Researchers remove oil from water using copper cones inspired by cactus...
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, has developed a new way to remove oil from water—using a design inspired by nature. In their paper published in...
View ArticleCaffeine 'traffic light': Do you want to know how much caffeine is in your...
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers led by Prof. Young-Tae Chang from National University of Singapore and Prof. Yoon-Kyoung Cho from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea,...
View ArticleGold 'nanoprobes' hold the key to treating killer diseases
Researchers at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Cambridge, have developed a technique to help treat fatal diseases more effectively. Dr Sumeet...
View ArticleSelf-healing solar cells 'channel' natural processes
To understand how solar cells heal themselves, look no further than the nearest tree leaf or the back of your hand.
View ArticleQuasar observed in six separate light reflections
(Phys.org) —Quasars are active black holes—primarily from the early universe. Using a special method where you observe light that has been bent by gravity on its way through the universe, a group of...
View ArticleNew high-tech laser method allows DNA to be inserted 'gently' into living cells
(Phys.org) —The applications of gene therapy and genetic engineering are broad: everything from pet fish that glow red to increased crop yields worldwide to cures for many of the diseases that plague...
View Article'Catabolite repression': Simple math sheds new light on a long-studied...
One of the most basic and intensively studied processes in biology—one which has been detailed in biology textbooks for decades—has gained a new level of understanding, thanks to the application of...
View ArticleNew proto-mammal fossil sheds light on evolution of earliest mammals (w/ Video)
A newly discovered fossil reveals the evolutionary adaptations of a 165-million-year-old proto-mammal, providing evidence that traits such as hair and fur originated well before the rise of the first...
View ArticleSqueezed light produced using silicon micromechanical system
One of the many counterintuitive and bizarre insights of quantum mechanics is that even in a vacuum—what many of us think of as an empty void—all is not completely still. Low levels of noise, known as...
View ArticleRegulating electron 'spin' may be key to making organic solar cells competitive
Organic solar cells that convert light to electricity using carbon-based molecules have shown promise as a versatile energy source but have not been able to match the efficiency of their silicon-based...
View ArticleWhat's the matter? Q-glasses could be a new class of solids
There may be more kinds of stuff than we thought. A team of researchers has reported possible evidence for a new category of solids, things that are neither pure glasses, crystals, nor even exotic...
View ArticlePractice at 'guesstimating' can speed up math ability
A person's math ability can range from simple arithmetic to calculus and abstract set theory. But there's one math skill we all share: a primitive ability to estimate and compare quantities without...
View ArticleMagnetic switching simplified
An international team of researchers has described a new physical effect that could be used to develop more efficient magnetic chips for information processing. The quantum mechanical effect makes it...
View ArticleSynthetic polymers enable cheap, efficient, durable alkaline fuel cells
A new cost-effective polymer membrane can decrease the cost of alkaline batteries and fuel cells by allowing the replacement of expensive platinum catalysts without sacrificing important aspects of...
View ArticleIf we landed on Europa, what would we want to know?
(Phys.org) —Most of what scientists know of Jupiter's moon Europa they have gleaned from a dozen or so close flybys from NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979 and NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the...
View ArticleScientists create tiny bendy power supply for even smaller portable electronics
Scientists have created a powerful micro-supercapacitor, just nanometres thick, that could help electronics companies develop mobile phones and cameras that are smaller, lighter and thinner than ever...
View ArticleFirst hundred thousand years of our universe: Researchers find tantalizing...
Mystery fans know that the best way to solve a mystery is to revisit the scene where it began and look for clues. To understand the mysteries of our universe, scientists are trying to go back as far...
View ArticleStrangers invade the homes of giant bacteria
Life is not a walk in the park for the world's largest bacteria, that live as soft, noodle-like, white strings on the bottom of the ocean depths. Without being able to fend for themselves, they get...
View ArticleIce ages only thanks to feedback
Ice ages and warm periods have alternated fairly regularly in the Earth's history: the Earth's climate cools roughly every 100,000 years, with vast areas of North America, Europe and Asia being buried...
View ArticleThe temperature tastes just right: Scientists discover new insect temperature...
Call it the Goldilocks Principle—animals can survive and reproduce only if the temperature is just right. Too hot and they will overheat. Too cold and they will freeze.
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