Matter and Its Interactions

  1. Planets

    Heavenly research

    Groundbreaking research in astronomy landed four high school seniors spots as finalists in the 2014 Intel Science Talent Search.

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  2. Chemistry

    Urine may make Mars travel possible

    On Earth, urine is a waste. En route to Mars, it could be a precious renewable commodity: the source of drinking water and energy.

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  3. Physics

    World’s coolest ‘clock’ is also crazy-accurate

    This is the time to beat — the world’s most accurate atomic clock ever. At its heart is a ‘fountain’ of cesium atoms chilled nearly to absolute zero!

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Intel STS finalist finds new flu fighters

    Intel Science Talent Search finalist Eric Chen used a computer simulation to narrow down chemical targets to fight influenza. The drugs that he identified could be the next big weapons against flu.

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  5. Earth

    Intel STS finalist takes on arsenic poisoning

    Concerned about arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, Intel Science Talent Search finalist Thabit Pulak invented an affordable filter to help people remove this toxic pollutant from their drinking water.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Simple test for cancer and heart disease

    Disease diagnosis often requires expensive equipment and tests to probe deep inside the body. But a new test relies on a fast, cheap and easy technique. And its answers appear on a strip of paper — just as they do on a pregnancy test.

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  7. Physics

    Temperature ‘lock’ for new hard drives?

    A novel material can alter how easy it is to change data stored on it, based on temperature. One immediate application: more secure hard drives for computing.

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  8. Animals

    We are stardust

    Everything making up Earth and what’s now living upon it — from trees and people to our pets and their fleas — owes their origins to the elements forged by ancient stars.

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  9. Environment

    China exports pollution alongside goods

    Many companies have moved the plants that make their products to developing countries, such as China. But the pollution linked to making those products can travel around the world.

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  10. Physics

    Closing in on fusion energy

    Scientists blasted a tiny capsule of hydrogen with laser beams, setting off a reaction that released more energy than in earlier experiments. Still, scientists remain a long way from creating a reaction that releases more energy than it needs to get started.

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  11. Environment

    Explainer: All crude oil is not alike

    Crude oil comes in conventional and unconventional types.

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  12. Earth

    How Earth’s surface morphs

    Partly melted rock acts like grease to help huge masses of the planet’s surface slip up, around and down.

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