Applied Physics

The US Is Still Strong In Science Despite Plateau, NSF Says

A new National Science Foundation (NSF) report finds the number of U.S. science and engineering (S&E) articles in major peer-reviewed journals flattened in the 1990s, after more than two decades of growth, but U.S. influence in world science and techno ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 19 2007 - 1:18pm

Can A Nanotech Computer Be Built?

The emergence of nanotechnology brings with it the opportunity to manipulate materials at practically the molecular level. So, could a nanotech computer be built? Robert Blick and colleagues in the department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 24 2007 - 12:28pm

Super Strong Nanomaterials- Only 50 Atoms Thick!

“It’s an amazing little marvel,” said Heinrich Jaeger, Professor in Physics at the University of Chicago. “This is not a very fragile layer, but rather a robust, resilient membrane.” Even when suspended over a tiny hole and poked with an ultrafine tip, the ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 22 2007 - 1:01pm

Unpredictable Physics- Trying To Anticipate Grains Of Sand

What do sand, coal, cereal, ice cubes, marbles, gravel, sugar, pills, and powders have in common" They are all granular materials, members of an unruly family of substances that refuse to completely conform to the laws of behavior for either solids or ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 23 2007 - 12:32pm

Spark Free Engines Could Save Gas

In an advance that could help curb global demand for oil, MIT researchers have demonstrated how ordinary spark-ignition automobile engines can, under certain driving conditions, move into a spark-free operating mode that is more fuel-efficient and just as ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 23 2007 - 5:09pm

Quantum Cascade Laser Sets Record For Power And Efficiency

Improved sensing and detection to combat terrorism has brought the need for advanced defense technologies to the forefront and laser-based defense systems are now being designed for this need, including the use of infrared countermeasures to protect aircra ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 23 2007 - 5:22pm

Lobster Shells Might Hold Secret To Safer Long-Range Space Travel

A team of researchers is seeking to determine if an ingredient found in shrimp and lobster shells might make future missions to Mars safer for space crews who could be injured along the way. Scientists from Harvey Mudd College (HMC) in California and the U ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 24 2007 - 4:53pm

Insert Chip, Cure Disease

Imagine a chip, strategically placed in the brain, that could prevent epileptic seizures or allow someone who has lost a limb to control an artificial arm just by thinking about it. It may sound like science fiction, but University of Florida researchers a ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 25 2007 - 11:27am

Trade-Off: Plant Isoprene Protects Photosynthesis But Impacts Atmospheric Chemistry

Isoprene is a hydrocarbon volatile compound emitted in high quantities by many woody plant species, with significant impact on atmospheric chemistry. The Australian Blue Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Eastern United States are called such be ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 26 2007 - 1:32pm

New Traffic Tech- Big Brother Or Global Warming Savior?

A new infrared imaging system that automatically counts the number of people in cars could offer a cost effective solution to help lower congestion and carbon emissions- or it could be a handy government monitoring system. Carpool lanes are not popular. In ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Sep 25 2007 - 12:01pm