Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
A spreadable interlayer could make solid state batteries more stable
Solid-state batteries are of great interest to the electric vehicle industry. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Xi'an Jiaotong University, China have now presented a new way of...
Tiny crystals plug gaps and limit uptake of contaminants in rocks
Research published today by a UK-based team of scientists has shown for the first time that the mobility of potentially harmful contaminants in crystalline rocks over long periods of time...
Ultra-thin sail could speed journey to other star systems
A tiny sail made of the thinnest material known – one carbon-atom-thick graphene – has passed initial tests designed to show that it could be a viable material to make...
Scientists demonstrate the first chemically synthesized optical switch
Optical switches allow for transmitting information using light, which will be useful for the development of ultrafast optical memory cells in the future. Using a femtosecond laser usually used in...
Editorial: Speed over safety in the quest for a coronavirus vaccine is a recipe for disaster
Operation Warp Speed could expedite a coronavirus vaccine. But cutting corners is dangerous if it glosses over questions of safety and efficiency.
Physicists exploit a quantum rule to create a new kind of crystal
Physicists have harnessed the aloofness of quantum particles to create a new type of crystal. Some particles shun one another because they are forbidden to take on the same quantum state as their...
Scientists use pressure to make liquid magnetism breakthrough
It sounds like a riddle: What do you get if you take two small diamonds, put a small magnetic crystal between them and squeeze them together very slowly?
Pretty as a peacock: The gemstone for the next generation of smart sensors
Scientists have taken inspiration from the biomimicry of butterfly wings and peacock feathers to develop an innovative opal-like material that could be the cornerstone of next generation smart sensors.
Making an impact through chemical engineering
As a chemical engineer, Hadley Sikes loves studying complex systems such as networks of chemical reactions. But in her work designing practical devices for diagnostics and other applications, she embraces simplicity. Sikes, an...
Light, fantastic: The path ahead for faster, smaller computer processors
Photonic chips have huge potential for the future of computers and telecommunications. Physicists have now developed hybrid architecture to overcome some of the engineering hurdles facing this technology.
Scientists inject proteins into eukaryontic cells
When bacteria such as Salmonella or Yersinia cause fever, diarrhea or abdominal pain, tiny "injection needles" are at work: their type 3 secretion system, or T3SS for short, shoots bacterial...
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger signals return from elbow injury by shaving beard
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger honored his promise from last year by shaving his beard and cutting his hair as he nears a return to the field.
Highly efficient charge-to-spin interconversion in graphene heterostructures
Physicists described a route to design the energy-efficient generation, manipulation and detection of spin currents using nonmagnetic two-dimensional materials. The research team observed highly efficient charge-to-spin interconversion via the gate-tunable...
Quantum Hall effect 'reincarnated' in 3D topological materials
Physicists have found surprising evidence of a link between the 2D quantum Hall effect and 3D topological materials that could be used in quantum computing.
Emissions from road construction could be halved using today's technology
The construction sector accounts for a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions, in Sweden and globally. Researchers studied the construction of an eight km stretch of road and calculated how emissions...
First tunable, chip-based 'vortex microlaser' and detector
To break through a looming bandwidth bottleneck, engineers are exploring some of light's harder-to-control properties. Now, two new studies have shown a system that can manipulate and detect one such...
Engineers develop first tunable, chip-based 'vortex microlaser' and detector
As computers get more powerful and connected, the amount of data that we send and receive is in a constant race with the technologies that we use to transmit it....
Quantum hall effect 'reincarnated' in 3-D topological materials
U.S. and German physicists have found surprising evidence that one of the most famous phenomena in modern physics—the quantum Hall effect—is "reincarnated" in topological superconductors that could be used to...
What can your microwave tell you about your health?
For many of us, our microwaves and dishwashers aren’t the first thing that come to mind when trying to glean health information, beyond that we should (maybe) lay off the Hot Pockets...
Stretch and flow: Research sheds light on unusual properties of well-known materials
Toothpaste, face creams, hair gel, mayonnaise and ketchup are household items that most people don't think twice about, but in terms of their flow behavior, they have unusual properties. They're...
Graphene-reinforced carbon fiber may lead to affordable, stronger car materials
A new way of creating carbon fibers—which are typically expensive to make—could one day lead to using these lightweight, high-strength materials to improve safety and reduce the cost of producing...
Libya's GNA pushes renegade forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar out of air base
Libyan government forces said Monday they captured a key air base near the country's border with Tunisia as they continued a push against militias loyal to rebel Libyan military commander...
Research takes electrons for a spin in moving toward more efficient, higher density data
Researchers at New York University and IBM Research have demonstrated a new mechanism involving electron motion in magnetic materials that points to new ways to potentially enhance data storage. The...
Superconductors with 'zeitgeist' – when materials differentiate between the past and the future
Physicists at TU Dresden have discovered spontaneous static magnetic fields with broken time-reversal symmetry in a class of iron-based superconductors. This exceptional property calls for new theoretical models and may...
Self-repairing rubber made from waste ideal for variety of uses, researchers say
Scientists have developed a new type of rubber that is super-adhesive. When the material is combined with a special catalyst, it becomes self-healing.
Justin Hartley, Mandy Moore to host Red Nose Day special
"This is Us" stars Justin Hartley and Mandy Moore will host NBC's 6th annual Red Nose Day special on Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT.
Class in electricity jump-starts a move from Kenya to Cambridge
This is one in a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates. Billy Koech was an electrical engineer before he even knew what one was. As a teenager, he owned...
Electric bikes 'could help people return to work'
A rise in electric-bikes would extend the range of cyclists using them to commute, a study finds.