Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Can a flowing liquid-like material maintain its structural order like crystals?
Scientists have discovered a chiral compound, which can spontaneously form a molecular assembly with an extremely large single domain structure beyond a size regime incapable of realizing with usual molecular...
Firefly-inspired surfaces improve efficiency of LED lightbulbs
A new type of light-emitting diode lightbulb could one day light homes and reduce power bills, according to researchers who suggest that LEDs made with firefly-mimicking structures could improve efficiency.
Nanopores make portable mass spectrometer for peptides a reality
Scientists have developed nanopores that can be used to directly measure the mass of peptides. Although the resolution needs to be improved, this proof of principle shows that a cheap...
New laser methods create dazzling colors on metals
Researchers describe how to use a single commercially available laser to achieve three techniques for laser colorization on metal, making the techniques more practical for a wide range of applications...
BAE awarded $575M for Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle production
The U.S. Army awarded BAE Systems contracts worth $575 million for low-rate production of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, which will replace Vietnam War-era M113s.
Stress explains the unique shape of Rosetta's Comet 67P
Scientists have successfully measured the stress forces that have shaped Comet 67P over millions of years.
Researchers find an unusual way in which a material conducts heat when it is compressed
In the latest wrinkle to be discovered in cubic boron arsenide, the unusual material contradicts the traditional rules that govern heat conduction, according to a new report by Boston College...
New imaging technology captures movement of quantum particles with unprecedented resolution
Excitons—electrically neutral quasiparticles—have extraordinary properties. They exist only in semiconducting and insulating materials and can be easily accessed in two-dimensional (2D) materials just a few atoms thick, such as carbon...
Confirming a source of the process behind auroras and the formation of stars
Fast magnetic reconnection, the rapid convergence, separation and explosive snapping together of magnetic field lines, gives rise to northern lights, solar flares and geomagnetic storms that can disrupt cell phone...
Kevin Garnett says Team USA had $1M dunk bounty on Yao Ming
NBA legend Kevin Garnett said Team USA had a $1 million bounty on Yao Ming during the 2000 Olympics for whoever could dunk on him first.
Caffeine slows down the movement of water molecules
Contrary to the well-known stimulating effect on humans, caffeine slows down the movement of water molecules. Researchers from the NWO Institute AMOLF in Amsterdam and the ESPCI in Paris report...
Porous carbon fiber research one step closer to use in automotive industry
An update on recently reported research on porous carbon fibers shows how this material can be used in an industrial setting, marking an important step from the theoretical to application.
Not all ions in tokamaks go with the flow
For the first time, scientists are measuring the rotation of the main (deuterium) plasma in the edge region of a fusion device. New spectroscopic measurements combined with state-of-the-art spectroscopic simulation...
When a defect might be beneficial
In the quest to design more efficient solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a team of engineers has analyzed different types of defects in the semiconductor material that enables such...
Search engine for new breakthroughs in physics
Imagine that you have a lot of data, but you do not really know what you are looking for. So what do you do? In that case you use a...
Breakthrough in the search for graphene-based electronics
For 15 years, scientists have tried to exploit the "miracle material" graphene to produce nanoscale electronics. On paper, graphene should be great for just that: it is ultra-thin—only one atom...
Terahertz wireless makes big strides in paving the way to technological singularity
Scientists have announced the successful development of a terahertz (THz) transceiver that can transmit or receive digital data at 80 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). The transceiver was implemented using silicon...
Physicists explain fireballs erupting from grapes in microwave oven
A trio of researchers with McMaster, Concordia and Trent Universities has solved the mystery of why pairs of grapes ignite into fireballs when cooked together in a microwave oven. In...
Un hidrogel elástico que se cura como un músculo
El material, hecho de polímeros entrelazados, se vuelve más fuerte bajo presión
The quest for quasicrystals is a physics adventure tale
In ‘The Second Kind of Impossible,’ physicist Paul Steinhardt recounts his journey to find quasicrystals in nature.
Mechanism of iron-based hydrogen bond cleavage revealed
Hydrogen-based fuel cells hold promise for sustainable power generation, but to become practical they need to be more efficient and cost effective. Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL's) Center...
A polariton filter turns ordinary laser light into quantum light
An international team of researchers led out of Macquarie University has demonstrated a new approach for converting ordinary laser light into genuine quantum light.
Total synthesis of marine antitumor agents trabectedin and lurbinectedin
With its vast numbers of different lifeforms, the sea is a largely unexplored source of natural products that could be starting points for new pharmaceuticals, such as the antitumor drugs...
Firefly-inspired surfaces improve efficiency of LED lightbulbs
A new type of light-emitting diode lightbulb could one day light homes and reduce power bills, according to Penn State researchers who suggest that LEDs made with firefly-mimicking structures could...
Observation of quantized heating in quantum matter
Shaking a physical system typically heats it up, in the sense that the system continuously absorbs energy. When considering a circular shaking pattern, the amount of energy that is absorbed...
Ex-Eastman employee charged with trade-secret theft
Technology for non-BPA coatings was allegedly stolen from several companies over many years
Researchers discover anti-laser masquerading as perfect absorber
Researchers have discovered that a perfect absorber of electromagnetic waves they described in a 2017 paper can easily be tweaked into a sort of 'time-reversed laser' known as a coherent...
Solid-state catalysis: Fluctuations clear the way
Chemists have identified a mechanism that allows molecules to diffuse rapidly on the already crowded surface of a solid-state catalyst - an important capability, especially for efficient catalysis under industrial...