Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
NASA Beams Mona Lisa to Moon with Laser
Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece became the first laser message to a spacecraft.
New US rare earth centre to be built
The US Department of Energy is giving $120m (£75m) to set up a new research centre charged with developing new methods of rare earths production.
More Omics Take Off: Metabolomics Market Worth $1.5 Billion By 2017
In the post-genomic era, 'omic' technology, and marketing claims to match, promise to understand the biology of various diseases. Metabolomics seeks to look at the chemical fingerprints that cellular processes...
Chinese Firm Buys an American Solar Technology Start-Up
Hanergy Holding Group of China added to its international acquisitions with MiaSolé, a thin-film solar panel manufacturer that is considered one of Silicon Valley’s most promising young firms.
A Trail of Bullet Casings Leads From Africa’s Wars to Iran
Researchers worked for years to locate the source of rifle and machine-gun ammunition in war-torn regions. The manufacturer was not one of Africa’s usual suspects.
Drivers With Hands Full Get a Backup: The Car
New technology is poised to refashion driving fundamentally long before completely autonomous vehicles arrive.
DWP will allow customers to sell back excess solar energy
The so-called feed-in-tariff program would pay customers 17 cents per kilowatt hour for energy produced on their own equipment. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers for the first...
Biggest Thing in Universe Found—Defies Scientific Theory
Talk about a whopper—astronomers have discovered a structure in the universe so large that science says it should not exist.
Egypt turns off streetlights to save power
CAIRO, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Egypt says it will turn off half the streetlights in the country as 15 power stations have halted electricity production because of fuel shortages.
Theorists pumped about origin of life idea
A new theory proposes the primordial life-forms that gave rise to all life on Earth left deep-sea vents because of their "invention" of a tiny pump. These primitive cellular pumps...
Technology plays key role in Cirque du Soleil show Zarkana
Peter Nowak explores how technology helps human performers in this behind-the-scenes look at Cirque du Soleil's show Zarkana, which opened in Las Vegas last year.
Tethercell battery could redefine smartphone control
(Phys.org)—An Indiegogo project by Tetherboard drew interest at CES in Las Vegas this week where a novel concept of phone battery was demonstrated. The prototype on show was Tethercell, an...
Top tech breakthroughs of 2012
Potato batteries, wind-powered mine detectors, smart waterpumps… SciDev.Net revisits some of the best inventions of 2012.
Experts still split about what quantum theory means
Poll reveals diverse views about foundational questions in physics.Nature News doi: 10.1038/nature.2013.12198
How to treat heat like light: New approach using nanoparticle alloys allows heat to be focused or reflected just like electromagnetic waves
A new technique provides a new way of manipulating heat, allowing it to be controlled much as light waves can be manipulated by lenses and mirrors.
Fusion helped by collision science
Understanding the mechanisms of electron-molecule collisions could help predict the operations inside the fusion chamber of the ITER reactor. Physicists have calculated the efficiency of a reaction involving an incoming...
Creating smarter infrastructure
A team from the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction have developed a mechanical amplifier to convert ambient vibrations into electricity more effectively, which could be used to power wireless...
Tiny crystalline resonators produce mid-infrared frequency combs for fingerprinting of molecules
Most molecules, including those of importance in medical diagnostics or pollution monitoring, have characteristic "fingerprints" in the mid-infrared spectral region. However, state-of-the-art mid-infrared frequency comb techniques require systems that are...
10-year study reveals incredible level of accuracy to estimate intrinsic magnetic properties of two subatomic particles
The electron is found in every atom and plays a key role in almost every chemical reaction. So, a complete understanding of its physical properties is vital. Researchers from the...
Physicist creates math model to predict maximum incremental domino size
(Phys.org)—J. M. J. van Leeuwen, a physicist at Leiden University in The Netherlands has created a mathematical model that predicts the maximum incremental size of falling dominos. He's found, as...
Another tool in the nano toolbox: Scientists use electron beam to manipulate nanoparticles
(Phys.org)—Nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular scale, holds great promise for everything from incredibly fast computers to chemical sensors that can sniff out cancer cells. But...
First cost-benefit analysis of DNA profiling vindicates 'CSI' fans
The first rigorous analysis of the crime-fighting power of DNA profiling finds substantial evidence of its effectiveness.
Producing high-tech steel cheaply and efficiently
A new plant for desulfurizing pig iron is reducing the costs of steel production. Developed by Siemens, this innovative process makes it possible to more precisely dose the various desulfurizing...
First car ferry powered by electric drive system
Together with the Norwegian shipyard Fjellstrand, Siemens has developed the world's first electrically powered car ferry. The 80-meter vessel can carry 120 cars and 360 passengers. From 2015 onward, it...
Platinum | video | @Grrlscientist
What do automobiles, jewelry and the US National Debt crisis have in common?This week, we meet platinum, an element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number, 78.Platinum is a lustrous silvery-white...
Dueling platforms at CES on wireless charging
Smartphone battery running low? You are not alone. With millions of mobile devices handling more tasks, batteries are draining faster, forcing the industry to look for solutions including wireless charging,...
Moisture-Triggered Motions Of New Material Harnessed To Generate Electrical Power
Researchers develop composite material that could sustainably charge small electronic devices in the future
UC Santa Barbara researcher to receive Academy Award for technical achievement
Only minutes into the 2011 summer sci-fi blockbuster Super 8, there is a massive train crash –– a thunderous, fiery, and frighteningly realistic scene described by one writer as the...