Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Engineering algae to make fuel instead of sugar
In pursuing cleaner energy there is such a thing as being too green. Unicellular microalgae, for instance, can be considered too green. In a paper in a special energy...
Researchers lay out vision for lighting 'revolution'
A 'revolution' in the way we illuminate our world is imminent, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Innovations in photonics and solid...
'Seeing' The Quantum World: How A Quantum Computer Would Work
Barry Sanders, director of the University of Calgary's Institute for Quantum Information Science, is hoping computer animation can help the public better understand quantum physics. Videos are published for the...
Toshiba develops cost-effective 32nm CMOS platform technology by advanced single exposure lithography
Toshiba Corporation today announced a cost-effective 32nm CMOS platform technology that offers higher density and improved performance while halving the cost per function from 45nm technology.
A microscale system to study frustration in buckled monolayers of microspheres at Penn
A team of University of Pennsylvania physicists has demonstrated a simple system based on micron-sized spheres in water to study and control geometric frustration. Their research, published today in the...
Breakup produces seafloor roughness
Research has explained why the seafloor is rough in some places and smooth in others – it’s partly to do with the break-up of supercontinents.
CFI Awards $661,000 for Research on Hepatitis C, Osteoporosis, and Strokes
University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researchers have been awarded $661,310 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for projects that will shed light on hepatitis C, osteoporosis, strokes, and...
Airbus tests new aircraft engine
The engine that will be used in a new military jet built by European manufacturer Airbus completed its first test session Wednesday, the company said in a statement.
Engineer Mom Works to Help Other Kids on Feeding Tubes
Dr. Stephanie Farrell is a mom, an engineering professor and a person with a mission: she's using her technical talents to help youngsters on feeding tubes, which her own daughter...
Toshiba, IBM, AMD Develop World's Smallest FinFET SRAM Cell with High-k/Metal Gate
Toshiba, IBM, and AMD today announced that they have together developed a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell that has an area of only 0.128 square micrometers (μm2 ), the...
New polymer coatings prevent corrosion
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they are developing new polymer coatings that will not only protect materials, but also help tiny scratches "heal" themselves.
Panasonic Develops A Gallium Nitride (GaN) Power Device with A New Junction Structure
Panasonic today announced the development of a Gallium Nitride (GaN) -based diode with a new junction structure called "Natural Super Junction". The new GaN diode with low operating loss is...
Newsmaker of the year: The machine maker
He did more than anyone to build the Large Hadron Collider. This year he saw it finished #20; and then break down. Geoff Brumfiel profiles the LHC's project leader, 's...
Strange travels: Unusual journey of transport phenomena in fractured materials
Transport phenomena in highly heterogeneous media can be dramatically different from those in homogeneous media and therefore are of great fundamental and practical interest. Anomalous transport occurs in semiconductor physics,...
Research into the contrast sensitivity of persons with varying levels of visual acuity
The contrast sensitivity of persons with different visual acuity capabilities is experimentally analyzed. Test subjects observe a cathode ray tube monitor in a darkroom environment to determine their visual contrast...
Bright Future: LEDs Revolutionize Lighting
LED lights (light emitting diodes) save energy, cut the risk of fire, and last up to 15 years.
Experiment verifies Nobel-winning theory
Physicists take important step towards “quantum state engineering”
First Portable System Enabling In Situ Detection Of Cetacean Hearing Loss Developed
Marine scientists have developed the world’s first portable system for measuring cetacean hearing sensitivity.
Sandia's microencapsulation project gives local entrepreneur warm glow
Microencapsulation isn't a new technology, but it's always finding new applications. Familiar uses include the scratch-and-sniff perfume ads in magazines, certain time-release pharmaceuticals, and (perhaps mostly for an older generation)...
MRI scans can predict effects of MS flare-ups on optic nerve
One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) - its sheer unpredictability - may finally be starting to yield to advanced medical imaging techniques...
Researchers print dense lattice of transparent nanotube transistors on flexible base
It's a clear, colourless disk about 5 inches in diameter that bends and twists like a playing card, with a lattice of more than 20,000 nanotube transistors capable of high-performance...
Small Cars Make Safety Gains
Small cars, which have become more popular with the fluctuation in gas prices, are becoming better equipped to protect motorists in serious crashes, according to tests by the insurance industry.
Observatory: A Cheap Diagnostic Tool From Paper and Tape
Using paper and double-sided carpet tape, researchers have developed a prototype that could lead to inexpensive diagnostic tools.
Students Zoom Aerial Cars in Engineering Contest
Twenty-four student teams and six JPL employees raced their hand-built aerial cars in the 11th annual Invention Challenge held Friday, Dec. 12.
Isuzu, Toyota shelve development of clean diesel engine
Japanese truck maker Isuzu said Tuesday it had shelved plans to jointly develop a clean diesel engine with Toyota as the global economic downturn hits the auto industry hard.
Semiconductor Lasers Generate Better Random Numbers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Random numbers -- numbers without any pattern -- are vital to many applications, such as computer simulations, statistics, and cryptography. There are many ways to generate them using...
All I want for Christmas is... Caesium, Rubidium and Xenon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Never mind Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh — one Christmas wishlist this year features staples of the chemistry lab like Rubidium, Hydrogen, Caesium and Manganese.
Christmas delayed for physicists waiting for Large Hadron Collider
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Alberta researcher has learned that the Large Hadron Collider's experiments to duplicate the Big Bang and the origins of the universe will get going again...