Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Q&A: In a picture – dancing about particle physics
Particle physicist Professor Kostas Nikolopoulos, at the University of Birmingham, UK, who was part of the team who discovered the Higgs boson, tells Horizon why he worked on a dance...
Meteorite strikes may create unexpected form of silica
New research examining the crystal structure of the silica mineral quartz under shock compression is challenging longstanding assumptions about this ubiquitous material.
Backpacks that will charge your phone
Always be prepared. (Felix Rostig via Unsplash /)Is there anywhere you want to go without your phone these days? Probably not. Whether you’re hiking a trail, packing for the beach, commuting to...
Testing traps to control lovely but destructive lionfish
The quest is on for a better way to kill beautiful but brutally destructive lionfish than shooting them one by one with spearguns.
New Nitrogen-Assembly Carbon catalyst has potential to transform chemical manufacturing
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have discovered a metal-free carbon-based catalyst that has the potential to be much less expensive and more efficient for many industrial...
Microscopic robots 'walk' thanks to laser tech
A collaboration has created the first microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled - and made to walk - with standard electronic signals.
Scientists take new spin on quantum research
Researchers discovered a way to further enhance quantum systems to provide soldiers with more reliable and secure capabilities on the battlefield.
New nitrogen assembly carbon catalyst has potential to transform chemical manufacturing
Scientists have discovered a metal-free carbon-based catalyst that has the potential to be much less expensive and more efficient for many industrial concerns, including manufacturing of bio- and fossil fuels,...
A protein with an unprecedented fold helps bacteria uptake thiosulfate as a sulfur source
A new study led by researchers at Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Nara, Japan, published in Science Advances, reports the crystal structure of YeeE, a membrane protein that...
Polymers prevent potentially hazardous mist during dentist visit
If the mist in a dentist's office -- sent flying into the air by spinning, vibrating tools -- contains a virus or some other pathogen, it is a health hazard....
Nanodots made of photovoltaic material support waveguide modes
Antimony sulfide, or stibnite (Sb2S3), has been investigated intensively in recent years as a promising material for nontoxic, environmentally friendly solar cells. It is now possible to fabricate thin photovoltaic...
Army scientists take new spin on quantum research
Army researchers discovered a way to further enhance quantum systems to provide soldiers with more reliable and secure capabilities on the battlefield.
Natural radiation can interfere with quantum computers
Radiation from natural sources in the environment can limit the performance of superconducting quantum bits, known as qubits. The discovery has implications for quantum computing and for the search for...
Look: Billie Eilish performs 'My Future' during Tiny Desk concert
Billie Eilish performed "My Future" and "Everything I Wanted" during an at-home stream for NPR.
New tech extracts potential to identify quality graphene cheaper and faster
Engineers at Australia's Monash University have developed world-first technology that can help industry identify and export high quality graphene cheaper, faster and more accurately than current methods.
Sandwich catalysts offer higher activity and durability
A professor has developed a double-layered nanoporous platinum catalyst that activates hydrogen generation.
New device can measure toxic lead within minutes
Researchers have created a miniature device for measuring trace levels of toxic lead in sediments at the bottom of harbors, rivers and other waterways within minutes -- far faster than...
Cosmic rays may soon stymie quantum computing
The practicality of quantum computing hangs on the integrity of the quantum bit, or qubit.
Compound may magnetically outperform neodymium magnets
NIMS and Tohoku Gakuin University have developed a boron-doped anisotropic Sm(Fe0.8Co0.2)12 thin film containing only small amount of rare earth elements. The compound exhibited 1.2 tesla coercivity, sufficient for use...
Tailored hardening of bulk metallic glass induced by 2-D gradient rejuvenation
A team at Tohoku University have perfected a new heat treatment technique with rapid heating and asymmetrical cooling processes in metallic glass. This technique enabled the team to induce a...
Harvard a partner in $20 million AI institute
The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $20 million grant to a team of scientists, including eight from Harvard, to create a new research institute aimed at exploring the use of artificial...
Panthers to sign WR Cam Phillips for XFL reunion with QB P.J. Walker
The Carolina Panthers are expected to sign wide receiver Cam Phillips after the team already signed his former XFL teammate, quarterback P.J. Walker.
Lifting a sessile drop from a superamphiphobic surface using an impacting droplet
Colliding droplets are ubiquitous in everyday technologies such as combustion engines and sprays, and in natural processes such as raindrops and in cloud formation. The collision outcomes depend on the...
Thin layer protects battery, allows cold charging
In the search for a reliable, quick-charging, cold-weather battery for automobiles, a self-assembling, thin layer of electrochemically active molecules may be the solution, according to a team or researchers.
CRISPaper: Understanding gene-editing through art
To Sheng-Ying Pao, the power of reframing CRISPR lies in what is absolutely ordinary: paper. In CRISPaper, Pao revisited a cultural past in the ancient art of papermaking.
Making enzymes fit for industrial applications
Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed new techniques for efficiently coupling bacterial enzymes to electrodes. Together with a team from the University of Utah, they realized a system for...
Student research team develops hybrid rocket engine
In a year defined by obstacles, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student rocket team persevered. Working together across five time zones, they successfully designed a hybrid rocket engine that...
Black turbine blade 'can cut bird deaths'
Painting one blade of a wind turbine black could cut wind farms' fatal bird strikes by up to 70%.