Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Materials Science
Mother-of-Pearl on Ice: New ceramics might serve in bones and machines
Ceramics made by freezing water in an unusual way mimic not only the complicated microstructure of mother-of-pearl but also its extraordinary strength and toughness.
- Materials Science
Engineering membranes from cellular parts
Chemists have for the first time spun the molecules that make up cellular membranes into fibrous networks.
- Physics
Thermonuclear Squeeze: Altered method extends bubble-fusion claim
A technique that some scientists claim generates thermonuclear fusion in a benchtop apparatus apparently works even without its controversial neutron trigger.
- Materials Science
Making waves
Scientists have created thin, wavy silicon ribbons that stretch along with their rubber backing.
- Physics
Quantum Chip: Device handles ions as if they were data
A new microchip can trap and move an ion, preliminary steps toward carrying out quantum computations on a chip.
- Physics
Magnetic Overthrow
Researchers have discovered and begun to exploit a fundamentally new way to exert magnetic influences, at least on extremely small scales.
- Physics
Peek-a-bubble
Physicists made a stable, doughnut-shaped air bubble in water by encasing the gas ring in beads that form a stiff shell.
- Physics
Instant Nano Blocks: One-step process makes trillions of DNA pyramids
Researchers have unveiled a three-dimensional building component that can be created from DNA in a simple procedure.
- Physics
Shadows of Reality
If you’re curious about different ways of viewing the fourth dimension, this Web site provides some intriguing glimpses of this strange realm. The site was created by New York artist Tony Robbin in advance of the publication of his book, Shadows of Reality, on the fourth dimension in relativity, cubism, and modern thought. The site […]
- Materials Science
Atom Hauler: Molecular rig snags multi-atom loads
Specialists in atomic-scale construction can now use a new molecule to gather small groups of atoms and drop them, as clusters, at specific locations.
- 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.
