2016

‘Weirdest Martensite’: Century-old Smectic Riddle Finally Solved

Using the latest computer game technology, a Cornell-led team of physicists has come up with a “suitably beautiful” explanation to a puzzle that has baffled researchers in the materials and theoretical physics communities for a century.

Biochemists Solve the Structure of Cell's DNA Gatekeeper

Caltech scientists have produced the most detailed map yet of the massive protein machine that controls access to the DNA-containing heart of the cell.

Stanford Scientists Improve Perovskite Solar-Cell Absorbers by Giving Them a Squeeze

Stanford University scientists have found that adding pressure could improve the performance of solar cells made of perovskites, a promising photovoltaic material.

Probing the Transforming World of Neutrinos

Every second, trillions of neutrinos travel through your body unnoticed. Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the universe, but they are difficult to study because they very rarely interact with matter.

ODU Conference Joins National Effort to Mentor Female Physics Students

Old Dominion University and Jefferson Lab in Newport News, will co-host 150 aspiring women scientists Jan. 15-17 as part of the nationwide Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics.

Fighting World Hunger: Researchers Use Nuclear Methods to Study Pest Resistance in Corn Plants

Researchers at the University of Missouri, using advanced nuclear methods, have determined the mechanisms corn plants use to combat the western corn rootworm, a major pest threatening the growth of the vital food source.

Innovations with Potential to Benefit Society on Display at Celebrate Princeton Invention

A nanoscale sensor for environmental monitoring and an implantable medical device to restore brain function after a stroke were two of the research projects with the potential to benefit society that were on display at Celebrate Princeton Invention last week.

Hybrid Approach Predicts and Confirms Structure of Complex Metal Nanoparticles

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Toledo report on an X-ray-determined structure that authenticates the a priori prediction, and in conjunction with first-principles theoretical analysis, supports the underlying forecasting methodology.

Researchers Peer Into Atom-Sized Tunnels in Hunt for Better Battery

A team led by a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago has used a special electron microscope with atomic-level resolution to show that certain large ions can hold the tunnels open so that the charge-carrying ions can enter and exit the electrode easily and quickly.