Physics
- Materials Science
This new fabric can ‘hear’ sounds or broadcast them
With special fibers that convert tiny vibrations to voltages, a new fabric senses sound. Someday, such fabrics could monitor the body or aid hearing.
- Materials Science
Let’s learn about the future of smart clothing
Researchers are fashioning new materials to make clothes more comfortable and convenient.
- Chemistry
New cloth cools you when you’re hot, warms you when you’re cold
Scientists 3-D printed the new fabric, which has even more tricks up its sleeve — such as conducting electricity and resisting radio waves.
- Physics
Explainer: The fundamental forces
Four fundamental forces control all interactions between matter, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest structures in the universe.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Doppler effect
The Doppler effect is a perceived change in the frequency of light or sound waves due to the wave source moving relative to an observer.
- Materials Science
Engineers borrow a tree’s cellulose to toughen new materials
Cellulose gives plants their strength. Engineers are turning this renewable, environmentally friendly resource into brand new materials.
- Tech
A new device uses atoms’ quantum weirdness to peer underground
Quantum sensors like this one could monitor magma beneath volcanoes or uncover archaeological artifacts.
- Chemistry
A disinfectant made from sawdust knocks out deadly microbes
It’s made by pressure-cooking sawdust and water, is cheap and easy to make — and could lead to greener cleaning products than chemicals used today.
- Chemistry
New process can transform urban CO2 pollution into a resource
Researchers have developed a liquid metal that breaks down carbon dioxide in the air, converting it from a climate threat into a valuable raw material.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Dark Energy
Dark energy is the unknown force causing the universe to expand faster and faster.
- Environment
‘Mining’ cryptocurrencies pollutes the real world
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies exist only online. Yet the environmental impacts of their networks affect the real world.
- Environment
How we choose to pay has hidden costs for the planet
Whether cash or credit, phone apps or digital currencies — all forms of payment have behind-the-scenes costs. And these can vary dramatically.
