Researchers teach old chemical new tricks to make cleaner fuels, fertilizers
University researchers from two continents have engineered an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst for the production of molecular hydrogen (H2), a compound used extensively in modern...
View ArticleSomething old, something new... Grand Canyon surprises
The Grand Canyon as we know it was formed between five and six million years ago, which is youthful in geological terms, but parts of it could be as old as 70 million years, scientists said Sunday.
View ArticleGeeks the stars as Apple 'Mac' turns 30
Geeks who brought the Macintosh computer to life became Silicon Valley rock stars on Saturday, with people asking for autographs or photos while celebrating the Apple desktop machine's 30th birthday.
View ArticlePredicting warming effect of human-induced greenhouse gases
The warming effect of human-induced greenhouse gases is a given, but to what extent can we predict its future influence? That is an issue on which science is making progress, but the answers are still...
View ArticleMeet the 425-million-year-old 'bottle brush' beastie
Palaeobiologists at Oxford University have discovered a new fossil arthropod, christened Enalikter aphson, in 425-million-year-old rocks in Herefordshire. It belongs to an extinct group of...
View ArticleResearchers use DNA strands to build decomposable nanostructures
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers in Canada has found a way around the problem of large nanostructures that are used to combat tumors, remaining in the body after they are no longer needed. In their...
View ArticleExtraterrestrial Intelligence: The Challenge of Comprehending E.T.'s IQ
Although we often ponder the possible otherworldly morphology of extraterrestrials, a harder exercise is conceiving alien intelligences.
View ArticleNanoscale heat engine exceeds standard efficiency limit
(Phys.org) —In 2012, a team of physicists from Germany proposed a scheme for realizing a nanoscale heat engine composed of a single ion. Like a macroscale heat engine, the theoretical nanoscale version...
View ArticleNew research technique shows perennial sea ice cover came about earlier than...
(Phys.org) —Earth scientist Dennis Darby is arguing in a Letter article published in Nature Geoscience, that perennial sea ice existed as far back as 44 million years ago. He's developed a technique...
View ArticleSmall-scale imaging unlocks nickel ore value
Local researchers are using a unique method of nano-material imaging to more effectively determine the highly variable acid leaching values of Western Australian nickel laterite ores.
View ArticleEarth's core reveals an inner weakness
(Phys.org) —The word "core" conjures up an image of something strong. However, new experiments show that the iron found in the Earth's core is relatively weak. This finding is based on x-ray...
View Article300,000-year-old hearth found
Humans, by most estimates, discovered fire over a million years ago. But when did they really begin to control fire and use it for their daily needs? That question – one which is central to the subject...
View ArticleIs there an ocean beneath our feet?
(Phys.org) —Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that deep sea fault zones could transport much larger amounts of water from the Earth's oceans to the upper mantle than previously thought.
View ArticleGetting a charge from changes in humidity
(Phys.org) —A new type of electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water, according to research conducted at the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired...
View ArticleMagnetic switch gets closer to application
Scientists from Paris, Newcastle and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have been able to switch on and off robust ferromagnetism close to room temperature by using low electric fields. Their results are...
View ArticleSatellites help power grid keep its balance
Imagine a generator pumping more electricity than a nuclear power plant into the grid, but inconsistently and without the grid's caretakers being able to see what it was doing. How could they maintain...
View ArticleAstronauts repeat spacewalk, with mixed success (Update 2)
Two Russian space station astronauts took a spacewalk Monday to complete a job left undone last month, but ran into new trouble.
View ArticleSilk coat for diamonds makes sleek new imaging and drug delivery tool
(Phys.org) —Silk and diamonds aren't just for ties and jewelry anymore. They're ingredients for a new kind of tiny glowing particle that could provide doctors and researchers with a novel technique for...
View ArticleCommon crop pesticides kill honeybee larvae in the hive
Four pesticides commonly used on crops to kill insects and fungi also kill honeybee larvae within their hives, according to Penn State and University of Florida researchers. The team also found that...
View ArticleSwiss cheese crystal, or high-tech sponge?
The sponges of the future will do more than clean house. Picture this, for example: Doctors use a tiny sponge to soak up a drug and deliver it directly to a tumor. Chemists at a manufacturing plant use...
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