Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
When it comes to carbon footprints, location and lifestyle matter
Tips to reduce your carbon footprint frequently include buying compact florescent light bulbs, taking your own bag to the grocery store or buying local produce. But how much difference do...
News in Brief: Molecules/Matter & Energy
A quantum state is teleported, plus twisty light and foamy graphene in this week's news
National Champion Solar Car Team Introduces 2011'S Quantum
With its sleek 2011 car Quantum now built and ready for testing, the University of Michigan's No. 1 solar car team in America is preparing to take on the world.
Scientists Finely Control Methane Combustion to Get Different Products
Scientists find that combustion of methane using two gold atoms at room temperature yields ethylene, while at lower temperatures it yields formaldehyde.
IEA weighs lessons from Fukushima
VIENNA, April 15 (UPI) -- World leaders said they are scrutinizing nuclear safety in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the International Energy Agency said from Austria.
Turning windows into powerplants
If a new development from labs at MIT pans out as expected, someday the entire surface area of a buildings windows could be used to generate electricity without interfering...
Video: Faulty airbags force Ford to recall F-150s
Safety concerns drove Ford to announce it's recalling more than a million of its popular F-150 pickup trucks, model years 2004 through 2006, because the trucks' airbags may deploy accidentally....
Discovery could ease hydrogen production
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 14 (UPI) -- Researchers in Switzerland say a chance discovery may revolutionize hydrogen production by making it more cost-effective.
Why Does A Moving Bicycle Stay Up?
You know this already - given sufficient forward speed, a bicycle pushed sideways will not fall over. Since the bicycle was invented, scientists have postulated various reasons as to why...
Award-Winning Sculpture Created with Scotch Tape
Scotch Tape has picked a life-size scene of a brother and sister fishing as the winner of its annual tape sculpture contest.
Solar power without solar cells: A hidden magnetic effect of light could make it possible
A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells. The researchers found a way to make an "optical...
Toward a more efficient use of solar energy
The exploitation and utilization of new energy sources are considered to be among today's major challenges. Solar energy plays a central role, and its direct conversion into chemical energy, for...
DNA nanoforms: Miniature architectural forms -- some no larger than viruses -- constructed through DNA origami
Miniature architectural forms -- some no larger than viruses -- have been constructed through a revolutionary technique known as DNA origami. Now, scientists have expanded the capability of this method...
Lights and flat-panel displays: Researchers 'brighten' the future of organic light-emitting diode technology
A one-atom thick sheet of the element chlorine is set to revolutionize the next generation of flat-panel displays and lighting technology. Scientists have found a simple method of using chlorine...
Green: Arpa-E Is Poised to Put Products on the Grid
The government hopes to test a new energy storage technology.
California Gov. Brown signs ambitious renewable energy mandate into law
California's clean-tech economy took center stage Tuesday at SunPower's solar manufacturing facility in Milpitas as Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law an ambitious mandate that requires the state's utilities to...
New spin on graphene
A team led by Professor Andre Geim, a recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize for graphene, can now show that electric current a flow of electrons can magnetise...
A bicycle built for none: Riderless bike helps researchers learn how balance rolls along
In a discovery that could lead to better and safer bicycle design, researchers have shown that long-accepted "gyro" and "caster" effects are not needed to make a bike balance itself....
I Am My Filter and more
Harvard students presented ideas to fight the world’s water problems Wednesday (April 13), unveiling biodegradable mats impregnated with seeds to fight desertification, an in-mouth water filter to clean dirty water, and an inflatable...
New elastic material changes color in UV light
Researchers have created a range of soft, elastic gels that change color when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light -- and change back when the UV light is removed or the...
Natural gas reigns supreme, Shell says
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, April 14 (UPI) -- Fossil fuels will be the main energy source for years, though natural gas will account for the bulk of the energy mix,...
Harvard scientist wins Sackler Prize
Harvard Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics Xiaowei Zhuang has been awarded the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Biophysics, awarded at Tel Aviv University in...
Microtechnology: Miniature magnetic switches
Transistors are commonly used in electronics as switches to turn an electrical current on or off. For applications that require a very large ratio between the on and off current,...
The use of a different resonance in atomic force microscopy enhances resolution
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a highly sensitive form of microscopy that makes it possible to map a surface with near-atomic resolution. Shaw Wei Kok and colleagues from A*STARs Singapore...
Madrid gets first-ever 'clean' gas station
MADRID, April 14 (UPI) -- Recycled newspaper walls and wool insulation are some of the materials in the world's first sustainable fuel service station, an energy company in Madrid...
IEA gives good marks for energy efficiency
BRUSSELS, April 14 (UPI) -- The international community is encouraged to "keep up the good work" in advancing energy efficiency polices, the International Energy Agency said from Brussels.
Biosensors: Sweet and simple
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly sensitive and versatile analytical tool that is widely used in biosensing applications. In conventional Raman spectroscopy, molecules are detected by their characteristic scattering...
Zero Degrees of Empathy by Simon Baron-Cohen – review
Carole Jahme reviews two new books about the science of empathy, Zero Degrees of Empathy by Simon Baron-Cohen, and Pathological Altruism edited by Barbara Oakley et alDoes altruism rewarded by altruism – as...