Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Measuring the electrical properties of nano-crystals
The UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is working to provide more reliable measurement of the electrical properties of materials used in nanotechnology - which could lead to much more accurate...
A forest of nanorods
Just as landscape photographs shot in low-angle light dramatically accentuate subtle swales and mounds, depositing metal vapours at glancing angles turns a rough surface into amazing nanostructures with a vast...
Berkeley Lab scientists open electrical link to living cells
The Terminator. The Borg. The Six Million Dollar Man. Science fiction is ripe with biological beings armed with artificial capabilities. In reality, however, the clunky connections between living and non-living...
Direct laser cooling of molecules
Cooling molecules with lasers is harder than cooling individual atoms with lasers. The very process of laser cooling, in which atoms are buffeted by thousands of photons, was thought by...
US$27 million for nanotechnology centre in Puerto Rico
With the funds the University of Puerto Rico will increase the number of nanotechnology researchers and recruit more than 600 students.
U.S. pressures OPEC on Iran
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- OPEC has been called on to make sure Iran plays "a more constructive role in the region" when it takes over the presidency, the...
Feature: Tractor-beam one step closer to reality
A group of scientists have developed a system for the manipulation of small particles in air using a sophisticated optical vortex.
Iran signs 11 energy deals with Venezuela
TEHRAN, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Eleven memorandums of understanding in the energy sector were signed with the Venezuelan government, Tehran announced Thursday.
Biological Particle Accelerator
Biological accelerations of 36,000 times the acceleration due to gravity in this month's CERN Courier.Ok, so in a good mood, watching the sun and snow on the Jura and reading...
At Harvard, the Kitchen as Lab
In a basement laboratory at Harvard, Ashley Prince read from the instructions as her lab partner, Allan Jean-Baptiste, poured fruit nectar into a pot. “Heat it to 113,” Ms. Prince said. Then...
Japan's Toshiba almost trebles first-half earnings forecast
Japanese electronics giant Toshiba on Thursday almost trebled its profit projections for the first half, thanks to strong sales of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays.
Skin Deep: When That Smile Is Too Perfect
Bright white veneers are beginning to give way to more realistic looks.
A river runs through it
When Harvard crew coach Harry Parker first arrived on campus in 1960, a fetid smell still draped the Charles River from upstream industries. Tires and other debris washed downstream after heavy rains. A...
Watching nanosheets and molecules transform under pressure could lead to stronger materials
(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to tests of strength, graphite -- actually layered sheets of carbon atoms -- fares badly. Subject it to ultra-high pressure, though, and graphite becomes diamond,...
Energy revolution key to complex life: Depends on mitochondria, cells' tiny power stations
The evolution of complex life is strictly dependent on mitochondria, the tiny power stations found in all complex cells, according to a new study.
Replacing precious metal catalysts with iron, nickel and other earth-abundant metals
Rare and expensive, precious metals such as platinum, rhodium and palladium are used extensively as catalysts on a large scale in preparing pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals, as well as for...
Atom Smasher Ramps Up Chase for 'God Particle'
LHC is now smashing unprecedented numbers of protons into each other during each collision.
Gabrielse wins Lilienfeld Prize
Harvard Physics Professor Gerald Gabrielse has been named the winner of the 2011 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize by the American Physical Society (APS), awarded for outstanding contributions to physics. Gabrielse, the George Vasmer...
Behind-the-scenes advances underpin new super-strong plastics
Long-awaited advances in reducing the cost of certain catalysts substances that kick-start chemical reactions have quietly led to production of super-strong forms of the world's most widely used...
Traveling by car increases global temperatures more than by plane, but only in long term
Driving a car increases global temperatures in the long run more than making the same long-distance journey by air according to a new study. However, in the short run travelling...
At Harvard, the Kitchen as Lab
A science-of-cooking course teaches students about chemistry and physics, with a little help from some of the world’s top chefs.
Tumour detection takes an ultrasonic leap
Hollow silica nanoparticles filled with gas improve ultrasound imaging of breast cancer
Argonne launches new tool to help auto industry reduce costs
The Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory unveiled today a new "plug and play" modeling tool that complements the automotive industry's...
Detecting drivers in microsleep with infrared LED
A new infrared light-emitting diode (IR-LED) from the Siemens subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors is designed to help recognize the hazardous microsleep that affects motorists. In addition to the IR-LED, this...
CERN scientists eye parallel universe breakthrough
GENEVA (Reuters) - Physicists probing the origins of the cosmos hope that next year they will turn up the first proofs of the existence of concepts long dear to science-fiction...
Bringing out the inner chimp | Carole Jahme
Pauline Fowler describes the joys and frustrations of sculpting prosthetics that can make a believable ape out of a human actor. Carole Jahme visits her at workWhen I ask Pauline Fowler what...
Air Power: The Making of a Modern Wind Turbine and Wind Farm [Slide Show]
In the past decade the amount of electricity produced by harnessing the wind in the U.S. has grown 13-fold, now supplying some 2.3 percent of U.S. electricity needs,...
Work begins in world's largest wind farm
ESSEN, Germany, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Development of the world's largest offshore wind farm off the coast of England was launched Wednesday, a German energy company said.