Physics

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We summarize the week's science breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Materials Science

    Sensitive Matter: Foams, Gels, Liquid Crystals, and Other Miracles by Michel Mitov

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  2. Physics

    The electric flour voltage test

    Granular materials give off a zap just before slipping, a finding with potential implications for sensing the starts of silo disasters or earthquakes.

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  3. Chemistry

    Flerovium and livermorium debut on periodic table

    New element names honor the contributions of Russian and American laboratories.

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  4. Physics

    Quantum teleportation leaps forward

    Two teams report beaming information about particles over long distances, a step toward creating satellite quantum communication networks.

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  5. Tech

    Imperfect chip pretty darn good

    Faster, smaller and more efficient, processors with that cut corners can still be good for some applications.

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  6. Physics

    Lessons from physics help reveal evidence for the body ferroelectric

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  7. Physics

    Physicists go totally random

    Calculations suggest a way to boost the independence of information flow, a finding that could help in cryptography.

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  8. Chemistry

    Scientist fiddles with spider silk

    Bundled and processed, the sturdy filaments yield a soft, rich sound on the violin.

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  9. Physics

    Computers’ inability to find physical laws is a clue to math’s relationship to reality

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  10. Physics

    Long-sought particles possibly glimpsed

    Majorana fermions, which are their own antiparticle, could one day be useful in quantum computing.

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  11. Physics

    Insects covered in tough stuff

    Locust exoskeleton could inspire new, fracture-resistant materials.

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  12. Physics

    Highlights from the American Physical Society April Meeting, Atlanta

    String theory’s take on the Higgs, newborn pulsars may have iron by-products, and coupled neutrons in beryllium nuclei revealed.

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