All Stories by Davide Castelvecchi
- Physics
Gödel, Escher, Chopin
Musical theorists see inuitive links between musical chords and geometries.
- Tech
Down with the transistor
A new type of electronic component could shrink computer chips and make them more powerful.
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Bass Booster
Tight coiling in the human inner ear pumps up the bass.
- Chemistry
Einstein’s invisible hand: Is relativity making metal act like a noble gas?
Element 114 should be chemically similar to lead, but controversial experimental data shows it behaves more like a noble gas, potentially subverting the periodic table's structure.
- Materials Science
Squid beaks are hardly soft
Water softens squid beaks toward their base, so they don't cut into the squid's own soft tissue.
- Materials Science
Quantum Cocoon
Diamond can hold quantum information even at room temperature, which makes it a candidate material for future quantum computers.
- Materials Science
Live Another Day: African insect survives drought in glassy state
When dehydrated, the larvae of an African fly replace the water in their cells with a sugar, which solidifies and helps keep cellular structures intact.
- Tech
Power from heat
A more efficient material that converts heat into electricity could make a new kind of solar panel possible.
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- Animals
Love Code: A twist of light only mantis shrimp can see
Alone in the animal kingdom, these crustaceans signal their presence to potential mates with circularly polarized light.
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People move like predators
Cell phone data shows that people's daily roaming follows statistical patterns also seen in predators.
- Materials Science
A sticky issue
Peeling off adhesive tape can be frustrating, and now researchers know why.
