Is global warming unstoppable?
In a provocative new study, a University of Utah scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions - the major cause of global warming - cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day. view more (2009-11-23)
Smartphone app illuminates power consumption
A new application for the Android smartphone shows users and software developers how much power their applications are consuming. PowerTutor was developed by doctoral students and professors at the University of Michigan. view more (2009-11-23)
Nuclear weapons: Predicting the unthinkable
If a nuclear weapon were detonated in a metropolitan area, how large would the affected area be? Where should first responders first go? According to physicist Fernando Grinstein, we have some initial understanding to address these questions, but fundamental issues remain unresolved. view more (2009-11-23)
Generating electricity from air flow
A group of researchers at the City College of New York is developing a new way to generate power for planes and automobiles based on materials known as piezoelectrics, which convert the kinetic energy of motion into electricity. view more (2009-11-23)
MIT: Better way to harness waste heat
New MIT research points the way to a technology that might make it possible to harvest much of the wasted heat produced by everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric powerplants, and turn it into usable electricity. view more (2009-11-19)
Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane
Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. view more (2009-11-16)
SNM applauds House action to build medical isotopes reactor in the US
SNM applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for its passage of H.R. 3276-the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009. view more (2009-11-09)
PTB Terahertz calibration satisfies US laser manufacturer
Terahertz radiation still lies in a metrological no man's land - a metrology gap. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) can now close this gap. view more (2009-11-06)
High-performance plasmas may make reliable, efficient fusion power a reality
In the quest to produce nuclear fusion energy, researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have recently confirmed long-standing theoretical predictions that performance, efficiency and reliability are simultaneously obtained in tokamaks, the leading magnetic confinement fusion device, operating at their performance limits. view more (2009-11-03)
Harvesting energy from nature's motions
By taking advantage of the vagaries of the natural world, Duke University engineers have developed a novel approach that they believe can more efficiently harvest electricity from the motions of everyday life. view more (2009-11-02)
Hard Rain: Pitt-led Researchers Create Nano-Particle Coating to Prevent Freezing Rain Buildup on Roads, Power Lines
Preventing the havoc wrought when freezing rain collects on roads, power lines, and aircrafts could be only a few nanometers away. view more (2009-10-30)
LANL Roadrunner models nonlinear physics of high-power lasers
For years scientists have struggled with the difficult physics of inertial confinement fusion. This is the attempt to compress a target capsule containing isotopes of hydrogen with high-powered lasers to high enough pressure and temperature to initiate fusion burn. view more (2009-10-29)
Endocrine Society calls for expanded scope and funding for stem cell research
Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. view more (2009-10-28)
Science at the Petascale: Roadrunner Results Unveiled
The world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, at Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed its initial "shakedown" phase doing accelerated petascale computer modeling and simulations of a variety of unclassified, fundamental science projects. view more (2009-10-27)
Exercise makes cigarettes less attractive to smokers
Exercise can help smokers quit because it makes cigarettes less attractive. A new study from the University of Exeter shows for the first time that exercise can lessen the power of cigarettes and smoking-related images to grab the attention of smokers. The study is published in the journal Addiction. view more (2009-10-26)
Researchers can predict hurricane-related power outages
Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other destructive storms, researchers from Johns Hopkins and Texas A&M universities say they have found a way to accurately predict power outages in advance of a hurricane. view more (2009-10-21)
Shifting the world to 100 percent clean, renewable energy as early as 2030 -- here are the numbers
Most of the technology needed to shift the world from fossil fuel to clean, renewable energy already exists. Implementing that technology requires overcoming obstacles in planning and politics, but doing so could result in a 30 percent decrease in global power demand. view more (2009-10-20)
Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use
A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them. view more (2009-10-20)
U of C chemists discover recipe to design a better type of fuel cell
Fuel cells are often touted as one method to help decrease society's addiction to fossil fuels. But there is still a lot of work to be done before fuel cells will be ready for mass market to be used in transportation, home heating and portable power for emergencies. view more (2009-10-19)
Quantum computer chips now 1 step closer to reality
In the quest for smaller, faster computer chips, researchers are increasingly turning to quantum mechanics -- the exotic physics of the small. The problem: the manufacturing techniques required to make quantum devices have been equally exotic. That is, until now. view more (2009-10-16)
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