Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Electronics Industry May Be Entering A New Phase
Electronic devices of the future could be smaller, faster, more powerful and consume less energy because of a new discovery.
Saser: The Sonic Laser
This has been a good week for sonic physics. First came reports that scientists used sound waves to create a sonic black hole. Now, it seems that a different group...
Nuclear fusion power project to start in 2018: official
An experimental reactor that could harness nuclear fusion, the power that fuels the Sun, will begin operation in southern France in 2018, the project's governing body announced Thursday.
Unlike rubber bands, molecular bonds may not break faster when pulled
From balloons to rubber bands, things always break faster when stretched. Or do they? University of Illinois scientists studying chemical bonds now have shown this isn't always the case, and...
How strain at grain boundaries suppresses high-temperature superconductivity
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered that a reduction in mechanical strain at the boundaries of crystal grains can significantly improve the performance of...
Researchers putting a freeze on oscillator vibrations
University of Oregon physicists have successfully landed a one-two punch on a tiny glass sphere, refrigerating it in liquid helium and then dosing its perimeter with a laser beam, to...
Shape matters in the case of cobalt nanoparticles
Shape is turning out to be a particularly important feature of some commercially important nanoparticles - but in subtle ways. New studies by scientists at the National Institute for Standards...
NIST finds 'a touch of glass' in metal, settles century-old question
Better predictions of how many valuable materials behave under stress could be on the way from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where scientists have recently found evidence...
Nonstick and laser-safe gold aids laser trapping of biomolecules
Biophysicists long for an ideal material - something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface - to anchor and position individual biomolecules. Gold is an alluring possibility,...
Scientists report significant advances in flexible electronics research
In work that represents a key step toward bringing bendable, flexible electronic devices into our homes and businesses, Stanford University researchers have created very thin, high-performance transistors using networks of...
The Vision Revolution: Eyes Are the Source of Human "Superpowers"
Reaching beyond "how," and instead inquiring "why" vision evolved as it has over millions of years, Mark Changizi made a startling discovery: human beings do, indeed, have superpowers - telepathy,...
Crustacean Shell with Polyester Creates Mixed-Fiber Material for Nerve Repair
Weaving chitosan, found in the shells of crabs and shrimp, with an industrial polyester creates a promising new material for biomedical applications, including the tiny tubes that support repair of...
Biomimetic-engineering design can replace spaghetti tangle of nanotubes in thermal material
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) devices have the potential to revolutionize the world of sensors: motion, chemical, temperature, etc. But taking electromechanical devices from the micro scale down to the nano requires...
Carrots cooked whole contain more anti-cancer compound
Chopping up your carrot after it has been cooked boosts its anti-cancer properties by 25 per cent, scientists at Newcastle University have found. The study, carried out by Newcastle University`s...
July 2009 Issue: The Future of Energy
Features The Future of Energy From here to 2050: The Reality-Check Energy Guide; Which technologies will finally free us from oil? Iceland's Power Down Below Last October, Iceland's economy tanked. Its bailout? A two-mile...
ESA signs High Thrust Engine Demonstrator contract for Next Generation Launcher
Today at the Paris Air Show being held at Le Bourget, ESA signed a €20 million contract rider with the Joint Propulsion Team consortium composed of Avio SpA (I), Astrium...
A Polymer Solar Cell with Near-Perfect Internal Efficiency
An international group of scientists has developed a polymer-based solar cell with an ability not yet seen in similar cells: almost every single photon it absorbs is converted into a...
The Purpose of Fingerprints Questioned
Fingerprints were theorized to increase friction when we grip objects, but researchers put this to the test and found just the opposite.
Move Over, Silicon; Here Come Quantum Bismuth Chips
Bismuth Telluride Valley doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but a new discovery may mean the end of silicon chips. After decades of using Bi2Te3 for its thermoelectric...
Spintronic – The New Electronic?
Spintronic devices have created enormous advances in microelectronics, leading to faster, instant-on start times and orders-of-magnitude increases in data storage capacity. Spintronics is short for spin transport electronics – electronic...
Ultra-Bright Synchrotron Promises Finest Resolution Ever
The National Synchrotron Light Source was commissioned in 1982, and it remains one of the world's leading experimental light sources. But with so much of today's science happening on the...
Working out a timescale for quantum operations
One of the issues affecting quantum systems is coherence. Understanding coherence and how it breaks down (decoherence) is one of the keys to putting together a powerful quantum computer. And,...
Shaken and Stirred: Lab Studies Ice From Frigid Worlds
The most exotic frozen cocktails on Earth won't be found in a chic restaurant or trendy bar. Scientists are mixing up these icy concoctions in a rather nondescript laboratory not...
Study separates russian flat tax myth and fact
Proponents of a flat rate income tax often point to Russia's 2001 switch to a 13 percent flat tax as nothing short of an economic miracle.
Black-hole analogue traps sound
BEC presents good chance to detect Hawking radiation, say researchers
Nanocrystals reveal activity within cells
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created bright, stable and bio-friendly nanocrystals that act as individual investigators of activity within a cell. These...
Cell Phone to Recharge with Radio Waves
Nokia's new prototype cell phone aims to harvest ambient radio waves.
U.S. to award $9M for nuclear development
WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced nearly $9 million in awards to support the next generation of American nuclear energy development.