Physics & Chemistry

Experts design elastic iron for surgeries, buildings

Researchers in Japan have designed a super-elastic iron alloy which they hope can be used in sophisticated heart and brain surgeries and even buildings in earthquake zones.

Frogs, Foam and Fuel: Researchers Convert Solar Energy to Sugars

(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers from the University of Cincinnati devise a foam that captures energy and removes excess carbon dioxide from the air -- thanks to semi-tropical frogs.

New Lithium Batteries Could Remove Pesky Explosion Problem

Lithium-ion batteries used in hybrid cars, laptops and cell phones have occasionally undergone recalls and false scares concerning the possibility of exploding. Stanford University scientists have created lithium-sulfide electrodes that could create batteries that last four times longer and avoid any risk of possible explosions, Technology Review reports.

Spider silk research could lead to new super-materials

Making bricks from straw may soon be possible and even desirable after scientists found spider silk could make ordinary materials stronger than steal.

Quest Aims to Create Bigger Atoms and New Kinds of Matter

A quest is underway to create larger and larger atoms with more protons and neutrons than ever before.

Physicists Find Way to See Through Paint, Paper, and Other Opaque Materials

Materials such as paper, paint, and biological tissue are opaque because the light that passes through them is scattered in complicated and seemingly random ways. A new experiment conducted by researchers at the City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) has shown that it's possible to focus light through opaque materials and detect objects hidden behind them, provided you know enough about the material.

MIT researchers discover new way of producing electricity

A team of scientists at MIT have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon that can cause powerful waves of energy to shoot through minuscule wires known as carbon nanotubes. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say.

Hydroelectric generator can be carried like a backpack

Bourne Energy, a company based in Malibu, California, specializes in a variety of hydropower systems. While most of its technology is for large-scale applications, with multiple units generating energy on the megawatt scale, the company recently revealed a hydroelectric generator that is small enough that it can be worn as a backpack. Weighing less than 30 pounds, the Backpack Power Plant (BPP) can generate 500 watts of power from streams at least four feet deep.

Helping plants fertilize themselves

(PhysOrg.com) -- A BYU researcher helped discover a cellular tool some plants use to fertilize themselves. This fundamental understanding is important in the effort to reduce the 88 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer used worldwide every year. That in turn could help reduce fossil fuel use, because 3-5 percent of the world's natural gas is burned to make nitrogen fertilizer. The research is published in the journal Science.

New material absorbs, conserves oil

An ultra-lightweight sponge made of clay and a bit of high-grade plastic draws oil out of contaminated water but leaves the water behind.

Conductive eTextiles: Researchers move from making batteries from paper to making batteries from cloth

Stanford researchers have moved from making batteries from paper to making batteries from cloth. Your-T-shirt could become a lighted, moving display.

Energy-harvesting rubber sheets could power pacemakers, mobile phones

Power-generating rubber films developed by Princeton University engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Wireless optical transmission key to secure, safe and rapid indoor communications

Light is better than radio waves when it comes to some wireless communications, according to Penn State engineers. Optical communications systems could provide faster, more secure communications with wider bandwidth and would be suitable for restricted areas like hospitals, aircraft and factories.

Venus Flytrap for Nuclear Waste: New Material Finds 'Needle in a Haystack,' Shows Promise for Clean-Up

Not every object is food to a Venus flytrap. Like the carnivorous plant, a new material developed at Northwestern University permanently traps only its desired prey, the radioactive ion cesium, and not other harmless ions like sodium.

The Science Behind the Cell Phone Cancer Scare

Do cell phones cause brain cancer? There's no good reason to think they do.