Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
'Safety valve' protects photosynthesis from too much light
Palo Alto -- Photosynthetic organisms need to cope with a wide range of light intensities, which can change over timescales of seconds to minutes. Too much light can damage...
Alaskans look to wind power benefits
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Alaskan communities are increasingly turning to wind, solar and geothermal power as alternative energy sources, experts say.
Observation of confinement phenomenon in condensed matter
An experiment has confirmed that spinons, particle-like magnetic excitations, can be confined in a magnetic insulator similar to the way elementary quarks are confined within individual protons and neutrons. The...
Tiny magnetic discs could kill cancer cells: study
Tiny magnetic discs just a millionth of a metre in diameter could be used to used to kill cancer cells, according to a study published on Sunday.
Anthony Evans obituary
Materials scientist at the forefront of ceramics researchAnthony Evans, who has died aged 66 of cancer, was a world-leading materials scientist who pioneered the use of brittle materials in such wide-ranging applications as...
Glasgow scientists predict the unpredictable to guide future nano-chip design
Scientists at the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with colleagues from Edinburgh, Manchester, Southampton and York universities, have developed technology which will help microchip designers create future integrated circuits.
Indian nuclear plant leak probed
Indian officials investigate the leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water at an atomic power plant.
New nanocrystalline diamond probes overcome wear
Researchers have developed, characterized, and modeled a new kind of probe used in atomic force microscopy, which images, measures, and manipulates matter at the nanoscale. Using diamond, researchers made a...
Solar power from your windows, awnings, even clothing?
New research could one day lead to photovoltaic materials thin enough, flexible enough and inexpensive enough to go not only on rooftops but in windows, outdoor awnings and even clothing.
Kiprusoff, Flames blank Detroit
A huge performance from Miikka Kiprusoff on Friday night allowed his Calgary Flames to escape the Joe Louis Arena with both a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings and...
Plasma-in-a-bag for sterilizing devices
The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize health care in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. Through the years, numerous ways of...
Nuclear waste reduction: Polymers designed to mop up radioactive isotopes
Nuclear power could solve our energy problems but it has rather nasty by-products: radioactive waste. Not only the disposal of the old core rods but also reactor operation results in...
Multiferroic compounds used to produce smaller and cheaper digital memories
Is it possible to make even more compact digital memories for portable electronic devices and which consume even less energy? Researchers have recently demonstrated that it is feasible, thanks to...
Fujitsu Develops Technology for Low-Temperature Full-Service Direct Formation of Graphene Transistors on Large-Scale Sub
Fujitsu Laboratories today announced, as a world first, the development of a novel technology for forming graphene transistors directly on the entire surface of large-scale insulating substrates at low temperatures...
Video: Time Traveler Sabotage?
Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku put conspiracy theories about the Large Hadron Collider initial malfunction to rest. One theory suggests a time traveler sabotaged the project.
The Grand Arena
What is the size of the universe? How heavy is it? How big can black holes grow? How small are subatomic particles? How many orders of magnitude will I cross...
A simple way to join an olefin to an arene
Pd-catalysed olefination of an arene can be directed by simple modification to the substrate and amine ligands to steer the catalyst
Bling bling with your ring ring: Dekoden craze sees cell phones get a touch of glitz, glamour
Cell phone owners are ringing the changes and putting a smile on their dial by adorning their mobiles with ornamental stickers, charms and beads -- and the craze just keeps...
Smartphones Could Form Chemical Detection Networks
A NASA researcher has developed a new a new plug-in chemical sensor for the iPhone that can detect airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane, and could possibly help first responders.
In Greenland, warming fuels dream of hidden wealth
(AP) -- Gert Ignatiussen returns to this fjord-front Inuit town with the spoils of his hunting trip. Six seals, all killed with a single shot to the head.
Living buildings could mop up carbon dioxide
(PhysOrg.com) -- Architecture could help us tackle climate change, if we start to design our buildings with 'living' materials, according to Dr Rachel Armstrong, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture.
Nuclear reactors contain safety flaws, watchdog reveals
• Major concerns over European and American designs• Redesign required before plants can be approved for constructionIn the race to provide energy for the nation's future, two multinational companies have led the way...
Albert V. Crewe dies at 82; physics professor captured first image of an atom
In 1970, Crewe used a scanning transmission electron microscope of his own invention at the University of Chicago to capture uranium and thorium atoms. ...
Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream
Prized for their impressive antlers, red deer have been caught in the hunters' sights for generations. But a deer's antlers are much more than decorative. They are lethal weapons that...
Breakthrough in 'spintronics' could lead to energy efficient chips
Scientists from the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology of the University of Twente and the FOM Foundation have succeeded in transferring magnetic information directly into a semiconductor. For the first time,...
New nano color sorters from molecular foundry
Researchers have created bowtie-shaped antennae that function as the first tunable nano color sorters, able to capture, filter and steer light at the nanoscale.
Predicting the effectiveness of metal catalysts
Catalysis is a process that is widely used in industry to synthesize molecules or materials. However, determining catalytic mechanisms is a major challenge for modern chemistry. Researchers have now used...
Overcoming barriers for organic electronics
Electronic devices can't work well unless all of the transistors, or switches, within them allow electrical current to flow easily when they are turned on. Engineers have now determined why...