Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Light-speed nanotech: Controlling the nature of graphene
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a new method for controlling the nature of graphene, bringing academia and industry potentially one step closer to realising the mass production of...
Texas board moves closer to new science standards
(AP) -- The State Board of Education moved a step closer to dropping a 20-year-old science curriculum requirement that critics say is used to undermine the theory of evolution.
New imaging method lets scientists 'see' cell molecules more clearly
Scientists have always wanted to take a closer look at biological systems and materials. From the magnifying glass to the electron microscope, they have developed ever-increasingly sophisticated imaging devices...
Semiconducting nanotubes produced in quantity at Duke
After announcing last April a method for growing exceptionally long, straight, numerous and well-aligned carbon cylinders only a few atoms thick, a Duke University-led team of chemists has now modified...
'Smart' Fridges Stay Cool By Talking To Each Other
'Smart' fridges that run on renewable electricity and are capable of negotiating the most energy efficient way to keep food cold have been developed by researchers in Australia.
Cooking Up New Gelled Rocket Fuels
Engineers and food scientists are teaming up to develop a new type of gelled fuel the consistency of orange marmalade designed to improve the safety, performance and range of rockets...
Solarmer Energy expects sun to shine on Chicago invention
Solarmer Energy Inc. is developing plastic solar cells for portable electronic devices that will incorporate technology invented at the University of Chicago.
Ontario coal-fired power plant to switch to biomass
Ontario Power Generation is going to try to replace coal with biomass at a power-generating plant.
Ontarians must butt out before driving with kids
It's now illegal in Ontario to light up a cigarette inside a vehicle with a child present, making it the second province to institute such a ban.
Obituary: Phil Elliott
Since 1911 it has been known that a complex atom may be thought of as a swarm of light, negatively charged electrons surrounding a nucleus which is about 50,000 times...
Power Emissions Limits To Save Most Carbon At Least Cost, Study Suggests
The least cost way to reduce power related carbon emissions in Europe would be to supplement the EU's Emissions Trading System with the introduction of Emissions Performance Standards for energy,...
Continuous Descent: Saving Fuel and Reducing Noise for Airliners
(PhysOrg.com) -- Airline passengers arriving in Atlanta on early morning “redeye” flights during the past few months may have noticed something different during their descent to the runway. Instead of...
Pinar Keskinocak on Being an Industrial Engineer
ScienceLives is an occasional series that puts scientists under the microscope to find out what makes them tick.
Solar-powered LED light made of bottles
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Solarbulb, a new lighting gadget from miniWIZ, doesn't exactly come with all parts included: you have to add your own water or soda bottle. The LED Solarbulb...
'Core-Shell' Silicon Nanowires May Improve Lithium-Ion Batteries
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have found a way to incorporate silicon into the structure of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which are used to power a wide variety of portable electronic devices, including...
Infrared Spotlights Crystal Growth
The creation of a reproducible crystallization process is a fundamental challenge to drug manufacturers, but a technique which provides real time detailed analysis of chemical processes could provide an answer.
Tiny motors may be big in surgery
The smallest mechanical motor yet designed could be used in tiny robots for surgical procedures.
Using the greenhouse effect to reduce CO2 production
Looking at the most likely ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, I am struck that low-tech innovations, such as wind turbines and (the yet unproven) sequestration of CO2 from coal-burning...
Observatory: With an Ultrathin Film, a Big Step Forward for Flexible Electronics
Scientists in South Korea are reporting a significant advance toward the development of flexible electronics.
Snowmobiles compete for 'green' title
HOUGHTON, Mich., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Teams of U.S. engineering students are competing in Michigan to build a quieter, greener snowmobile.
Smart Bridges Under Development with New Federal Grant
Engineering smart bridges that can thoroughly discuss their health with inspectors is the goal of a new $19-million project led by the University of Michigan.
Large-Scale Nuclear Materials Study Shapes National Collaborations
In Kumar Sridharan's laboratory on the University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering campus, just one ill-timed sneeze might have catapulted his next three years' worth of nuclear reactor materials research into oblivion.
Quantum communication through synergy
(PhysOrg.com) -- When most people think of quantum communication, they think in terms of private communication channels - the ability to send messages without a third-party deciphering them. Indeed, quantum...
Sailboat To Sail Autonomously Across The Atlantic
Eight mechanical engineering students have taken on something big: in the context of their focus project, they are designing a sailing boat to sail autonomously across the Atlantic.
World's First Deep Sea Lab-on-a-chip Sensors Proved To Work
A first generation of miniaturized sensors that will measure the marine environment has been built to withstand conditions in the open ocean.
Rock Climbing With Better Safety: Analysis Of Climbing Karabiners
How safe are the karabiners used in climbing? Every climber knows the dilemma: so as to tackle the wall carrying as little extra weight as necessary, he puts the lightest...
Sport-loving student took minutes to adapt to bionic hand, the i-LIMB
A sport-loving student said today that it took him just a few minutes to adapt to an advanced bionic hand fitted after he lost his own in an...
Microscopic 'hands' for building tomorrow's machines
In a finding straight out of science fiction, chemical and biomolecular engineers in Maryland are describing development of microscopic, chemically triggered robotic "hands" that can pick up and move small...