Physics
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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ChemistryDeep-sea oil plume goes missing
Controversy arises over whether bacteria have completely gobbled oil up.
By Janet Raloff -
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ChemistrySuperconductors go fractal
Oxygen atoms arrange themselves in a self-similar pattern to help conduct electricity without resistance.
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PhysicsBlog: Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle still certain
Despite rumors to the contrary, a mainstay of quantum physics is just as (un)certain as ever.
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Materials ScienceErasing wrinkles, the physicists’ way
Researchers study how folds and other creases disappear.
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Particle PhysicsNew data suggest a lighter Higgs
Fermilab results heat up the race for an elusive particle.
By Ron Cowen -
MathSwarming locusts impossible to predict
A mathematical analysis shows that random factors underlie the insects’ movements across the landscape.
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Health & MedicineGood vibrations: A greener way to pasteurize milk
Many people like the taste of raw – as in unpasteurized – milk. The problem, of course, is that germs may infect raw milk, so food safety regulations require that commercial producers heat-treat their milk. But food scientists at Louisiana State University think they’ve stumbled onto a tastier way to sterilize milk. They bombard it with sound waves.
By Janet Raloff -
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ChemistryDifferent strokes
Though they share the same design, new micromachines are not a synchronized swimming team.