Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
IBM Cools 3-D Computer Chips With Water
In IBM's labs, miniscule rivers of water are cooling computer chips that have circuits and components stacked on top of each other, a design that promises to extend Moore's Law...
New detector uses nanotubes to sense deadly gases
Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have built the most sensitive electronic detector yet for sensing deadly gases such as the nerve agent sarin.
Unique Acoustic System Protects Manatees From Injuries And Death
Researchers have developed and improved upon a unique acoustic system designed to keep manatees from being injured or killed by flood gates and boat locks. Locks are used on sections...
When Is A Liquid Not Like A Liquid? Secrets Of Nanoparticle Haloing Unveiled
A glass of milk, a gallon of paint and a bottle of salad dressing all look to the naked eye like liquids. But when viewed under a microscope these everyday...
University Alliance Design Competition Announces This Year's MEMS Winners
A mechanical micromuscle with nanoscopic movements and a micro-creep-and-stress tester, both designed by students, were the big winners in Sandia National Laboratories' fourth annual University Alliance Design Competition for microelectromechanical...
Kenyan education should embrace nanotechnology
Kenya should establish a nanotechnology curriculum to get ahead of the game, say Macharia Waruingi and Jean Njoroge.
Toyota develops new fuel cell hybrid
(AP) -- Toyota has developed a new fuel cell hybrid, a green car powered by hydrogen and electricity, that can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor...
How Can Quantum Physics Be Harnessed?
The long cherished goal of applying the strange properties of quantum mechanics to the macroscopic world we inhabit has been brought closer by a series of recent developments. The exciting...
Going to the Moon in a bubble
A paper likening the Apollo missions to the dotcom boom raises interesting questions about how society makes technological leaps, says Philip Ball.
ORNL, General Electric Collaborate on Super Efficient Electric Water Heater
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Electric have collaborated to finalize, test and market the first product from a major brand to meet DOE's new Energy...
A supra new kind of froth
To see the latest science of type-I superconductors, look no further than the froth on a morning cup of cappuccino. A team of U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory...
Duke chemist has new way to tell right from left
A Duke University chemist has apparently solved a long-standing frustration in creating certain synthetic molecules that make up drugs, which could lead to better drugs with fewer side effects.
Rare element key to cheap assay
Researchers have developed a more accurate and cheaper method of analysing nickle ore samples, which is the world's first commercial use for the rare element Thulium.
Calgary achieves gold for greenest building
The City of Calgary opened the doors to its largest green building Wednesday, boasting that the glass structure with a curved steel roof will pay for itself in 15 years.
Top 10 energy alternatives
Widespread adoption of alternative technologies could ease the squeeze of high oil prices – and also could curb the pace of global climate change by limiting emissions of heat-trapping gases...
'Squeezed' Light May Improve Gravitational Wave Detectors
A research collaboration has taken steps toward improving the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors, devices designed to measure distance changes as minute as one-thousandth the diameter of a proton. Scientists...
A Flexible Approach To New Computer Displays
Flat screen displays currently used in computer monitors, television sets and numerous other electronic devices are all built on a glass base. Most use liquid crystal devices (LCDs), which filter...
Report: Verizon Wireless in talks to buy Alltel
(AP) -- Verizon Wireless is in talks to buy Alltel Communications LLC, the country's fifth-largest wireless carrier by subscribers, for $27 billion, according to news reports.
Carbon market is 'open to abuse'
Evidence of serious flaws in the multi-billion dollar global carbon credit market is uncovered by the BBC.
GE, Pittsburgh hospital establish imaging business
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- General Electric Co., the international conglomerate with a stake in everything from jet engines to network television, is investing $20 million in technology that will allow...
A Molecular 'Salve' To Soothe Surface Stresses
A single layer of molecular 'salve' can significantly soothe the stresses affecting clean metal surfaces. The discovery may help scientists to understand the factors that influence surface stress, which is...
New wireless sensor network keeps tabs on the environment
Have you ever wondered what happens in the rainforest when no one is looking? Research in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Science may soon be able to answer that...
MIT develops a 'paper towel' for oil spills
A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper, that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, could be an important new tool in the...
Student project innovates solar cooker in Tibet
When MIT student Scot Frank and Catlin Powers of Wellesley College visited Tibet two years ago, one thing they kept hearing from villagers was that it would make a big...
Prototype hydrogen storage tank maintains extended thermal endurance
A cryogenic pressure vessel developed and installed in an experimental hybrid vehicle by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory research team can hold liquid hydrogen for six days without venting any...
Inflatable electric car can drive off cliffs
It's hard to say what the most intriguing thing about XP Vehicles' inflatable car is. Maybe it's that the car can travel for up to 2,500 miles on a single...
Nuclear Cleanup Could Derail an Experimental Cancer Treatment, Study Says
The treatment involves uranium 233, which does not exist in nature, and is considered too expensive and risky to keep.
Why Diesel Particulates Cause Cardiovascular Disease
A previously unknown mechanisms may explain why air pollution in the form of particulates causes heart attacks, stroke, and increasing mortality. Particulates in diesel exhaust are a substantial cause of...