Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Pollution: A possible end to 'forever' chemicals
Synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyls, or PFAS, contain bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms considered the strongest in organic chemistry. Unfortunately, the widespread use of these nonbiodegradable products...
Engineers crack 58-year-old puzzle on way to quantum breakthrough
A happy accident in the laboratory has led to a breakthrough discovery that not only solved a problem that stood for more than half a century, but has major implications...
World's first experimental observation of a Kondo cloud
Physicists have been trying to observe the Kondo cloud quantum phenomenon for many decades. An international research team including a scientist from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently...
How does flow effect forces of charged surfaces/particles and surfactants in liquids?
You're at the office. You've typed up a report and press print. Walk over to the printer and retrieve the fresh, inkjet-printed paper. As you admire your work, were you...
A hidden electronic transition 'S0 to Tn' in heavy-atom-containing molecules
Researchers in Japan have discovered S0→Tn, a previously overlooked electronic transition in photoreactions occurring in heavy-atom-containing molecules exposed to visible light. The study was published online in Angewadte Chemie International...
Novel error-correction scheme developed for quantum computers
Scientists in Australia have developed a new approach to reducing the errors that plague experimental quantum computers; a step that could remove a critical roadblock preventing them scaling up to...
Ring’s new battery-powered video doorbell captures footage before motion begins
Pre-Roll shows up in a picture-in-picture display in the app. (Ring/)Hard-wiring a video doorbell into your home isn’t the easiest DIY project to tackle, especially if you’re not comfortable around electrical work. That...
MEMS technology for fabricating plasmonic near-infrared spectrometers
Near-infrared spectroscopy provides absorption spectrum unique to substances so that discrimination of gas species becomes possible. Miniaturization of spectrometers is thus required to realize compact gas sensors for monitoring air...
Bilayer graphene double quantum dots tune in for single-electron control
The first demonstration of graphene double quantum dots in which it is possible to control the number of electrons down to zero has been reported in Nano Letters. Far from...
Measuring variations of an atom's chemical reactivity through its chemical bonds
A team of researchers from the University of Regensburg and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich has developed a way to measure the dependence of an atom's chemical reactivity on its chemical bonds. In...
Undercompressive shocks proposed to explain 'tears of wine' phenomenon
A small team of researchers at the University of California has developed a theory to explain the shape of tears of wine. They have written a paper describing their theory...
'Vacancies' crystal defects key to improved design of lightweight aluminium alloys
Monash University researchers in Australia have used a combination of atomic-scale imaging and simulations to improve the understanding of the theta-prime strengthening phase in the aluminium copper alloy system.
Samsung develops electric vehicle battery with 500-mile range
Samsung Electronics announced it has developed a solid state battery technology that could enable electric vehicles to achieve a range of 500 miles.
Atomic fingerprint identifies emission sources of uranium
Depending on whether uranium is released by the civil nuclear industry or as fallout from nuclear weapon tests, the ratio of the two anthropogenic, i.e. human-made, uranium isotopes 233U and...
Researchers develop first model to guide large-scale production of ultrathin graphene
Graphene is well-known for its remarkable electronic, mechanical and thermal properties, but industrial production of high-quality graphene is very challenging. A research team at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft,...
A possible end to 'forever' chemicals
Synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyls, or PFAS, contain bonds between carbon and fluorine atoms considered the strongest in organic chemistry. Unfortunately, the widespread use of these nonbiodegradable products...
Glass transition of spins and orbitals of electrons in a pure crystal
A joint research group from Osaka University and the University of Tokyo uncovered the mechanism of the glass transition that electrons can experience in pyrochlore oxide crystals. The researchers show...
Magic twist angles of graphene sheets identified
Graphene is 200 times stronger than steel and can be as much as six times lighter. These characteristics alone make it a popular material in manufacturing. Researchers at the University...
String theory vs. M-theory: A showdown to explain our universe
The five main string-theory candidates may all just be pieces of a larger, cohesive whole — and M-theory could bring them together.
A novel technique to produce cheaper and more efficient chlorine
Chlorine is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals in the world today, with 75 million tons produced annually. A team of researchers, affiliated with UNIST has recently found...
Breakthrough made toward more powerful particle accelerators
An international team of researchers, affiliated with UNIST has for the first time demonstrated the ionization cooling of muons. Regarded as a major step in creating more powerful particle accelerators,...
Nebraska adds two football players to basketball roster for Big Ten tourney
Nebraska filled out its undermanned men's hoops roster by adding two football players ahead of the Big Ten basketball tournament this week.
Sikorsky awarded $525.4M for production of Black Hawks for Army
Sikorsky was awarded a $525.4 million contract modification for work on Lot 44 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the U.S. Army, according to the Pentagon.
Letters to the Editor: 'Namaste' instead of shaking hands is one way to halt coronavirus
Adopt the Indian custom of folding our hands close to our chest, in lieu of shaking hands, to help fight the coronavirus.
Chemists create new artificial enzyme
Computational chemists have created a novel, synthetic, three-stranded molecule that functions just like a natural metalloenzyme, or an enzyme that contains metal ions.
Feeding fusion: hydrogen ice pellets prove effective for fueling fusion plasmas
Researchers have found that injecting pellets of hydrogen ice rather than puffing hydrogen gas improves fusion performance at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, which General Atomics operates for the U.S....
Scientists call for more sustainable palm oil practices
Researchers are working to find, develop and scale the production of synthetic replacements for palm oil, but the process could take years. In the meantime, scientists have called for more...
To make ultra-black materials that won't weigh things down, consider the butterfly
Some butterflies have ultra-black wings that rival the blackest materials made by humans, using wing scales that are only a fraction as thick. Using scanning electron microscopy and computer simulations...