Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
New class of laser beam doesn't follow normal laws of refraction
University of Central Florida researchers have developed a new type of laser beam that doesn't follow long-held principles about how light refracts and travels.
A short de novo synthesis of nucleoside analogs
Nucleoside analogs are commonly used in the treatment of cancer and viral infections. Their syntheses benefit from decades of research but are often protracted, unamenable to diversification, and reliant on...
How hair deforms steel
Steels for sharp edges or tools typically have martensitic microstructures, high carbide contents, and various coatings to exhibit high hardness and wear resistance. Yet they become practically unusable upon cutting...
A new wrinkle on liquid sheets: Turning the mechanism of viscous bubble collapse upside down
Viscous bubbles are prevalent in both natural and industrial settings. Their rupture and collapse may be accompanied by features typically associated with elastic sheets, including the development of radial wrinkles....
Emergent helical texture of electric dipoles
Long-range ordering of magnetic dipoles in bulk materials gives rise to a broad range of magnetic structures, from simple collinear ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, to complex magnetic helicoidal textures stabilized by...
Sequencing of metals in multivariate metal-organic frameworks
We mapped the metal sequences within crystals of metal-oxide rods in multivariate metal-organic framework–74 containing mixed combinations of cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and manganese (Mn). Atom probe tomography...
Chemical vapor deposition of layered two-dimensional MoSi2N4 materials
Identifying two-dimensional layered materials in the monolayer limit has led to discoveries of numerous new phenomena and unusual properties. We introduced elemental silicon during chemical vapor deposition growth of nonlayered...
Why shaving dulls even the sharpest of razors
Razors, scalpels, and knives are commonly made from stainless steel, honed to a razor-sharp edge and coated with even harder materials such as diamond-like carbon. However, knives require regular sharpening, while razors are...
Chemists build natural anti-cancer compound with efficient new process
Scripps Research chemists Hans Renata, Ph.D., and Alexander Adibekian, Ph.D., have discovered a way to efficiently create a synthetic version of a valuable natural compound called cepafungin I, which has...
'Roaming reactions' study to shed new light on atmospheric molecules
A detailed study of roaming reactions—where atoms of compounds split off and orbit other atoms to form unexpected new compounds—could enable scientists to make much more accurate predictions about molecules...
Why shaving dulls even the sharpest of razors
Razors, scalpels, and knives are commonly made from stainless steel, honed to a razor-sharp edge and coated with even harder materials such as diamond-like carbon. However, knives require regular sharpening,...
SuperM to release new single '100,' debut album
K-pop supergroup SuperM will release the singles "100" and "Tiger Inside" ahead of its debut album, "Super One."
Chemists create the brightest-ever fluorescent materials
By formulating positively charged fluorescent dyes into a new class of materials called small-molecule ionic isolation lattices (SMILES), a compound's brilliant glow can be seamlessly transferred to a solid, crystalline...
Tellurium makes the difference
The periodic system contains 118 chemical elements. However, only a few of them, such as hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and silicon, are of major importance in our daily lives. But...
Controlling ice formation on gradient wettability surfaces for high-performance bioinspired materials
Ice-templating is a powerful technique to construct biological materials using ice nucleation and growth to obtain frozen material architectures, but scientists have been unable to control these two factors with...
Thermal chaos returns quantum system to its unknown past
Building on last year's breakthrough 'time reversal' experiment, two researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and Argonne National Laboratory have published a new theoretical study in Communications...
A closer look at water-splitting's solar fuel potential
In the fight against climate change, scientists have searched for ways to replace fossil fuels with carbon-free alternatives such as hydrogen fuel.
Researchers show how to make non-magnetic materials magnetic
A complex process can modify non-magnetic oxide materials in such a way to make them magnetic. The basis for this new phenomenon is controlled layer-by-layer growth of each material. An...
Fluorescent materials are the brightest ever made
An ion-sequestering macrocycle keeps dyes from dulling when incorporated in solids
Spintronics: Researchers show how to make non-magnetic materials magnetic
A complex process can modify non-magnetic oxide materials in such a way to make them magnetic. The basis for this new phenomenon is controlled layer-by-layer growth of each material.
A closer look at water-splitting's solar fuel potential
Scientists have gained important new insight into how the performance of a promising semiconducting thin film can be optimized at the nanoscale for renewable energy technologies such as solar fuels.
The best gadgets for making delicious ravioli
Choose your filling. (Davide Ragusa via Unsplash/)Experimenting in the kitchen can be a fun adventure—especially when it involves making heavenly, cheesy ravioli. If you’re in the mood for cooking up this Italian staple...
Kinetic sand kits to keep your kid entertained
Make these in your home! (Dallas Reedy via Unsplash/)Moldable, kinetic sand is an amazing, mess-free way for your kids to get creative or for you to stay focused and relieve some stress....
Chemists create the brightest-ever fluorescent materials
By formulating positively charged fluorescent dyes into a new class of materials called small-molecule ionic isolation lattices (SMILES), a compound's brilliant glow can be seamlessly transferred to a solid, crystalline...
Higgs Boson Gives Next-Generation Particle Its Heft
Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider suggest that muons and other “second-generation particles” obtain their mass from interacting with the Higgs, further strengthening the Standard... -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Stretching is not the key to moving better. This is.
Yeah, being able to do this is cool and all, but simply walking over to the playground without is progress, too. (GMB Fitness/Unsplash/)Moving about isn’t meant to hurt. If you have normal range...
A reaction using light and two transition-metal catalysts to make anilines
A team of researchers from the University of Manchester and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has developed a reaction that uses light and two transition-metal catalysts to make anilines. In their paper...
Researchers use Theta for real-time analysis of COVID-19 proteins
Argonne researchers have developed a pipeline between ALCF supercomputers and Advanced Photon Source experiments to enable on-demand analysis of the crystal structure of COVID-19 proteins.