Exotic particles, chilled and trapped, form giant matter wave

May 24 | News

Physicists have trapped and cooled exotic particles called excitons so effectively that they condensed and cohered to form a giant matter wave. This feat will allow scientists to better study the physical properties of excitons, which exist only fleetingly yet offer promising applications as diverse as efficient harvesting of solar energy and ultrafast computing.

Deep underground, LUX lies in wait for WIMPs

May 24 | News

Dark matter accounts for at least 80% of the matter in the universe. No one knows what it is, but most scientists would bet on weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. LUX, the Large Underground Xenon detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility nearly a mile below the Black Hills of South Dakota, holds 350 kg of liquid xenon and is a trap set for dark-matter WIMPs.

Oxidation reaction is first-ever with well-defined alignment, spin

20 hours ago | News

An important chemical species, molecular oxygen is linear, has an anisotropic shape, and spins from two unpaired electrons. However, until now, we didn’t know how these properties influenced important oxidation reactions. Researchers in Japan have now reported development of the world's first molecular oxygen beam that can designate the alignment of the molecular axis and spin direction.

NLT Technologies, Renesas expand touch panel options

21 hours ago | News

NLT Technologies, together with its sales and marketing channels in the Americas and Europe, Renesas Electronics America Inc. and Renesas Electronics Europe GmbH, announced the successful development of three mid-size color LCD modules based on projected capacitive touch panel technology.

Nuisance seaweed found to produce compounds with biomedical potential

22 hours ago | News

A seaweed considered a threat to the healthy growth of coral reefs in Hawaii may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day treat human diseases, a new study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego has revealed.

Forensics link crystal growth to volcano seismicity

22 hours ago | News

Using forensic-style chemical analysis, scientists in the U.K. and Germany have directly linked seismic observations of the deadly 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption to crystal growth within the magma chamber, the large underground pool of liquid rock beneath the volcano. Building direct links between observations at the surface and processes occurring underground has been an ongoing problem for volcanologists.

Stem cell-growing surface enables bone repair

22 hours ago | News

University of Michigan researchers have proven that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer.

Sound increases the efficiency of boiling

22 hours ago | News

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently achieved a 17% increase in boiling efficiency by using an acoustic field to enhance heat transfer. The acoustic field does this by efficiently removing vapor bubbles from the heated surface and suppressing the formation of an insulating vapor film.

Chemists design a dye they can count on

22 hours ago | News

Natural pigments contain colorful molecules known as poryphyrins, which lend vibrant colors through macrocyclic chemical structure that link several small rings together in an “aromatic” framework. Sometimes, however, synthesis causes the aromaticity to disappear. Researchers in Japan now report a new way to manipulate the peculiar aromatic properties of macrocycles.

Discarded data may hold the key to a sharper view of molecules

23 hours ago | News

There's nothing like a new pair of eyeglasses to bring fine details into sharp relief. For scientists who study the large molecules of life from proteins to DNA, the equivalent of new lenses have come in the form of an advanced method for analyzing data from X-ray crystallography experiments. The findings could lead to new understanding of the molecules that drive processes in biology, medical diagnostics, nanotechnology, and other fields.

Study cracks a secret of methanol production

23 hours ago | News

Scientists from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, and Germany have figured out a key part of the industrial process for making methanol. It’s an important step toward improving the process—and eventually realizing the goal of turning a potent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into fuel.

Food, water safety provide new challenges for sensors

May 25 | News

Sensors that work flawlessly in laboratory settings may stumble when it comes to performing in real-world conditions, according to researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These shortcomings are important as they relate to safeguarding the nation's food and water supplies.

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Wanted: 2011's Top Technologies

8/15/2011 | RDBlog

The editors of R&D Magazine have opened the nominations for the 2012 R&D 100 Awards competition, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the awards. If your organization introduced a new product this year, or is planning to, you can begin the entry process now.

Hello and welcome to the new R&D Daily

4/29/2011 | RDBlog

There’s nothing wrong with your watch. This is the same R&D Daily you received every afternoon. But after nearly three-and-half years and more than 5,000 stories, the R&D Daily is undergoing a mitosis of sorts, evolving to a.m. and p.m. editions. You will get the same high-technology content as before, just more of it, in a more timely manner.

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EBF3 - Electron Beam Free Form Fabrication

10/27/2011 | Videos

Electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) is a layer-additive process that uses an electron beam and wire to fabricate metallic structures. The process efficiencies of the electron beam and the solid wire feedstock make the EBF3 process attractive for use in-space.

ITER R&D Projects

3/11/2011 | Videos

ITER research and development projects.