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Phys.org / Hollow-sphere catalyst enables greener production of 99% pure propene at room temperature
The world's appetite for propene (propylene) is growing faster than the chemical industry can keep up. This petrochemical product powers the production of acrylonitrile, propylene oxide, high-velocity fuels, and, most importantly, ...
Phys.org / The moon might be more prone to fires
Engineers love a good practical challenge, especially when it comes to spaceflight. But there's one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners above almost all others—fire. ...
Phys.org / Mental math's shortcut—pupil dilation suggests people start solving before all numbers are in
People often solve simple arithmetic problems, such as basic addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, in their minds. The precise mental processes they rely on to solve these problems, however, are not entirely ...
Phys.org / Looking deep inside quarks: CMS test probes to 10⁻²⁰ meters and finds no inner structure
According to our current understanding of the universe, quarks are fundamental, point-like particles: basic building blocks that are not made up of smaller particles. A recent paper from the CMS Collaboration describes how ...
Phys.org / America's sewage and manure hold a $5.7 billion key to breaking synthetic fertilizer dependence
Nutrients recovered from animal and human waste could drastically reduce synthetic fertilizer use in the U.S., according to a new Cornell University study that takes into account real-world implementation challenges like ...
Phys.org / Dark matter could explain the earliest supermassive black holes
A growing mystery in astronomy is the presence of gargantuan black holes—some weighing as much as a billion suns—existing less than a billion years after the Big Bang. According to the standard theory of black hole formation, ...
Phys.org / Are aliens real? Scientists have been hunting for extraterrestrial life since the time of Aristotle
Do aliens exist? Could Earth really be the only planet hosting intelligent life?
Phys.org / Sulfur-rich Mercury magmas behave differently than Earth's do
Mercury is a small, rocky planet about which researchers know relatively little. Two missions, taking readings as they passed over the planet, have revealed that Mercury is covered by an iron-poor and sulfur-rich crust. It ...
Phys.org / Quantum model explains how single electrons cause damage inside silicon chips
Researchers in the UC Santa Barbara Materials Department have uncovered the elusive quantum mechanism by which energetic electrons break chemical bonds inside microelectronic devices—a detrimental process that slowly degrades ...
Phys.org / Surprising link between metallicity and superconductivity uncovered in twisted trilayer graphene
Superconductivity is a state of matter characterized by an electrical resistance of zero, typically at very low temperatures. Past studies have found that in various materials, this unique state is accompanied by unusual ...
Phys.org / Wafer-scale 2D magnetic films emerge thanks to a new low-defect growth technique
In a major advance, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have devised a method to grow high-quality 2D magnetic materials (2D-MMs) over centimeter-scale wafers. Earlier approaches in the field were limited ...
Medical Xpress / Novel diabetic wound treatment turns cells into manufacturers
Diabetes affects more than 40 million people in the United States, according to the American Diabetes Association. For many, the chronic condition means a lifetime of pain as worsening circulation leads to nonhealing ulcers ...
