Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Faster protein folding achieved through nanosecond pressure jump
A new method to induce protein folding by taking the pressure off of proteins is up to 100 times faster than previous methods, and could help guide more accurate computer...
Biomimetic-engineering design can replace spaghetti tangle of nanotubes in novel material
Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) devices have the potential to revolutionise the world of sensors: motion, chemical, temperature, etc. But taking electromechanical devices from the micro scale down to the nano requires...
U.S. aids renewable energy heating/cooling
FORT WAYNE, Ind., June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Energy Department Secretary Steve Chu announced nearly $50 million in funding to advance commercial use of renewable energy heating and...
Legacy Lasers
A look at the history of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's laser programs from the early 1970s to the present-day National Ignition Facility.
World's largest jetliner touches down in Toronto
Monday was a big day at Toronto's airport as the largest passenger aircraft ever built touches down in Canada for the first time.
Do E-chips Guide Deadly U.S. Drones in Pakistan?
CIA pays tribesmen in Pakistan to plant electronic devices that draw drones, report says.
INL engineers tackle graphite challenge with innovative new device
Employees at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory recently reached an important milestone in developing the nation's next generation of nuclear reactors by the completion of the first...
How Do Thunderstorms Create Lightning? High-energy Particles From Space Used To Probe Thunderstorms
Scientists have developed a new technique to remotely measure thunderstorm electric fields on the ground.
NASA awards LN2 and LOX contracts
WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- Three U.S. companies have been chosen to supply NASA with liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen.
Avalanches Of Electrons May Give Thundercloud Insights
Understanding thundercloud electrification and lightning initiation is challenging because the ranges of electric potential and spatial extents of electric fields inside thunderclouds are not known. Directly measuring electric fields in...
Atom Pinhole Camera Acts as a Shrinking Copy Machine
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1983, Richard Feynman proposed the idea of a machine that could create smaller scale replicas of itself. Today, such a system is still a challenge, but a...
Launch of new technology for safer solvents
The launch of a new facility that will revolutionise the industrial processes of electropolishing, metal oxide processing and electroplating will take place on 3rd June at 4 PM, when a...
Ranchers driving wind revolution
Wind farms on America's high plains could eventually help power the country's coastal population centres.
World's strongest laser unveiled at California lab
LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) -- The world's most powerful laser, created to help keep tabs on the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile while also studying the heavens, has...
French physicists claim breakthrough in ultra-fast data access
French physicists said on Sunday they had used ultra-fast lasers that could accelerate storage and retrieval of data on hard discs by up to 100,000 times, pointing the way to...
New probe promises ozone answers
A highly selective new probe should help address controversial claims that cells make ozone
Breakthrough In Quantum Control Of Light: Implications For Banking, Drug Design, And More
Researchers have recently demonstrated a breakthrough in the quantum control of photons, the energy quanta of light. This is a significant result in quantum computation, and could eventually have implications...
Regular light bulbs made super-efficient with ultra-fast laser
An ultra-powerful laser can turn regular incandescent light bulbs into power-sippers, say optics researchers at the University of Rochester. The process could make a light as bright as a 100-watt...
MIT, INL launch research collaboration
The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today began a major new collaboration that will enrich each institution's research activities in nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting
Light emitting diodes could decrease carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years.
Picosecond Oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is a device for displaying signals that are too fast to be seen by the human eye. Typically the signal consists of a voltage level that changes quickly...
Schwarzenegger dedicates Livermore laser
LIVERMORE, Calif., May 29 (UPI) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday dedicated the world's largest laser system in Livermore, calling it a gateway to new energy sources.
'What If' Conversation Sparks Tiny Atom Discovery
"True muonium," a long-theorized but never-seen tiny atom, might be observed in current and future super collider experiments, based on theoretical work published by researchers at the Department of Energy's...
Water Tunnel Makes for Exacting Hydrodynamics for Product Testing
New facilty for hydrodynamics testing. Water tunnel research applications include race car aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, aerospace experiments, submarine/surface vessel efficiency, swimwear efficiency, baseball bat, golf club and cycling aerodynamics, fish...
Probing Clouds' Roles In Global Electric Circuit
A semicontinuous current flow has been measured above electrified clouds. Called the Wilson current, this phenomenon has long been considered a critical component of the global electric circuit; however, only...
Russia opens WMD disposal plant
A partly US-funded factory opens in Siberia to decommission vast stocks of chemical weapons held by Russia.
Renewable energy brings modern-day gold rush
Dreams of renewable energy riches have set off a scramble not seen since miners rushed into these surrounding hills in search of shiny nuggets.
Supercool microfluidics
Improved understanding of life and technology at extreme temperatures thanks to a microfluidic device that studies ice formation