Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Pushing light beyond its known limits
Scientists at the University of Adelaide have made a breakthrough that could change the world's thinking on what light is capable of...
A Physics Paradox: Holes That Block Light
Punch holes in an almost-transparent film of gold, and light can't get through [Read more]
Davis: Turner part of wide-open player of year race
Congratulations to Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on victory No. 800. It was good to have a moment of celebration on college basketball’s opening night.
New nano color sorters from Molecular Foundry
Berkeley Lab researchers have engineered a new class of bowtie-shaped devices that capture, filter and steer light at the nanoscale. These "nano-colorsorter" devices act as antennae to focus and sort...
UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source
In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on...
10 failed doomsday predictions
One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common: They don't come to pass. Here are 10 that didn't pan out, so far. Volkswagen -...
Behavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles
In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal...
Opinion: The white, green and black of energy
For a sustainable energy future we need aggressive energy efficiency, a permanent shift to renewables and strategic use of fossil fuels, writes Vikki McLeod.
Tiny Injector To Speed Development Of New, Safer, Cheaper Drugs
Engineering researchers have fabricated a palm-sized, automated, micro-injector that can insert proteins, DNA and other biomolecules into individual cells at volumes exponentially higher than current procedures, and at a fraction...
Researchers Discover Use for Carbon Dioxide in Conversion of Biomass Into Biofuel
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Columbia University have successfully discovered a beneficial use for carbon dioxide in the conversion of organic materials, such as grass and bark, into fuel. Their findings...
A lightning strike in Africa helps take the pulse of the sun
Sunspots, which rotate around the sun's surface, tell us a great deal about our own planet. Scientists rely on them, for instance, to measure the sun's rotation or to prepare...
Understanding mechanical properties of silicon nanowires paves way for nanodevices
Silicon nanowires are attracting significant attention from the electronics industry due to the drive for ever-smaller electronic devices, from cell phones to computers. The operation of these future devices, and...
Vibrations key to efficiency of green fluorescent protein
University of California, Berkeley, chemists have discovered the secret to the success of a jellyfish protein whose green glow has made it the darling of biologists and the subject of...
China's farming ambitions in Mozambique take shape
A farming research centre is set to open in Mozambique with funding, seeds and advice from China.
Energy-saving powder
It is currently estimated that natural gas resources will be exhausted in 130 years; however, those reserves where extraction is cost-effective will only flow for another 60 years or so....
Structural snapshots of complex molecules
New spectroscopy technique uncovers the precise sequence of atomic movements occurring during complex chemical transformations
Nanotubes to soak up oil spills
Low density ‘nanotube aerogel’ sponge can selectively absorb 180 times its own weight in oil from water surface
Underground lines that bypass monuments
A team of mathematicians from the Engineering and Architecture Schools of the University of Seville has created a method to design underground lines whereby a city's historical buildings are unaffected....
Right first time: Pioneering new methods of drug manufacture
Engineers at the University of Leeds have developed a simple technology which can be used in existing chemical reactors to ensure "right first time" drug crystal formation.
Better Ion Engines May Keep Satellites Alive Longer
Carbon nanotubes can create more reliable satellite thrusters that save on propellant, reduce launch and cut maintenance costs for satellites.
Winnipeg enviro-car design gets international nod
An upstart Winnipeg engineering team's idea for the world's most energy-efficient - but still practical - car of the future has been shortlisted to be showcased at a major international...
Researchers Hunt For New Zeolites
In all the world, there are about 200 types of zeolite, a compound of silicon, aluminum and oxygen that gives civilization such things as laundry detergent, kitty litter and gasoline....
Upping The Power Triggers An Ordered Helical Plasma
If you keep twisting a straight elastic string, at some moment it starts kinking in a wild way. Something similar occurs when one increases the electrical current flowing in a...
Research helps overcome barrier for organic electronics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Electronic devices can't work well unless all of the transistors, or switches, within them allow electrical current to flow easily when they are turned on. A team of...
Costs Of Plug-in Cars Key To Broad Consumer Acceptance
A new survey shows widespread consumer interest in buying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. But the cost of the cars is much more influential than environmental and other non-economic factors as...
Hydrogen milestone moves energy independence one step forward
(PhysOrg.com) -- Big things often come in small packages. That's certainly the case with the potential created by recent successes in hydrogen research at Idaho National Laboratory.
Argonne 'homegrown' hybrid solar cell aims for low-cost power
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have refined a technique to manufacture solar cells by creating tubes of semiconducting material and then "growing"...
Old Soviet Warheads Fuel America's Nuclear Power Industry
Could the Cold War be heating and lighting your home? If you are one of many Americans whose life is powered by a nuclear power plant, there's a good chance it is;...