least, Cheaper [News]
The fuel of the future could be hydrogen--if it can be made cheaply enough. Currently, electrolyzers (machines that split water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen) need a catalyst, namely...
Researchers Analyze Material with 'Colossal Ionic Conductivity'
A new material characterized at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory could open a pathway toward more efficient fuel cells.
'Small' research at MSU leads to advances in energy, electronics
A Michigan State University researcher and his students have developed a nanomaterial that makes plastic stiffer, lighter and stronger and could result in more fuel-efficient airplanes and cars as well...
Plasmons put laser light on the straight and narrow
Tiny collimator reduces divergence of light from semiconductor lasers
Nanostructures made easy
Wet chemistry creates self-assembling surface that holds molecules in nano-scale arrays
Cooler fuel cells
Layered electrolyte keeps solid oxide fuel cells working near room temperature
Breakthrough catalyst for splitting water
Mild electrolysis system boosts hopes for artificial photosynthesis