Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Fermilab, European accelerator race for glory
(AP) -- So, does the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's Tevatron accelerator have a shot against the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland?
Indoor Plants Can Reduce Formaldehyde Levels
The toxic gas formaldehyde is contained in building materials including carpeting, curtains, plywood, and adhesives. As it is emitted from these sources, it deteriorates the air quality, which can lead...
Nanoparticles give cancer drug a boost
Efficiency of Taxol improved by encapsulating it in a polymer nanoparticle
Ethanol plants no panacea for local economies, study finds
Just over a year ago, the U.S. ethanol industry was still in overdrive, fuelling a wave of new factories to keep pace with surging demand for the corn-based gasoline additive...
Nanoparticle paper good to go
Researchers have developed ways manufacture paper or cardboard with nanoparticles – useful to fight radio interference or counterfeiting.
Hydrogen Fuel From Woodchips And Other Non-food Sources
Tomorrow's fuel-cell vehicles may be powered by enzymes that consume cellulose from woodchips or grass and exhale hydrogen. Researchers have produced hydrogen gas pure enough to power a fuel cell...
Plugging In Molecular Wires To Capture Light Energy
Japanese researchers have developed a new process to capture light energy -- they "plug" a molecular "wire" directly into a biological photosynthetic system to efficiently conduct the free electrons to...
Antibacterial Plaster Could Put A Clean Sheen On Walls
Scientists in China are reporting development and testing of new self-sanitizing plaster with more powerful antibacterial effects than penicillin. The material could be used in wall coatings, paints, art works...
Utilities: Protecting Electrical Equipment Against Lightning Damage
Firing bolts of lightning at expensive electrical equipment is all in a day's work at the National Electric Energy Testing Research and Applications Center. The goal for the lightning research...
New Plasma Transistor Could Create Sharper Displays
By integrating a solid-state electron emitter and a microcavity plasma device, researchers have created a plasma transistor that could be used to make lighter, less expensive and higher resolution flat-panel...
Iowa Power Fund Advances Researcher's Long Quest for Efficient Solar Power
Vikram Dalal and a team of Iowa State University researchers are trying to improve thin film solar cells. A $1.69 million grant from the Iowa Power Fund is allowing the...
Nanotechnology research could aid paper exports
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Victoria University, New Zealand, have discovered ground-breaking new ways to capitalise on New Zealand's increasingly valuable paper export markets using nanotechnology.
Engineers tune a nanoscale grating structure to trap and release a variety of light waves
People debating politics are well-advised to shed more light than heat. Engineers working in optical technologies have the same aspiration.
New British synchrotron beamline to open
CHILTON, England, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Researchers say a new facility opening later this year at Britain's Diamond Light Source synchrotron may revolutionize science.
VCU Adds Master's Degree Program to its Nuclear Engineering Curriculum
As interest soars in the potential of nuclear power to produce electricity without greenhouse gases, Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Engineering is rapidly expanding its curriculum to provide the next...
Scientists develop nano-hydrogels capable of detecting cancer cells
The hydrogels are polymers in the shape of a net. These hydrogels can swell up - by absorption - but cannot be dissolved in a liquid. This type of polymers...
Mystery receptor’s binding partner uncovered
Natural hallucinogen shown to be the ligand for a widely occurring protein receptor
TMS Announces New Award for Materials Science Research
Considered to be one of the great Italian technologists of the 20th century, Vittorio de Nora was a pioneer in the materials processing field. As a way to build on...
Race for 'God particle' heats up
Europe's Cern is losing ground in the race identify one of the fundamental particles of matter, its US rival claims.
Computer chip to run faster, use less power, thrive on errors
In the first real-world test of a revolutionary type of computing that thrives on random errors, scientists have created a microchip that uses 30 times less electricity while running seven...
Officials Set Timetable for Getting Particle Collider Back on Track
CERN has announced a new schedule for starting up the Hadron Colider next September and keeping it going for a full year.
Pore-free Ceramics Shine New Light on Lasers, Electronics and Biomedical Implants
(PhysOrg.com) -- To most people, the word "ceramics," refers to opaque clay flower pots or translucent porcelain tea cups. But not all ceramics block or scatter light.
Hollywood star could restart damaged particle accelerator
Tinseltown goes to CERN as Tom Hanks promotes latest thriller.
'Frozen smoke:' The ultimate sponge for cleaning up oil spills
Scientists in Arizona and New Jersey are reporting that aerogels, a super-lightweight solid sometimes called "frozen smoke," may serve as the ultimate sponge for capturing oil from wastewater and effectively...
The Journey from Jar Jar to Sign Language - Motion Capture Opens the Door to a New Way to Communicate
Motion capture technology has advanced dramatically in the past decade, to the point where digital characters in film and gaming are approaching photo-realism. But a Dalhousie Universitry researcher, based in...
Reverse current sheds new light on solar cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- The electric breakthrough of solar cells cannot be ascribed to the surface preparation as has now been demonstrated by physicists at the University of Leipzig and the company...
The Beaver as Chemist: Total Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Nupharamine Alkaloids from Castoreum
(PhysOrg.com) -- Castoreum, the dried scent glands of the Canadian beaver, was once one of the most valuable scent components derived from animals. Castoreum contains a complex mixture of substances,...
Easing Atmospheric CO2 Levels Using Nanotubes and Sunlight
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University have determined a way to use arrays of nanotubes in a solar-based process to convert carbon dioxide and water into methane and...