ESA accelerates towards a new space thruster
ESA has confirmed the principle of a new space thruster that may ultimately give much more thrust than today's electric propulsion techniques. view more (2005-12-13)
Nanoscale blasting adjusts resistance in magnetic sensors
A new process for adjusting the resistance of semiconductor devices by carpeting a small area of the device with tiny pits, like a yard dug up by demented terriers, may be the key to a new class of magnetic sensors, enabling new, ultra-dense data storage devices. view more (2007-08-17)
Atoms under the mantle
At a depth of 2900 kilometres, the layer between the Earth's mantle and its core has always intrigued geophysicists because they are unable to explain the seismic data it generates. view more (2007-03-07)
New clues about the Earth's movements
Synchrotron light has just revealed new clues about how the Earth moves. A team of scientists (Dubrovinsky et al) from four different countries and different fields of expertise have come to the ESRF to study materials submitted to extreme conditions of pressure and temperature, similar to those found at the boundary between the core and the... view more... (2003-03-07)
The tropics may be expanding
Atmospheric temperature measurements by U.S. weather satellites indicate Earth's hot, tropical zone has expanded farther from the equator since 1979, says a study by scientists from the University of Utah and University of Washington. view more (2006-05-26)
How Increased UV Exposure Impacts Plants
As the first plant life to emerge from the water and develop on dry earth, bryophytes offer a unique opportunity for researchers to understand the development of protections against ultraviolet radiation. view more (2009-03-10)
Southern ocean carbon sink weakened
Scientists have observed the first evidence that the Southern Ocean's ability to absorb the major greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, has weakened by about 15 per cent per decade since 1981. view more (2007-05-21)
New ion trap may lead to large quantum computers
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built a novel electromagnetic trap for ions that could be easily mass produced to potentially make quantum computers large enough for practical use. view more (2006-07-07)
Pine Is Ten Times As Sensitive As Maple
Coniferous trees are widespread in Russia, especially in Siberia, where taiga extends over tens of millions of hectares. Cedars and pines grow also in the environs of cities and in city parks and suffer from human-induced changes in environment. Of course, coniferous trees can withstand a low-level... view more... (2002-05-07)
Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings
Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. view more (2009-07-02)
Breaking harmful bonds
Everybody loves the way breakfast eggs conveniently slide off of Teflon without leaving any pesky pieces of egg in the pan. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in clothing, lubricants, refrigerants, anesthetics, semiconductors, and even blood substitutes. view more (2008-08-29)
Plant size morphs dramatically as scientists tinker with outer layer
Jack's magical beans may have produced beanstalks that grew and grew into the sky, but something about normal, run-of-the-mill plants limits their reach upward. For more than a century, scientists have tried to find out which part of the plant both drives and curbs growth: is it a shoot's outer waxy layer? view more (2007-03-08)
Combination of technologies works best against E. coli
No one weapon in the food-safety arsenal will take out E. coli 0157:H7, a nasty little pathogen that's becoming far too familiar to Americans, say University of Illinois scientists Scott Martin and Hao Feng. view more (2006-12-13)
Stable silicon layer makes flat-panel display cheaper
In a joint project between the Technology Foundation STW and the energy agency Novem at Utrecht University, researchers have developed new silicon layers which are more stable and cheaper than the present amorphous silicon layers. The electronic properties of the present layers in laptop screens and solar cells deteriorate if the material is under... view more... (2002-03-18)
Level of important greenhouse gas has stopped growing
Scientists at UC Irvine have determined that levels of atmospheric methane - an influential greenhouse gas - have stayed nearly flat for the past seven years, which follows a rise that spanned at least two decades. view more (2006-11-21)
More Evidence Chicxulub Was Too Early
A new study of melted rock ejected far from the Yucatan's Chicxulub impact crater bolsters the idea that the famed impact was too early to have caused the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. view more (2006-03-30)
First-ever study to link increased mortality specifically to carbon dioxide emissions
A Stanford scientist has spelled out for the first time the direct links between increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increases in human mortality, using a state-of-the-art computer model of the atmosphere that incorporates scores of physical and chemical environmental processes. view more (2008-01-04)
Growing Quantum Dots
Now physicists need not fully control the growth of laser crystals, because the crystals grow themselves. Professor Nikolay Ledentsov and his team at the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute have learned how to provide special conditions in which crystals can grow defectless. Growing crystals with... view more... (2002-09-09)
Competing proteins influence strength of tooth enamel
A gene critical to tooth formation expresses a protein that is then cleaved into two proteins with seemingly opposite functions, according to a USC-led team of dental researchers. view more (2005-09-01)
UCI scientists first to predict air quality impact of small-scale power sources
As California searches for more sources of power, researchers at UC Irvine have created the first scientific method for predicting the impact of small-scale generators on air quality - a tool that could help the state develop environmentally sound policies to regulate and promote their use. view more (2006-08-22)
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