Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Billboards go dark in Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- City planners complain an electricity measure is unfair as 30 percent of the billboards in Venezuela go dark Friday as part of an...
Radiation exposure results could take months
Workers potentially exposed to nuclear radiation at a Bruce nuclear power plant near Owen Sound, Ont., last November could wait as long as 14 more weeks for results, a hearing...
UCLA brings together animal-research factions
Dialogue is key to dealing with extremism, say panellists on both sides of debate.
Atom interferometer provides most precise test yet of Einstein's gravitational redshift
Using an atom interferometer, scientists have tested one of the foundations of Einstein's general theory of relativity: that time slows down in a gravitational field. Their experiment proves that Einstein...
How does the proton get its spin?
(PhysOrg.com) -- At a meeting this week of the American Physical Society in Washington, MIT Associate Professor of Physics Bernd Surrow reported on new results from the STAR experiment at...
Indian firm designs armoured car for hotel corridors
A mini armoured car, designed for use in confined spaces like airports, hotels or stadiums and inspired by the trauma of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, drew admirers at an Indian...
General relativity tested on a tabletop
Atomic-clock experiment pins down accuracy of fundamental gravity measurement.
Where Physics Meets Art
From some perspectives, art and physics seem to be two completely unrelated ways of seeing the world. Yet the two disciplines sometimes intersect in fascinating ways.
EDF eager to prolong life of reactors
PARIS, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- French energy giant EDF is eager to extend the lifetime of its nuclear power plants from 40 years to 60 years, but the move...
Using supercomputer and chemistry to solve global problems
Depending on how they form and their chemical composition, clouds reflect and absorb varying amounts of the sun's energy. That makes them key players in global climate change. Yet the...
Stray Hydrogen Atoms Become Deadly for Starships Traveling at Light Speed
You guys put up shields, right? Science fiction writers may have to rethink how their starship crews survive travel near or beyond the speed of light. Even the occasional hydrogen atom floating...
A step towards germanium nanoelectronics
The use of germanium instead of silicon as basic material of transistors would enable faster chips containing smaller transistors. However, a number of problems still have to be solved. Transistors...
Gazprom eyes gas storage in Romania
BUCHAREST, Romania, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Gazprom aims to establish a company with partners in Romania to develop natural gas storage capacities in the country, official said Wednesday.
El Paso in deal for Marcellus Shale
HOUSTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. natural gas producer El Paso Corp. said it joined subsidiaries of Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Norwegian giant Statoil for the capacity of a...
A new way to build membranes for fuel cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers at MIT and Pennsylvania State University has been developing a new method for producing novel kinds of membranes that could have improved properties for...
Near-threshold computing could enable up to 100x reduction in power consumption
(PhysOrg.com) -- While electronic devices have greatly improved in many regards, such as in storage capacity, graphics, and overall performance, etc., they still have a weight hanging around their neck:...
Nanotech discovery may green chemical manufacturing
A new nanotech catalyst developed by McGill University Chemists Chao-Jun Li, Audrey Moores and their colleagues offers industry an opportunity to reduce the use of expensive and toxic heavy metals....
Photons led astray
Life would sometimes be so much easier if we were quantum particles. For example, if we were trying to find our way out of a strange town allowing chance telling us which...
How submarines, jets inspire Olympic gold dreams
Submarines and fighter jets are playing their part in the quest for Winter Olympics gold as competitors search for that crucial, extra edge.
From dolphins to lasers, major science meet to cover it all
Scientists from around the world will gather this week in California for an annual conference to discuss everything from the secret pathologies of dolphins to a count of the creatures...
Beyond mammography: Handheld laser scanner improves detection and treatment of breast cancer
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2003, researchers at UC Irvine`s Beckman Laser Institute received a $7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to standardize use of a laser imaging device they...
New device aims to hike solar power output
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Amid a global scramble to invest in solar power as a viable renewable energy option, pressure is building on manufacturers to maximize electricity output...
Reliable Home Fertility Test in Sight
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new 'fertility chip', developed by researchers at the University of Twente`s MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology (The Netherlands), can accurately count spermatozoa in sperm. This is an important...
Larger 'open' button would reduce elevator injuries: researcher
Buttons to hold open an elevator door should be much larger than the size of other elevator buttons, says a U.S. researcher who studies elevator injuries.
Photovoltaic Breakthroughs Brighten Outlook for Cheap Solar Power
Enough sunlight bathes Earth's daytime half in an hour to meet all human energy needs for a year. Sadly, there are several problems with meeting human energy demands...
New results confirm standard neutrino theory
(PhysOrg.com) -- In its search for a better understanding of the mysterious neutrinos, a group of experimenters at DOE`s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has announced results that confirm the theory...
Researchers develop hands-free texting application
Clemson University researchers have developed a hands-free alternative to cell phone texting while driving.
The Physics of Figure Skating
Figure skating offers a perfect chance to watch physics in action.