Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Opinion: Wind power can do it now
Wind power is the only electricity supply technology that could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before 2020, believes Mark Diesendorf.
Detecting Tiny Twists With A Nanomachine
Scientists have developed a nanoscale spin-torsion oscillator that can measure miniscule amounts of twisting or torque in a metallic nanowire. The device can be used to uncover spin-dependent fundamental forces...
Minimizing Downtime By Decentralizing Control In Complex, Computerized Systems
When complex, computerized control systems encounter a malfunction in any part of the process they control, the whole operation often grinds to a halt while the problem is diagnosed and...
Sarcospan, a little protein for a big problem
The overlooked and undervalued protein, sarcospan, just got its moment in the spotlight. Peter et al. now show that adding it to muscle cells might ameliorate the most severe form...
What to do with 15 million gigabytes of data
When it is fully up and running, the four massive detectors on the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the CERN particle-physics lab near Geneva are expected to produce up...
EPA curbs factory farm pollution
(AP) -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued new pollution control requirements for large livestock feedlots Friday that would allow farm operators to avoid having to get a permit if...
Trustee makes donation to start new solar energy research centre at Rensselaer
Thomas R. Baruch, a member of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees and alumnus of the Class of 1960, has donated a gift that will help to establish a...
Judge gives red light to green cabs in NYC
(AP) -- A federal judge blocked the city Friday from requiring all new taxicabs to be fuel-efficient hybrids, hampering Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ambitious goal to make all yellow cabs...
New Nanocluster To Boost Thin Films For Semiconductors
Researchers have synthesized an elusive metal-hydroxide compound in sufficient and rapidly produced yields, potentially paving the way for improved precursor inks that could boost semiconductor capabilities for large-area applications.
Pope opens conference on creation
VATICAN CITY, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI cited Galileo as a scientist of deep religious faith as he opened a conference on creation Friday at the...
Opinion: Nuclear - already a viable option for many countries
Many countries have turned to nuclear energy to avoid the use of fossil fuels. When renewable energy technology isn't sufficiently developed in time to meet demands, Australia may find nuclear...
Bruce Power eyes Lake Erie site for nuclear reactors
Nuclear power-plant operator Bruce Power said Friday it is considering building two new nuclear stations in Nanticoke, Ont., the site of a coal plant scheduled to shut down in 2014.
B.C. knee brace, Montreal bike system among Time's top inventions
Montreal's high-tech public bike system and a Canadian-made knee brace that harnesses enough energy from a person's stride to power multiple electronic devices are two of Time magazine's top 50...
Mini-laboratory gets megaproductive
(PhysOrg.com) -- Dawid Zalewski of the University of Twente, Netherlands, has developed a mini-laboratory on a chip that can purify biological mixtures continuously. This is very different from the usual...
Flying on a Wing and ... Paper
The centerpiece of classroom mischief will come into its own this weekend when amateur aviation engineers test the mettle of their paper planes at the non-for-profit Public Art Fund's New...
Bare Bones Of Crystal Growth: Biomolecules Enhance Metal Contents In Calcite
A finding that a hydrophilic peptide significantly enhances the magnesium-content of calcite is especially meaningful for geologists because Mg-content in carbonates is used as a 'paleo thermometer'. The findings also...
Condensed-matter physicist bags top job at DESY
Accelerator lab chooses nanostructure expert as new director
Quiet wind turbine could provide up to 30% of a home's power
(PhysOrg.com) -- A quiet wind turbine developed in Scotland is now available in the US and Canada. Its developers say that the roof-based turbine can provide significant power for homes...
Daylight Saving Time: Why Did We Do It?
Daylight Saving Time saves energy and daylight, though not everyone does it.
Lasers draw protein pictures
Scientists have recreated a famous painting on the microscale using a new protein patterning technique
Fluorination gets a good reaction
European chemists have used fluorinated solvents to improve the yields of olefin metathesis reactions
Nokia Unveils N79 and N85 Smartphones
(PhysOrg.com) -- Nokia has announced the unveiling of two new Nseries devices that's aimed at driving down the cost of their smartphones. The N85 model will be replacing the N81...
Ecotoxicology centre inaugurated
At an inaugural event in Duebendorf (Zurich) today focusing on nanoparticles in the environment, the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology was officially opened...
Award for surgical imaging system
A new imaging programme which could help transform the treatment of facial surgery scoops an award.
Top 5 Halloween Myths Debunked
In the darkness of the strange holiday of Halloween, five myths and urban legends can be debunked.
Explosion on chip sets liquid in motion
(PhysOrg.com) -- PhD student, Dennis van den Broek, of the University of Twente, Netherlands, has developed a new type of miniature motor, the micro-bubble actuator. This ‘motor`, which can be...
Nottingham technology gives Bond the edge
(PhysOrg.com) -- Technology developed at The University of Nottingham will be giving James Bond the edge over his enemies when the latest high octane 007 adventure hits cinema screens later...
Center for Advanced Tribology created
ARGONNE, Ill., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A group of Illinois universities and the U.S. Department of Energy have announced the creation of the Illinois Center for Advanced Tribology.