Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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- Humans
Periodic table gets some flex
IUPAC committee replaces fuzzy atomic weights with more accurate ranges
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- Chemistry
Locks to learn
A new way to probe interactions between pairs of hairs could offer insights into fly-aways and other tonsorial woes.
- Physics
Light can generate lift
Researchers create a lightfoil that can push small objects perpendicularly.
- Physics
Nuclear split surprises
Physicists spot a new and unexpected type of lopsided fission in the element mercury.
- Physics
Dissolving a puzzle
A mathematical analysis shows what it takes to remove rock fast enough to create a cavern.
- Chemistry
The nitty-gritty of diamond polishing
Researchers figure out what happens at the atomic scale when jewelers polish the hardest substance known.
- Physics
Negative temperature, infinitely hot
Physicists propose using ultracold atoms to create a thermodynamics puzzle routinely in the laboratory.
- Tech
Newfound water risk: Lead-leaching valves
Hidden elements in drinking-water lines can shed large amounts of lead, a toxic heavy metal. And it's quite legal, even if it does skirt the intent of federal regulations.
- Humans
Visor might protect troops from blasts
Computer simulations show that the current military helmet lets explosive forces into the head through the face.
- Physics
Antimatter, here to stay
Physicists trap antihydrogen for long enough to study the elusive material.
