Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
New nanosensor detects cancer biomarkers in drop of blood
Looking for cancer biomarkers in blood is a promising method for detecting metastatic cancer. It is less demanding than imaging techniques like MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). The main challenge to...
Environmentally friendly textile material is easy and cheap to manufacture
When doctoral student Mostafa Jabbari began his research project, the aim was to improve the properties of the material used for textile bioreactors. But he changed tracks and developed a...
Quantum memories entangled over 50-kilometer cable
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has succeeded in sending entangled quantum memories over a 50-kilometer coiled fiber cable. In their paper published in the journal...
New process for preserving lumber could offer advantages over pressure treating
Pressure treating—which involves putting lumber inside a pressurized watertight tank and forcing chemicals into the boards—has been used for more than a century to help stave off the fungus that...
Printing tiny, high-precision objects in a matter of seconds
Researchers at EPFL have developed a new, high-precision method for 3-D-printing small, soft objects. The process, which takes less than 30 seconds from start to finish, has potential applications in...
How electric fields affect a molecular twist within light-sensitive proteins
A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has gained insight into how electric fields affect the way energy from light drives...
A fast light detector made of two-dimensional materials
Two research groups at ETH Zurich have joined forces to develop a novel light detector. It consists of two-dimensional layers of different materials that are coupled to a silicon optical...
Scientists develop first electrically-driven 'topological' laser
Scientists and engineers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the University of Leeds in the U.K. have created the first electrically driven topological laser, which has the ability...
Machine learning implemented for quantum optics
As machine learning continues to surpass human performance in a growing number of tasks, scientists at Skoltech have applied deep learning to reconstruct quantum properties of optical systems.
NASA to accept applications for astronaut jobs in March
NASA expects thousands of astronaut applications after it starts to accept them March 2, with enthusiasm fueled by the much-anticipated return to human spaceflight this year.
In Norway, bottles made of plastic are still fantastic
One at a time, the elderly lady places her empties into the gaping hole of a machine at the entrance to an Oslo supermarket. With a well-functioning deposit system, Norway...
“Sensorized” skin helps soft robots find their bearings
For the first time, MIT researchers have enabled a soft robotic arm to understand its configuration in 3D space, by leveraging only motion and position data from its own “sensorized” skin. Soft robots...
Researchers show how electric fields affect a molecular twist within light-sensitive proteins
A team of scientists from the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has gained insight into how electric fields affect the way energy from light drives...
Turning wood scraps into strong, structured building material
Wooden nacre nearly matches mother-of-pearl in strength and toughness
Unexpected atmospheric chemistry may explain an air pollution mystery
New understanding of the complex chemistry of haze could provide guidance for air-quality regulators
Cracks in perovskite films for solar cells easily healed, study finds
A new study finds that cracks in brittle perovskite films can be easily healed with compression or mild heating, a good sign for the use of perovskites in next-generation solar...
Bubble-capturing surface helps get rid of foam
Bubbly buildup can hinder many industrial processes, but a new method can reduce or even eliminate it.
Researchers link quartz microbalance measurements to international measurement system
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to link measurements made by a device integral to microchip fabrication and other industries directly to...
New material has highest electron mobility among known layered magnetic materials
All the elements are there to begin with, so to speak; it's just a matter of figuring out what they are capable of—alone or together. For Leslie Schoop's lab, one...
Researchers shrink laser-induced graphene for flexible electronics
You don't need a big laser to make laser-induced graphene (LIG). Scientists at Rice University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are using...
New etching technique could advance the way semiconductor devices are made
Microelectronics like semiconductor devices are at the heart of the technologies we use each day. As we move into an era where we are stretching the limits of Moore's Law,...
Researchers develop new method for analyzing metal
Warfighters on the battlefield often rely on machines, vehicles and other technologies with rotating parts to complete their mission. Army researchers have devised a new method of testing for a...
Cracks in perovskite films for solar cells easily healed, study finds
A new study reveals good news for the possibility of using perovskite materials in next-generation solar cells.
New Argonne etching technique could advance the way semiconductor devices are made
Researchers uncover a technique known as molecular layer etching which aid in building intricate 3D nanostructures for semiconductor devices and other microelectronics.
Tasty homemade ‘energy balls’ could help French soldiers get the fuel they need
A soldier holds one of the snacks. (MOS Nutrition/)The French armed forces are renowned the world over for their sophisticated combat rations—their version of American MREs. Still, troops on operations, particularly special forces...
Atom or noise? New method helps cryo-EM researchers tell the difference
Cryogenic electron microscopy can in principle make out individual atoms in a molecule, but distinguishing the crisp from the blurry parts of an image can be a challenge. A new...
New air-pressure sensor could improve everyday devices
A team of mechanical engineers at Binghamton University, State University of New York investigating a revolutionary kind of micro-switch has found another application for its ongoing research.
'Pale Blue Dot' Revisited
A recent update to this historic portrait shows Earth as a tiny speck surrounded by the vastness of space.