Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Engineering algae to make fuel instead of sugar
In pursuing cleaner energy there is such a thing as being too green. Unicellular microalgae, for instance, can be considered too green. In a paper in a special energy...
Researchers lay out vision for lighting 'revolution'
A 'revolution' in the way we illuminate our world is imminent, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Innovations in photonics and solid...
'Seeing' The Quantum World: How A Quantum Computer Would Work
Barry Sanders, director of the University of Calgary's Institute for Quantum Information Science, is hoping computer animation can help the public better understand quantum physics. Videos are published for the...
US firms join forces to build lithium ion batteries for cars
Fourteen US technology companies, laying down the gauntlet in a field dominated by Asia, announced Thursday that they have formed an alliance to manufacture lithium ion batteries for electric cars.
Toshiba develops cost-effective 32nm CMOS platform technology by advanced single exposure lithography
Toshiba Corporation today announced a cost-effective 32nm CMOS platform technology that offers higher density and improved performance while halving the cost per function from 45nm technology.
A microscale system to study frustration in buckled monolayers of microspheres at Penn
A team of University of Pennsylvania physicists has demonstrated a simple system based on micron-sized spheres in water to study and control geometric frustration. Their research, published today in the...
Newsmaker of the year: The machine maker
He did more than anyone to build the Large Hadron Collider. This year he saw it finished #20; and then break down. Geoff Brumfiel profiles the LHC's project leader, 's...
Non-toxic Clean-up Method For Potentially Toxic Nano Materials Created Using Horseradish Enzyme
Scientists have developed the first natural, nontoxic method for biodegrading carbon nanotubes, a finding that could help diminish the environmental and health concerns that mar the otherwise bright prospects of...
Strange travels: Unusual journey of transport phenomena in fractured materials
Transport phenomena in highly heterogeneous media can be dramatically different from those in homogeneous media and therefore are of great fundamental and practical interest. Anomalous transport occurs in semiconductor physics,...
Research into the contrast sensitivity of persons with varying levels of visual acuity
The contrast sensitivity of persons with different visual acuity capabilities is experimentally analyzed. Test subjects observe a cathode ray tube monitor in a darkroom environment to determine their visual contrast...
Bright Future: LEDs Revolutionize Lighting
LED lights (light emitting diodes) save energy, cut the risk of fire, and last up to 15 years.
Experiment verifies Nobel-winning theory
Physicists take important step towards “quantum state engineering”
First Portable System Enabling In Situ Detection Of Cetacean Hearing Loss Developed
Marine scientists have developed the world’s first portable system for measuring cetacean hearing sensitivity.
Sandia's microencapsulation project gives local entrepreneur warm glow
Microencapsulation isn't a new technology, but it's always finding new applications. Familiar uses include the scratch-and-sniff perfume ads in magazines, certain time-release pharmaceuticals, and (perhaps mostly for an older generation)...
Engineers helping develop energy-harvesting radios
If changing the batteries in the remote control or smoke detector seems like a chore, imagine having to change hundreds of batteries in sensors scattered across a busy bridge...
Seeing the unseen with 'super-resolution' fluorescence microscopy
Thanks to a new 'super-resolution' fluorescence microscopy technique, Harvard University researchers have succeeded in resolving the features of cells as miniscule as 20-30 nanometres (nm), an order of magnitude smaller...
MRI scans can predict effects of MS flare-ups on optic nerve
One of the most pernicious aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) - 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, colourless 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...
Small Cars Make Safety Gains
Small cars, which have become more popular with the fluctuation in gas prices, are becoming better equipped to protect motorists in serious crashes, according to tests by the insurance industry.
Observatory: A Cheap Diagnostic Tool From Paper and Tape
Using paper and double-sided carpet tape, researchers have developed a prototype that could lead to inexpensive diagnostic tools.
Students Zoom Aerial Cars in Engineering Contest
Twenty-four student teams and six JPL employees raced their hand-built aerial cars in the 11th annual Invention Challenge held Friday, Dec. 12.
Isuzu, Toyota shelve development of clean diesel engine
Japanese truck maker Isuzu said Tuesday it had shelved plans to jointly develop a clean diesel engine with Toyota as the global economic downturn hits the auto industry hard.
Semiconductor Lasers Generate Better Random Numbers
(PhysOrg.com) -- Random numbers -- numbers without any pattern -- are vital to many applications, such as computer simulations, statistics, and cryptography. There are many ways to generate them using...
All I want for Christmas is... Caesium, Rubidium and Xenon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Never mind Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh — one Christmas wishlist this year features staples of the chemistry lab like Rubidium, Hydrogen, Caesium and Manganese.
Christmas delayed for physicists waiting for Large Hadron Collider
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Alberta researcher has learned that the Large Hadron Collider's experiments to duplicate the Big Bang and the origins of the universe will get going again...
U.S., U.K. citizens like nanotechnology
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A new study suggests citizens in both the United States and the United Kingdom view nanotechnologies very positively.
Attosecond flashes from solid-density relativistic plasmas
Recent innovations in laser technology have provided radiation sources for attosecond (10 to the power of -18 sec) light flashes that can freeze the ultrafast motion of electrons inside atoms...
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...