Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Physics
You really can freeze hot water faster than cold*
Experiments suggest that impurities in the warmer water may explain the “Mpemba effect” in which warm water freezes faster than cold water.
- Physics
Superchilly chemistry
New theory and experiments help reveal how molecules interact in an ultracold system.
- Physics
How to hide a bump with some logs
Physicists take a step toward true invisibility with a cloak that makes objects invisible from multiple points of view.
- Physics
Next on CSI: Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
The modification of a powerful chemical analysis technique could make it the gold standard in detecting trace substances.
- Physics
Body heat may draw particles into breathing range
Computer simulations suggest thermal plumes may trap microbes, pollen and dust near a person’s head.
- Materials Science
Physicists observe quantum properties in the world of objects
A demonstration marries the world of the very small with the everyday, opening new realms for quantum computing and other applications.
- Math
Big or small, financial bubbles burst alike
New data from the Frankfurt stock exchange show that fleeting financial bubbles behave according to the same mathematical rules as history-making ones.
- Physics
Supertwisty light proposed
Researchers suggest a never-before-imagined property of electromagnetic fields that could one day yield new types of sensors.
- Physics
For quantum computer, add a dash of disorder
Flawed crystals could help couple light to matter and may compete with more perfectly ordered materials.
- Chemistry
Polymer shifts shape with changing temperature
Common material’s ‘memory’ could be exploited for smart fabrics or other gadgets.
- Physics
Aluminum superatoms may split water
Metal clusters could create hydrogen for fuel, simulations suggest.
- Chemistry
Plasticizers kept from leaching out
‘Chemicals of concern’ may be made safer in new materials.
