Despite having a “unitary” sound to their names, carbon nanotubes (CNT) can actually be of varied compositions and structures, as determined by their electronic properties. However, when they are produced in bulk, many types of CNT are generated in the same space, and disentangling something that is a few nanometers across is fairly impossible. Now, experts from the DuPont and Lehigh University have developed a method that makes use of micro-DNA strands to do the sorting.The result of the cooperation between the two institutions is detailed in the July 9th issue of the respected scientific journal Nature. The experts explain tha... [read more >>] Researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) have just recently created the smallest incandescent light bulb in history, which is about 100,000 times narrower and 10,000 times shorter than the one first designed by Thomas Edison. The filament of the new bulb is only 1.4-micrometer long and approximately 13 nanometers (about 100 carbon atoms) in diameter, and is only visible as a tiny peck of dust when lit. When closed, it's completely invisible to the naked eye. The goal of the experiment was to test how relative physics and quantum physics intertwined and affected each other at such a construction scale. “O... [read more >>] Following the glitches in September, known as "quench" happening during the "S34 Incident," which affected sectors 3-4 of the Large Hadron Collider's ring, the repairs were estimated to cost about 35 million Swiss francs ($29 million), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced yesterday. According to CERN spokesman James Gillies, the actual repairs would make up for 15 million Swiss francs, while the spare parts would add another 10-20 million Swiss francs to the total cost. In late November, during the 84th Plenary Meeting of the European Committee for Future Accelerators, CERN Director-General Robert Aymar pres... [read more >>] Perhaps one of the most famous equations in the world, in all scientific fields, is Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, E=mc2. This means that the energy is equal to the mass multiplied by the square speed of light. Recently, an international team whose members come from Germany, France and Hungary, led by Laurent Lellouch from the Center for Theoretical Physics in France, managed to prove that the theory is actually right from a subatomic perspective.The group used a lot of computational power provided by some of the mightiest supercomputers out there in order to prove that results based on proton and neutron (the particles that m... [read more >>] Nanomaterials are that kind of material made of parts less than one tenth of a micrometer (less than a thousandth of a human hair) in at least one dimension, sporting particular features and characteristics. In the related section of this article, you can check out some of the latest uses of such materials. To put it briefly, they are recently used in a large spectrum of fields, from paper to strong materials, from cosmetics to light alteration, to better food, self-healing or omniphobic surfaces.But a recent report laid down by science, medicine, legislation and business specialists from the Royal Commission and funded by the British gover... [read more >>] The newest wonder coming from the small world of nanotubes is the buckypaper, which resembles carbon paper in appearance and manipulation but is, in fact, 10 times lighter and 500 times tougher than steel. In the future, when the technology is up and running and the buckypaper is made on a commercial scale, it could help build faster computers, lightning protection, TV screens, military armor, lightning protection devices, cars, planes, spacecrafts, stealth technology and a lot of other things one can hardly imagine possible with our current technology. The buckypaper was discovered by accident, as many good things are (although this ... [read more >>] William Yuan, a Beaverton, Oregon 12-year boy, invented a new kind of solar cell that can absorb both visible and ultraviolet light. I bet this kind of news makes you feel pretty weird about your own accomplishments so far. It sure made me. And, to scare you even further, I took a look at little Will's resume. Oh my, here goes. Two years before finishing elementary school in 2007, he became a member of the First Lego League (FLL) and this determined him to delve into the research of nanotechnology and renewable energy. Since he realized the importance of the latter for the future, he focused his attention on the study a... [read more >>] Pseudoscience or finally the real thing? Well, that still remains to be seen, but if it indeed works then mankind will be able to generate large amounts of energy at room temperature without worrying about waste or fuel. In the last decades, researchers have been frantically trying to demonstrate that cold fusion is viable, but failed even before they made the first steps into their projects.When physicists say cold fusion, only one thing comes into their mind. The 1989 demonstration made by Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons who had claimed to be able to produce a controlled cold nuclear reaction inside a jar at room temperature. The two ... [read more >>] I know what you're thinking. Right now you're probably saying "this a Photoshopped image, right?" Wrong! It is indeed the tallest motorcycle ever built; at least that's what the Guinness Book of World Records guys say. The behemoth is a real, working motorcycle, is named "The Monster" or "Dream Big", and was built by motorcycle enthusiast Greg Dunham from California, US. "Dream Big" stands 3.4 meters tall, measures 6.2 meters in length, weighs 2948.3 kilograms and relies on an 8 226.3 cubic centimeter engine to power it to speeds up to 104 kilometers per hour. The massive engine is able to output 500 horse power, while the tr... [read more >>] Nuclear weapons generate high explosive energies by either fusing or splitting certain chemical elements. A new type of nuclear explosive developed by the US Department of Defense, on the other hand, uses nuclear reactions in order to determine gamma-ray emissions carrying energies about one thousand times larger than that obtained with the help of chemical explosives. The problem is that some researchers believe that this exotic new weapon could quickly eliminate the distinction between conventional and nuclear weapons, and could possibly trigger yet another arms race. "Such extraordinary energy density has the potential to revolutionize a... [read more >>] | 
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