All Stories by Peter Weiss
- Physics
Why the thinnest sticky hairs rule
The foot hairs of geckos and other creatures that can walk on ceilings may be microscopic because only such slender hairs offer optimal adhesion, regardless of shape.
- Tech
Pile-o’-polymers breaks up on command
Stacks of polymers designed to break apart in acid solution or at a certain voltage may prove useful for releasing drugs, pesticides, or other compounds where and when needed.
- Tech
Pores of glass skin shrink from light
Ultraviolet light can fine-tune the properties of intricately structured, porous films of glass that, among other uses, may make possible the long-sought direct extraction of oxygen and nitrogen gases from air.
- Physics
Teleporting Matter’s Traits: Beaming information quantum-style
Physicists have transferred a quantum state from one atom to another by manipulating a mysterious, atom-to-atom quantum link called entanglement.
- Physics
Squashed spheres set a record for filling space
Modestly deformed spheres can stack with unexpected compactness.
- Tech
Sixth Sense
A budding technology called electric field imaging may soon enable devices such as appliances, toys, and computers to detect the presence of people and respond to their motions.
- Tech
Microwave mirror hits the spot
A technique for rebounding and refocusing sound also works for electromagnetic waves, possibly opening new uses ranging from improving cell phone communication to treating illness.
- Tech
Tiny Tubes Brighten Bulbs: Nanotubes beat tungsten in lightbulb test—maybe
Experiments suggest that lightbulbs with filaments made from carbon nanotubes outshine conventional bulbs.
- Tech
Groovy Pictures: Extracting sound from images of old audio recordings
To preserve songs and words on antique vinyl records and wax cylinders, a new scanning technique maps their grooves, then simulates a stylus moving along those contours to extract high-quality sound.
- Physics
Holey Water: Punctured fluid stays riddled
Extreme vibrations and high concentrations of tiny particles, such as cornstarch, in water can create holes in the liquid.
- Physics
After 40-year prep, gravity test soars
The Gravity Probe B satellite, which was built to test aspects of general relativity, finally hurtled into space.
- Physics
The Rise of Antibubbles
Tiny globules of water enclosed by thin shells of air in water that look like bubbles but don't act like them have recently become the objects of serious study.
