Applied Physics

Engineers Devise New Process To Improve Energy Efficiency Of Ethanol Production

Carnegie Mellon University Chemical Engineers have devised a new process that can improve the efficiency of ethanol production, a major component in making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. Carnegie Mellon researchers have used advance ...

Article - Lou Grinzo - Jul 25 2007 - 10:03am

Artificial Cells To Fight Disease?

Carnegie Mellon University's Philip LeDuc predicts the use of artificially created cells could be a potential new therapeutic approach for treating diseases in an ever-changing world. LeDuc, an assistant professor of mechanical and biomedical enginee ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2007 - 12:08am

Implicit Stereotypes And Gender Identification May Affect Female Math Performance

New research may provide insight as to why, despite progress over the last few decades, women remain underrepresented in math-heavy majors and professions. In an article published in the January issue of Psychological Science, psychologists Amy Kiefer of ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2007 - 9:54am

Mathematics Of Cloaking: New Analysis Improves Methods To Render Objects Invisible

The theorists who first created the mathematics that describe the behavior of the recently announced "invisibility cloak" have revealed a new analysis that may extend the current cloak's powers, enabling it to hide even actively radiating o ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2007 - 9:57am

Towards Quantum Computing: Artificial Atoms Make Microwave Photons Countable

Using artificial atoms on a chip, Yale physicists have taken the next step toward quantum computing by demonstrating that the particle nature of microwave photons can now be detected, according to a report spotlighted in the February 1 issue of the journa ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2007 - 10:14am

Nanotechnology Meets Biology And DNA Finds Its Groove

Pity the molecular biologist. The object of fascination for most is the DNA molecule. But in solution, DNA, the genetic material that hold the detailed instructions for virtually all life, is a twisted knot, looking more like a battered ball of yarn than ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 9 2007 - 11:45am

Woven Scaffolds Could Improve Cartilage Repair

Using a unique weaving machine of their design, Duke University Medical Center researchers have created a three-dimensional fabric "scaffold" that could greatly improve the ability of physicians to repair damaged joints with the patient's ow ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 10 2007 - 4:24pm

Bio-inspired Flying Robot Sheds Light On Insect Piloting Abilities

Insects and other flying animals are somehow able to maintain appropriate flying heights and execute controlled takeoffs and landings despite lacking the advantage of sophisticated instrumentation available to human aviators. By characterizing the behavio ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 10 2007 - 9:57pm

Paleontologists Discover Most Primitive Primate Skeleton

The origins and earliest branches of primate evolution are clearer and more ancient by 10 million years than previous studies estimated, according to a study featured on the cover of the Jan. 23 print edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 11 2007 - 11:01pm

LSU Professor Resolves Einstein's Twin Paradox

Subhash Kak, Delaune Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at LSU, recently resolved the twin paradox, known as one of the most enduring puzzles of modern-day physics. First suggested by Albert Einstein more than 100 years ago, th ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 14 2007 - 7:12pm