Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Pizza Tossing Art Unlocks Secrets Of Tiny Motors
Scientists have unlocked the physics of the perfect pizza toss and will use it to design the next generation of micro motors thinner that a human hair.
Bright Future With Solar Lanterns For India's Poor
Solar energy has the potential to improve the living conditions of poor rural households in India as well as contribute to the country's future energy security, according to an expert....
Observatory: For Tough Recyclables, a Self-Mending Plastic
Chemists have devised a thermoset plastic that, rather than decomposing, heals itself when heated.
Presto! Fast Color-changing Material May Lead To Improved Sunglasses
Researchers in Japan are reporting development of a new so-called "photochromic" material that changes color thousands of times faster than conventional materials when exposed to light. The development could lead...
Optical disc offers 500GB storage
An optical disc that can store 500GB of data, equivalent to 100 DVDs, is announced by General Electric.
Limit volume on MP3 players, researchers suggest to device makers
Manufacturers of MP3 players should limit the volume on the devices and authorities should develop public awareness campaigns to prevent hearing loss, Dutch researchers said Monday.
Nanocantilevers eliminate transducers
NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have created silicon-based nanocantilevers, smaller than the wavelength of light, eliminating the need for electric transducers.
Math, Art, and Origami at MIT
In the computer science lab where they work at MIT, Erik and Martin Demaine have a three-foot-tall metal and plastic sculpture that resembles a sleek, modernist version of a child's...
Bouncing atoms may be the key to the future of gravimetry
(PhysOrg.com) -- When studying cold atoms, scientists often use magnetic or optical traps to keep the atoms in place. However, in some cases experimentalists want to study free atoms, avoiding...
Laser light used to make brain gamma waves
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 27 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists say they've discovered a way to induce gamma waves by shining laser light directly onto the brains...
Quantum ghosts are helpful
(PhysOrg.com) -- The idea that far distant particles can somehow 'talk' to each other worried Einstein so much that he called it 'spooky action at a distance'.
More 'Roadmaps for Materials': 30,000 Phase Diagrams Available Online
The leading resource for reliable alloy phase diagrams now offers access to more than 30,000 authoritative diagrams, available both as a complete collection and as individual diagrams.
'Moderately Large' Potential For Red Tide Outbreak In Gulf Of Maine Region
The potential for an outbreak of the phenomenon commonly called "red tide" is expected to be "moderately large" this spring and summer, according to researchers.
Uncooperative voltage sensors
The May 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology features an article and accompanying commentary on new experimental evidence that advances previous conclusions about the essential features of the...
New 'green' power cables on the horizon
Engineers at the University of Southampton are part of a team developing new 'green' power cables which can be recycled at the end of their lives...
Single-molecule Nano-vehicles Synthesized: 'Fantastic Voyage' Not So Far Fetched
Imagine producing vehicles so small they would be about the size of a molecule and powered by engines that run on sugar. To top it off, a penny would buy...
Highlands 'wilderness' mulls electric car plan
Residents living in a remote part of the Highlands are looking at using electric or hybrid power vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.
UK carbon capture and storage gets government boost
All new coal-fired power plants to be fitted with carbon capture and storage technology under new government rules
Polymer Solar Cell Plant Hooked Up To Grid In Denmark
Danish researchers have connected a polymer solar cell plant to an electrical grid in a successful world-first demonstration of how the promising renewable energy technology can be integrated into power...
Quantum Computers: Powerful Method Of Suppressing Errors Developed
Researchers have demonstrated a technique for efficiently suppressing errors in quantum computers, an advance that could eventually make it much easier to build useful versions of these potentially powerful machines...
Singing Screws Reveal Sick Structures
In 2006, a concrete panel weighing several thousand pounds fell onto traffic in Boston's Big Dig tunnel, crushing a car and killing a motorist. The alleged cause -- and subject...
Supple Waves In Cheese And Skin Predicts Tenderness And Ripeness
When acoustic waves propagate through a given material, the ocean for instance, the sound waves respond to the properties of the fluid. Scientists can measure the elastic properties of soft...
Reversing Time To Spot Cracks In Gas Pipes
Checking natural gas pipelines for wear and tear costs big bucks. Sections of pipe must be manually exhumed to be tested for cracks or corrosion with acoustic or magnetic scanners....
Laser Makes Big Bangs Underwater
Technologies that use underwater acoustics -- for sonar, communications, or navigation -- often require a piece of hardware in the water to create sound remotely. Physicists are working on ways...
Detroit hydrogen buses may go regional
ROMULUS, Mich., April 25 (UPI) -- U.S. officials say tests of hydrogen-powered buses at the Detroit airport are designed to see if they can eventually be connected to...
Homeowners, small businesses install turbines to cut long-term energy costs
Steve and Sue Kirkham's home sits atop a hill where the wind can be strong enough to mute conversations and rattle lawn chairs. Instead of complaining, they decided to harness...
Republicans push nuclear energy to lower costs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. should build 100 more nuclear plants rather than spend "billions in subsidies" for renewable energy if it is truly committed to...
Multipolar dance could flip Earth’s magnetic field
Geomagnetic field reduced to a set of simple equations