Physics
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
Cloaked eye still sees
Researchers have proposed a model that would allow sensors to send and receive information virtually undetected.
- Humans
In teeth, more cracks are better than one
Cracks in tooth enamel, called tufts, distribute force and shield a tooth from fracture, researchers report.
- Materials Science
Double-laser approach makes one thin line
Erasing and stenciling could refine tiny printing for sculpting nano-sized devices.
- Physics
Radioactive cigarettes
Polonium remains an underappreciated factor in the lung-cancer risk posed by cigarettes.
- Chemistry
Bubbles turn on chemical catalysts
Mechanical force could help chemical compounds spur reactions when the time is right.
- Materials Science
Viruses could power devices
Viruses — the biological kind — could be used to construct more efficient, environmentally friendly lithium ion batteries
- Physics
Spin control for technology
Long-lived helix offers a new way to keep electron spin stable and in sync
- Astronomy
Planck by Planck
The launch of the European Space Agency’s Planck mission, set for late April or early May, will put into orbit a new tool —the microwave equivalent of polarized sunglasses — that may offer a view of the dawn of time.
- Chemistry
Exxon Valdez oil lingers, as does its toxicity
Even 20 years after a major oil spill, barely degraded pockets of the oil persist within some intertidal beaches, research shows.
- Space
Quantum entanglement can be too much of a good thing
An overdose of the spooky connection can break down quantum computing systems, researchers find.
- Physics
Never mind the Pollock ‘fractals’
Scientists strengthen claim that fractal analysis is moot.
- Chemistry
Helping molecules reach meta
Researchers find a simple way to get molecules into the meta position on an aromatic ring, opening fresh possibilities for making new compounds.
