Tech
Laser-based tech can identify illegal elephant ivory
Most elephant ivory is illegal to sell. Ivory from extinct mammoths isn’t. They look similar, but lasers can tell the difference to help catch poachers.
Physics
More Stories in Physics
- Physics
Experiment: Measure the speed of light with a laser
Grab a laser pointer and some Jell-O, because today we’re measuring the speed of light.
- Tech
Holey basketballs! 3-D printing could be a game-changer
Wilson’s 3-D printed “airless” basketball is nearly silent and will never deflate, but will it prove a slam dunk for players and fans?
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Excitation
Excited electrons are to thank for dazzling fireworks displays, plants harnessing energy, the semiconductors behind modern tech and more.
- Materials Science
New lab trick makes diamonds without extreme pressure
The lab-grown diamonds form in a liquid of gallium, iron, nickel and silicon.
- Chemistry
Experiment: How to make the boldest, brightest tie-dye!
Clothes are made from a variety of fibers, from natural to synthetic ones. Let’s explore how different fibers react with dyes.
- Plants
Flowers may electrically detect bees buzzing nearby
The discovery may reveal how plants time nectar production and share information with neighboring blooms.
- Physics
Here’s why scientists want a good quantum computer
These machines could tackle big problems in climate, medicine and more. But the tech is still in its infancy — and runs on truly strange physics.
- Physics
Aerodynamics involved in shooting hoops can make vehicles greener
Some ships host tall spinning cylinders that act like sails. Roughing the cylinders’ surface will greatly boost fuel efficiency, teen scientists find.
- Materials Science
A bit of electricity can glue hard metals to soft materials
Using this method to stick and unstick metals from soft materials could one day create new types of batteries.
