Physics

  1. Materials Science

    Magnetic nanorods on cruise control

    Chemists have created miniature engines out of nanoscale metallic rods that propel themselves using chemical energy.

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  2. Physics

    Twinkle Toes: How geckos’ sticky feet stay clean

    Besides allowing geckos to cling to walls and ceilings, the millions of tiny fibers on the undersides of these lizards' toes clean themselves with each step.

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  3. Physics

    Probe bares heart of X-ray inferno

    Physicists have snapped the first real-time pictures of the exploding core of the world's most powerful X-ray source other than a nuclear bomb.

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  4. Materials Science

    Sweet Glow: Nanotube sensor brightens path to glucose detection

    An implantable glucose sensor based on carbon nanotubes could allow patients with diabetes to monitor their blood sugar levels without the need for daily pinprick tests.

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  5. Materials Science

    Concrete Nation

    From ultrahigh-performance concrete that bends like metal to concrete blocks that transmit light, scientists are pushing the physical and architectural limits of this ubiquitous construction material.

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  6. Materials Science

    Mussel glue inspires coating for medical implants

    An antifouling coating inspired by the sticky adhesive secreted by mussels could protect future medical implants from failure.

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  7. Materials Science

    Glass materials let Venetian art shine

    Sixteenth-century Venetian painters mixed glassy materials with their paints to expand their palettes and enhance the vibrancy of their colors.

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  8. Materials Science

    Bonelike polymer supports stem cells

    A polymer scaffold that mimics the environment in which natural bone grows provides stem cells with the right cues to lay down new bone.

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  9. Materials Science

    Buckyballs store 1s and 0s in new memory device

    Scientists have created a material that stores bits of data in the soccer ball-shaped carbon molecules known as buckyballs.

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  10. Materials Science

    A light wrap?

    Materials scientists have created fabrics that can both detect light and conduct electricity.

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  11. Physics

    An Electron Runs through It

    Now that physicists can observe electrons beneath the surface of microchips, they have uncovered electron-flow patterns that are both surprising and visually startling, as well as new details of electron behavior that may lead to faster electronics and quantum computing.

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  12. Materials Science

    Color Collective: Polymer self-assembles into light-emitting film

    Stacks of sheets of light-emitting organic molecules that assemble into nanoscale structures could be more efficient and luminescent than existing display materials based on organic substances.

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