Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Materials Science
Double-laser approach makes one thin line
Erasing and stenciling could refine tiny printing for sculpting nano-sized devices.
- Physics
Radioactive cigarettes
Polonium remains an underappreciated factor in the lung-cancer risk posed by cigarettes.
- Chemistry
Bubbles turn on chemical catalysts
Mechanical force could help chemical compounds spur reactions when the time is right.
- Materials Science
Viruses could power devices
Viruses — the biological kind — could be used to construct more efficient, environmentally friendly lithium ion batteries
- Physics
Spin control for technology
Long-lived helix offers a new way to keep electron spin stable and in sync
- Astronomy
Planck by Planck
The launch of the European Space Agency’s Planck mission, set for late April or early May, will put into orbit a new tool —the microwave equivalent of polarized sunglasses — that may offer a view of the dawn of time.
- Chemistry
Exxon Valdez oil lingers, as does its toxicity
Even 20 years after a major oil spill, barely degraded pockets of the oil persist within some intertidal beaches, research shows.
- Space
Quantum entanglement can be too much of a good thing
An overdose of the spooky connection can break down quantum computing systems, researchers find.
- Physics
Never mind the Pollock ‘fractals’
Scientists strengthen claim that fractal analysis is moot.
- Chemistry
Helping molecules reach meta
Researchers find a simple way to get molecules into the meta position on an aromatic ring, opening fresh possibilities for making new compounds.
- Physics
Evidence mounts for an exotic supersolid
Rubidium atoms simultaneously act like a solid and a superfluid.
- Materials Science
The American Physical Society Meeting
Get your daily physics news here from the March meeting of the American Physical Society.
