Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
New PCs Wake Up When They Get Phone Call
Intel developing computer component that will keep computer off until gets a call to save energy.
Alternative Energy Technologies: Solar-powered Home Appliances Being Developed By Students
UC's solar house is now a summer class room where students experiment with alternative-energy technologies.
Shedding light on 'spooky' physics
Strange events that Einstein himself called "spooky" might happen at least 10,000 times the speed of light, according to the latest attempt to understand them.
Technique Developed To Capture Human Movement In 3D
Using two video cameras to capture human movement makes it possible to recognize body movements and display them in three dimension on a computer, according to the journal Multimedia Tools...
Why Aren't Batteries Better Yet?
PopSci reader VectorAKA2004 raises a good question: "I wonder why batteries are lagging behind portable technologies. We advance cell phones and all kinds of things so far and still barely...
Surpassing Nature, Scientists Bend Light Backward
With what could lead to more powerful microscopes, scientists have found new ways to bend light backward.
Japanese researchers eye 'e-skin' for robots
Japanese researchers say they have developed a rubber that is able to conduct electricity well, paving the way for robots with stretchable "e-skin" that can feel heat and pressure like...
How techniques developed for astronomy could improve medical scanning
Experts in Edinburgh use astronomy techniques to improve the reliability of MRI scans.
Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Cities and battlefields could soon be monitored using an imaging system that does away with lenses and mirrors.
Improved Reaction Data Heat Up The Biofuels Harvest
Scientists have detailed some of the most fundamental processes involved in extracting sugars from biomass. Their findings should help engineers to improve their process designs in order to extract the...
Bugs Put The Heat In Chili Peppers
New research shows that bugs -- both the crawling kind and ones you can only see with a microscope -- are responsible for the heat in chili peppers.
U.S. pushes clean coal effort
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Energy Department said it is looking to spend up to $340 million on new technologies for generating clean coal power.
Michael Phelps' victory dance is innate, scientists say
A study finds that blind athletes strike the same exuberant poses as their sighted counterparts -- as do other primates. ...
Visible Light Enters the Bizarro World
Metamaterials advance could lead to supermicroscopes and invisibility cloaks, but some researchers are skeptical
Algae jet fuel makes splash at international air show
Researchers Qiang Hu and Milton Sommerfeld from ASU`s Department of Applied Biosciences recently flew to London to share their findings and research on the application of algae-based oils for creating...
Video archive project can record lectures for posterity
A new video service on University of Michigan's campus can capture presentations, classes and training workshops, post them online within 24 hours and archive them indefinitely in a high-quality universal...
LHC sees first protons
World’s most powerful particle collider passes major milestone towards September switch-on
Reduce carbon footprint or find more energy sources? Americans want to do both, poll finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- With gas prices topping $4 a gallon and the prospect of record-high heating costs this winter, Americans say they're driving less and cutting their electricity use to save...
'Anti-noise' silences wind turbines
If wind energy converters are located anywhere near a residential area, they must never become too noisy even in high winds. Most such power units try to go easy on...
Scientists propose 'solar tower' to boost Namibia electricity
A planned solar tower bigger than two soccer fields back-to-back could supply all of Windhoek's electricity.
Computer Simulates Thermal Stress
A new simulation method has made it possible to predict in record time when and where heavily stressed engine components are likely to fail. Car manufacturers can thereby significantly reduce...
Space sensor perks up medical analysis and environmental protection
Miniaturised ceramic gas sensors, originally developed for measuring oxygen levels for spacecraft re-entry vehicles, enables improved human breath measurement apparatus, better control of heater combustion thereby reducing pollution, and higher...
The Curious Cook: In the Summer Kitchen, the Thrill of the Chill
These days there is less talk in cutting-edge kitchens about burners and B.T.U.’s: cold is the new heat and it’s an underexploited asset in the kitchen.
Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings
Retail chains are seizing a chance to bolster their environmental credentials — and gain a tax advantage as well — by installing solar panels on their roofs.
Geoff Ballard, 75; geophysicist expanded use of fuel cells
Geoff Ballard, the Canadian entrepreneur who transformed pollution-free fuel cells from an exotic power source used in the space program to an everyday engine used in industry, buses and, perhaps...
Van Gogh Glimpse
Powerful, focused x-ray beams reveal additional details of a master's painting.
Energy Stalemate
Chemical industry urges Congress to break impasse and allow more offshore drilling.
IIT Student Wins Best Paper in Heat Treating Contest, Sponsored by Bodycote
Vivekanand Sista, a graduate student at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, Ill., was selected as the winner of the 2008 ASM Heat Treating Society/Bodycote Best Paper in Heat Treating...