Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Atomic Force Microscopy Reveals Liquids Adjust Viscosity When Confined, Shaken
Getting ketchup out of the bottle isn't always easy. However, shaking the bottle before trying to pour allows the thick, gooey ketchup to flow more freely because it becomes more...
Graphene-based Gadgets May Be Just Years Away
Researchers have produced tiny liquid crystal devices with electrodes made from graphene -- an exciting development that could lead to computer and TV displays based on this technology. They report...
Simulations May Explain Nanoparticles 'Pinned' To Graphene
It was hard to understand how a graphene sheet -- a featureless, flat sheet of carbon atoms -- lying on an equally featureless iridium surface, somehow converted itself into a...
Space Transfer at Hannover Messe 2008
Technology spin-offs from European space programmes were showcased at the SpaceTransfer08 event at the world's leading industrial trade fair Hannover Messe 2008. Technology transfer cases were exhibited and successful exchange...
Looking At Neurons From All Sides
A new technique that marries a fast-moving laser beam with a special microscope that look at tissues in different optical planes will enable scientists to get a 3-D view of...
Scientists Make Chemical Cousin Of DNA For Use As New Nanotechnology Building Block
In the rapid and fast-growing world of nanotechnology, researchers are continually on the lookout for new building blocks to push innovation and discovery to scales much smaller than the tiniest...
Argonne's Crabtree Elected to National Academy of Sciences
George W. Crabtree, a senior scientist and administrator at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for...
Plugging Away in a Prius
Jonathan Sawyer spent $30 000--and voided the warranty--to add a plug to his Prius hybrid.
The New Economics of Semiconductor Manufacturing
Now that the Toyota production system has been applied to chip making, the electronics industry may never be the same.
Tiger Teams Reach Out with Solar
DOE photovoltaic funding for years has gone to programs that promise more efficient conversion of sunlight to electricity, or in aiding solar start-up companies. It's called "technology push." Now for...
Feature: Applying 'resilience thinking' for sustainable development
Dr Leonie Pearson explains that we need to better understand that nature and humanity are dynamic and co-evolving, and that achieving sustainability is not the single goal of decreased consumption,...
3D technology brings journals to life
Researchers have developed a new technique that allows three dimensional images, which can be rotated and explored, to be embedded in online journals.
Tiny microscope speeds diagnoses
Australian scientists have created a tiny microscope that can travel inside the human body in order to minimise diagnosis times and detect cancer earlier.
Electronic "ears" guide drills
Mining drills 300 metres below the ground could soon be directed by electronic ears that hear their location, thanks to Australian research.
The invisible fossil: Natural gas
It may be relatively clean compared with other fossil fuels, but natural gas still produces greenhouse gases and is far from sustainable
Clean, abundant and free renewable energy sources
Fossil fuels are running out, and the only real answer to tackling global warming is to use renewable sources of energy. So, how do they work?
Beyond petrol: which fuels will we be using in 30 years' time?
There are many alternatives to oil for use as a fuel, each with its own unique set of problems. Which will we be using in 30 years' time?
Ian Sample on how nuclear power works
Is nuclear power the answer to the energy crisis? Ian Sample explains how it works - and how we get the awful side-effects of bombs and waste
Everything equals E=mc2: how Einstein changed our understanding of energy
What is energy? It all comes down to the work of a patent clerk in Switzerland at the turn of the last century, writes David Bodanis
DARPA Works to Perfect Self-Forging, High-Velocity 'Spears'
MAHEM is a new DARPA project, but familiar to science fiction fans.
Sikorsky's X2: Developing a Faster Helicopter
If Sikorsky's X2 Technology Demonstrator is successful, helicopters will soon be able to fly much faster.
Space-tech could make life easier for diabetics
German student Nicole Schmiedel has come up with a design for a trendy-looking wristwatch that contains an innovative ultra-light insulin pump to help people with type 1 diabetes. The watch...
SatNAV start-up companies at CeBIT 2008
CeBIT 2008, the world’s largest information technology trade fair, is taking place this week in Hanover, Germany. One of the many exhibition halls is dedicated to satellite navigation where...
Jules Verne demonstrates key capabilities
Jules Verne ATV today demonstrated its ability to navigate safely from a point 39 km behind the ISS to a stand-off point just 3.5 km away using relative GPS navigation....
NASA Scientist Confirms Light Show on Venus
Venus is a hellish place of high temperatures and crushing air pressure.
NASA Tsunami Research Makes Waves in Science Community
A wave of new NASA research on tsunamis may improve existing warning systems and proposes a potentially groundbreaking new theory.
A Perspective on Life on Enceladus: A World of Possibilities
Could microbial life exist inside Enceladus, where no sunlight reaches, photosynthesis is impossible and no oxygen is available?
Scientists aim to boost world energy supplies -- with microbes!
British and Canadian scientists expect to begin trials next month (May) to find out whether microbes can unlock the vast amount of energy trapped in the world's unrecoverable heavy oil...