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Element 114 on the brink of recognition NewScientist Share    
The periodic table is set to get bigger, now that three labs have independently made atoms of element 114. There's still one big uncertainty though -- should it be classified as a metal or as a noble gas? In February, an element with 112 protons in its atomic nucleus was recognized and named copernicium by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). A similar honor should shortly be on the way for element 114. Read the associated Physical Review Letters papers here and here. More Quantum dots for highly efficient solar cells Physics World Share
The efficiency of solar cells could be increased to more than 60% from the current limit of just 30% according to new work by scientists in Minneapolis and Texas. The new work involves capturing the higher-energy sunlight that is normally lost as heat in conventional devices using semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots. More Hotspots leave magnetic scars on Mars Nature News Share
After the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) settled into orbit around the red planet in 1997, a magnetometer on board began sending back measurements that have puzzled planetary scientists ever since. A section of the Martian crust appeared to consist of long 'stripes' of iron-bearing minerals permanently magnetized with alternating orientations. Clearly, an ancient dynamo imprinted its field in the rock during the planet's early history. But why the stripes? More
Nanoscale imaging technique meets 3-D moviemaking Scientific American Share
Three-dimensional movies are everywhere these days, and the novelty is poised to become a big-screen mainstay. Now the field of microscopy is getting into the act, too, but the end product is very different from 3-D movies such as Toy Story 3 or Avatar. More LHC scientists simulate the sound of the 'God Particle' Popular Science Share
If a theoretical force-carrying, subatomic particle were to materialize in the universe and no one were around to hear it, would it make a sound? Existential aspects aside, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider believe that the elusive Higgs boson, should it prove to be real, will most definitely make a sound, and they plan to be around to hear it. In fact, that's one of the ways they plan to detect the so-called "God Particle," and they've simulated the sounds a Higgs boson might make so they can listen for its arrival. More Frozen antiprotons bring antimatter within reach NewScientist Share
Antimatter is powerful stuff, but is it a genuine mirror image of matter? The coldest antiprotons ever made take us a step closer to finding out. More
World Cup security uses physics to thwart hackers FOX News Share
South African physicists working to protect data networks at the World Cup hope to provide something that no goalkeeper can promise: perfect defense. They're tapping the laws of physics to prevent hackers from monitoring videos, emails and phone calls relayed between Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium and a nearby operations center for police, firefighters, and military personnel. More Climate friction: problem papers meet their critics Ars Technica Share
A close look at climate change research papers and their reception by the scientific community holds important lessons about peer review and climate science, and why it can be a difficult area for the public to follow. More
Neutrino experiments sow seeds of possible revolution ScienceNews Share
Recent neutrino data may require physicists to pursue a fundamentally new direction in their thinking about subatomic particles and the origin of matter in the universe. More IceCube telescope: Extreme science meets extreme electronics EE Times Share
The world's largest telescope, currently under construction more than a mile beneath the Antarctic ice, is on schedule to be completed next year, according to a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, the lead institution for a scientific project called IceCube. More |
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