Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
U.S. company strikes deal with Poland for isotope used in medical tests
As U.S. physicians face an impending crisis caused by lack of a crucial isotope used in many diagnostic procedures, a U.S. company said Wednesday that it had reached an agreement...
Venezuela awards Orinoco Belt blocks
CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Venezuela on Wednesday awarded oil blocks in its massive Orinoco Belt to two consortiums led by Chevron and Spain's Repsol YPF, signaling a...
Norway plans the world's most powerful wind turbine
Norway plans to build the world's most powerful wind turbine, hoping the new technology will increase the profitability of costly offshore wind farms, partners behind the project said Friday.
Scientists explore the future of high-energy physics
In a 1954 speech to the American Physical Society, the University of Chicago's Enrico Fermi fancifully envisioned a particle accelerator that encircled the globe. Such would be the ultimate theoretical...
New magnetic tuning method enhances data storage
Researchers have developed a method for controlling the properties of magnets that could be used to improve the storage capacity of next-generation computer hard drives.
Intel's single-chip cloud computer
(PhysOrg.com) -- Intel Labs has recently shown off a 48-core prototype chip it calls a "single-chip cloud computer" or SCC.
Hot pepper relief: New category of painkillers on the way?
Research has opened the door for the advancement of a new category of painkillers, called TRPV1 antagonists. These drugs block the transient receptor potential vannilloid-1 (TRPV1) channel, which is the...
Millimeter-scale, energy-harvesting sensor system can operate nearly perpetually
A newly developed 9 cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor system is the smallest that can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually.
Electrons on the brink: Fractal patterns may be key to semiconductor magnetism
Scientists have observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of the metal-insulator transition for the first time. Caught in the act, the electrons formed complex patterns resembling those seen...
Battery-less radios developed
Scientists report a 2.4GHz/915MHz wake-up receiver which consumes only 51µW power. This record low power achievement opens the door to battery-less or energy-harvesting based radios for a wide range of...
Olympic doping lab world's most sophisticated
The most sophisticated drug-testing lab in the world opened its doors Tuesday at the Vancouver Olympics.
Understanding cement, right down to the atomic scale
Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about...
Cars of the future could be powered by their bodywork, thanks to new battery technology
Parts of a car’s bodywork could one day double up as its battery, according to the scientists behind a new project in the UK.
Nanoscale Structures with Superior Mechanical Properties Developed
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a way to make some notoriously brittle materials ductile -- yet stronger than ever -- simply by reducing their...
Race is on to Save Amazon Rainforest
Scientists Push Smarter Farming Techniques as Alterative to Chopping Down More Forest
Houston adds more electric cars to fleet
HOUSTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Houston announced plans to add 25 plug-in electrical vehicles to its fleet as part of a partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the automaker said.
Emerging Tech Could Make Tomorrow's Cars Safer
Exploring how emerging technologies and advanced materials will make tomorrow's cars safer.
High-altitudes may cause eye swelling
ZURICH, Switzerland, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists say they've discovered mountain climbers may experience swelling of their corneas, but the condition does not appear to affect vision.
Brown biologist solves mystery of tropical grasses' origin
Around 30 to 40 million years ago, grasses on Earth underwent an epic evolutionary upheaval. An assemblage capitalised on falling levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide by engineering an internal mechanism...
New method for measuring fluid flow in algae could herald revolution for fluid mechanics
In the words of Todd Squires, of the University of California, Santa Barbara "Nature has long inspired researchers in fluid mechanics to explore the mechanical strategies used by living creatures....
Atom-smasher yields first result
The spray of subatomic particles from the Large Hadron Collider's record-smashing December experiments has been analysed.
Ultra-cold chemistry: First direct observation of exchange process in quantum gas
Considerable progresses made in controlling quantum gases open up a new avenue to study chemical processes. An Austrian research team has now succeeded in directly observing chemical exchange processes in...
Scientists Explore the Future of High-Energy Physics
Niobium-based superconducting devices could lead to smaller, more efficient linear colliders.
Smartphone keys get quantum trick
A quantum physics trick is set to give smartphones and hand-held devices pressure-sensitive switches and touchscreens.
Researchers develop 'lab on a chip' that detects viruses (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Brigham Young University engineers and chemists has created an inexpensive silicon microchip that reliably detects viruses, even at low concentrations.
Scientists discover novel materials approach to fighting cancer (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Medical Center are shaking up the world of materials science and cancer research...
After The Smoke Clears
Indoor Chemistry: Tobacco residues react with chemicals in air to form dangerous products.
Air Products Bids For Airgas
Industrial Gases: Air Products offers $7 billion for the unwilling distributor.