Physics

  1. Physics

    A new way to stick it to flies

    Researchers have measured the amount of static charge that a walking house fly generates.

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  2. Materials Science

    Better Stainless: Analysis could bring pits out of the steel

    The key to developing pit-resistant stainless steel is to correct the dearth of chromium atoms around inclusions in the alloy.

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  3. Materials Science

    Scientists make nanothermometer

    A carbon nanotube filled with gallium can be used to measure temperatures in microscopic environments.

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  4. Physics

    Light comes to halt again—in a solid

    By stopping laser light pulses cold in a crystal, storing them, and then releasing them, physicists have achieved the same feat accomplished last year in gases, but this time in a more practical material.

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  5. Physics

    From the February 6, 1932, issue

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  6. Materials Science

    Carbon pods are more than a pack of peas

    Researchers have found that they can manipulate the electronic properties of nanoscopic carbon structures.

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  7. Physics

    Anatomy of a Lightning Ball

    Metallic fuzz, acid droplets, or other fairy dust may conjure up ball lightning (with video clips).

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  8. Physics

    Balloon bursts give clue to fast cracks

    A casual observation about the edges of popped balloons may have led researchers to previously unknown features of the most common and least understood types of fractures.

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  9. Materials Science

    Metallic materials made to order

    A new process for creating specifically patterned, three-dimensional microstructures could lead to new catalysts or optoelectronic devices.

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  10. Materials Science

    Mammal cells make fake spider silk better

    Using long and abundant water-soluble proteins secreted by bioengineered mammal cells, scientists have spun the first artificial spider silk demonstrated to have some of the remarkable mechanical properties of the real thing.

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  11. Materials Science

    Flattery for Faience

    By replicating ancient materials with their own hands, researchers are gaining new insights into details of Egyptian faience manufacture that have been lost for thousands of years.

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  12. Physics

    Electrons grab unexpected energy share

    When atoms or molecules react with a metal surface, even briefly, they can inject much more energy into surface electrons than previously realized.

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