All Stories by Peter Weiss
- Physics
Ghostly Electrons: Particles flit through atom-thin islands
Electrical measurements of one-atom-thick slices of carbon reveal extraordinary electronic properties, including electrons that seem massless and move at blazing speeds.
- Physics
Revisiting Einstein’s incomplete theory
New, ultraprecise measurements of single-particle trajectories confirm that there's something missing from Einstein's mathematical model for Brownian motion.
- Physics
That’s the Way the Spaghetti Crumbles
Investigating how uncooked spaghetti breaks has uncovered new mechanisms behind shattering and energy concentration, with possible implications for how structures fail.
- Physics
Light Pedaling: Photonic brakes are vital for circuits
A novel silicon microchip device slows and varies light-pulse speeds—a function considered critical for the development of photonic circuits based on light instead of electrons.
- Tech
Muck Tech: Natural enzyme displaces precious metal in fuel cell
A prototype fuel cell uses an enzyme from a soil microbe to generate electricity from hydrogen rather than from rare and expensive metal catalysts such as platinum.
- Physics
Nanobots walk ‘n’ roll
A molecule that waddles on stubby feet and another that drives on ball-like wheels demonstrate scientists' increasing control over the usually haphazard motion of molecules on surfaces.
- Tech
Ghost Town Busters
Facing the threat of a radioactive mess from a dirty bomb, government and industry labs are creating novel cleaning agents and fixatives to aid rescue operations and speed restoration of contaminated zones.
- Tech
Bionic Bacteria: Gold nanoparticles make gadgets of living microbes
Researchers have created an electromechanical device out of living microbes.
- Tech
Road Warriors: Robotic vehicles triumph over desert obstacles
In a landmark contest that has spurred advances in robotic-vehicle technology, five driverless racing machines piloted themselves over more than 200 kilometers of rugged desert terrain.
- Humans
Nobel prizes: The power of original thinking
The 2005 Nobel prizes in the sciences honor a gutsy move, optical brilliance, and chemical crossovers.
- Physics
Transistor laser flaunts twin talents
A transistor that doubles as a laser can now operate at room temperature, bringing it to the verge of practical applications.
- Tech
Light sensor may improve battlefield tools
A new microscale ultraviolet-light sensor could help shrink the size of some military field systems used for detecting biowarfare agents and clandestine communications to the dimensions of a cell phone.
