Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Grape-seed extract kills laboratory leukaemia cells, proving value of natural compounds
An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukaemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of...
Gold nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery
Using tiny gold particles and infrared light, MIT researchers have developed a drug-delivery system that allows multiple drugs to be released in a controlled fashion...
MRI Scans Can Predict Effects Of Multiple Sclerosis Flare-ups On Optic Nerve
One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis -- its sheer unpredictability -- may finally be starting to yield to advanced medical imaging techniques.
Researchers Print Dense Lattice Of Transparent Nanotube Transistors On Flexible Base
It's a clear, colorless disk about 5 inches in diameter that bends and twists like a playing card, with a lattice of more than 20,000 nanotube transistors capable of high-performance...
Cracking A Tough Nut For Semiconductor Industry
Researchers have developed a method to measure the toughness of the thin insulating films that play a critical role in high-performance integrated circuits, a technique that can help improve the...
Airline Flies a 747 on Fuel From a Plant
Air New Zealand did a test flight with a fuel made in part with oil from the jatropha plant in a search for an alternative to crude oil.
US National Academies suspends visits to Iran
Interrogation of scientist prompts demands for Iranian government to guarantee visitors' safety.
Review: Ditching car OK with Net transit planners
(AP) -- As a New Yorker, I don't own a car, and I really hate driving. So I challenged myself to avoid the driver's seat as much as possible...
Atomic time advocates eye 2008's extra second
Scientists who prefer the Atomic Clock of Greenich Mean Time argue that leap seconds are onerous because they're unpredictable.
Progress Toward a Biological Fuel Cell?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Biological fuel cells use enzymes or whole microorganisms as biocatalysts for the direct conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. One type of microbial fuel cell uses anodes...
Insulation top choice for energy program
More than 1,200 P.E.I. households have taken advantage of government-subsidized home energy audits this year.
Air New Zealand hails biofuel trial as 'significant milestone'
Air New Zealand on Tuesday successfully flew a test flight powered by second-generation biofuel, and hailed it as a "significant milestone" in the development of sustainable fuels for aircraft.
China's Foton says clean energy car factory opened in Beijing
China's Beiqi Foton Motor Co has launched a five-billion-yuan (730-million-dollar) design and production base for clean energy vehicles in Beijing, the company said Tuesday.
How Small Can Computers Get? Computing In A Molecule
Over the last 60 years, ever-smaller generations of transistors have driven exponential growth in computing power. Could molecules, each turned into miniscule computer components, trigger even greater growth in computing...
Soviets Stole Bomb Idea From U.S., Book Says
A new book says Moscow acquired the secret of the hydrogen bomb not from its own scientists but from an atomic spy at the Los Alamos weapons lab in New...
Quake experiment tests shake-proof metal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 10-second experiment using an "elastic" alloy made of nickel and titanium may point to a way help save bridges in earthquakes.
Structural study backs new model for the nuclear pore complex
Inside the cell nucleus, DNA is transcribed into RNA that then leaves the nucleus and binds to the cell’s ribosomes, where it is translated into proteins. But in order to...
New 'Nanowelding' Technique for Building Electronic Nanostructures
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a way to link nanowires and other nanoobjects into complex nanostructures and circuits by fusing them together with tiny amounts of solder. The researchers, from...
Chemist receives NIH funding to unravel tricks of neuronal wiring
Joshua Maurer, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, has received a four-year, $1,216,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health for research titled "Unraveling Development: New...
Physicists at Mainz University generate ultracold neutrons at the TRIGA Reactor
For the first time ever, scientists at the TRIGA research reactor of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have determined the velocity distribution of ultracold neutrons (UCN) emitted by a deuterium...
Defatted Soy Flour Eyed As Filler Substitute For Rubber Tires
In 1941, Henry Ford unveiled a plastic-bodied car whose panels included soybean meal as component. The feat made headlines--and history--but the idea never took off commercially. However, researchers continue to...
Space Technology To Soothe Roadster Ride
Space missions are highly complex operations, not only because the satellites or space probes are unique pieces of top-notch intricate high-tech, but also because it is so challenging to get...
Microscale System To Study Frustration In Buckled Monolayers Of Microspheres
Physicists have demonstrated a simple system based on micron-sized spheres in water to study and control geometric frustration. Their research elucidates open questions about frustration and frustration relief and provides...
DNA Profiling For Tracing Parental Ancestry Becomes More Accurate And Reliable
A lesser known but rapidly growing application of DNA profiling is tracing paternal ancestry. NIST researchers recently published a paper with recommendations for genealogy testing that they hope will improve...
How Helium Can Be Solid And Perfect Liquid At Same Time, Now Explained By Computer-assisted Physics
At very low temperatures, helium can be solid and a perfect liquid at the same time. Theoreticians, though, have incorrectly explained the phenomenon for a long time. Computer simulations have...
Breakthrough In Production Of Double-walled Carbon Nanotubes
In recent years, the possible applications for double-walled carbon nanotubes have excited scientists and engineers, particularly those working on developing renewable energy technologies. These tiny tubes, just two carbon atoms...
New Methods For The Environmental Chemist’s Toolbox
Organic compounds exhibit specific isotopic compositions that can be used as their "fingerprint". Environmental chemists nowadays exploit changes of isotopic compositions to identify the origin of organic pollutants and to...
Crystallographers Use Computers To Find New Superconductor
New calculations predict that germanium hydride will be superconducting at relatively high temperatures, but will be easier to process than the high-temperature superconductors known up to now.