Physics

Physics

Universe in Flux: Constant of nature might have changed

Researchers have found signs that one of the constants of nature has undergone a subtle shift since the universe's infancy.

Physics

Abuzz about uranium

A type of atomic vibration never before seen in ordinary solid materials has been observed in uranium.

Materials Science

Microbe holds fast

A common aquatic microbe makes a sticky substance that produces the strongest biological adhesion ever discovered.

Materials Science

Wired Viruses: New electrodes could make better batteries

With the aid of a bacteria-infecting virus, researchers have engineered cobalt oxide-and-gold nanowires that can be used as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Physics

Revealing Covert Actions

The recent merger of high-speed video technology and centuries-old techniques for seeing ordinarily invisible fluctuations of the air is enabling engineers to visualize and study the previously unseen, large-scale behavior of shock waves in explosions and aerodynamics research.

Materials Science

Spin City

Researchers are using a technique called electrospinning to create fibrous mats that have potential applications in drug delivery, wound care, and tissue engineering.

Physics

Tiny wires trigger electric reversal

Ultrathin zinc nanowires exhibit a puzzling conductivity reversal that flies in the face of known wire behavior.

Physics

Tipsy Superfluids: Glimpsing off-kilter quantum clouds

A new type of superfluid atom cloud that's been thrown off-balance by having more atoms with their quantum spins pointing up than down, or vice versa, seems to defy theoretical expectations.

Materials Science

Making the Most of It

A recent crop of studies demonstrates how nature finds strength in unlikely places.

Materials Science

The art of the fold

With DNA origami, researchers can make complex nanostructures.

Materials Science

Networking with Friends: Nanotech material reconnects severed neurons

A new material made of nanometer-sized protein particles appears to be able to bridge the gap between severed nerves.

Materials Science

Busy Little Recyclers: Chemical process, microbial metabolism transform trash-bound plastics

A two-step approach that converts a common plastic into a biodegradable polymer may cut the number of packing peanuts and Styrofoam cups that end up in landfills.