Racing to be the first to create the world's heaviest element

All heavy elements are created in gigantic supernova explosions. Now scientists are competing to create the world

Large differences in the climate impact of biofuels, swedish research finds

When biomass is combusted the carbon that once was bound in the growing tree is released into the atmosphere. For this reason, bioenergy is often considered carbon dioxide neutral. Research from Sweden, however, shows that this is a simplification. The use of bioenergy may affect ecosystem carbon stocks, and it can take anything from 2 to 100 years for different biofuels to achieve carbon dioxide neutrality.

New lightning-fast, efficient nanoscale data transmission

A new nanoscale light-emitting diode transmits data at ultrafast rates while using thousands of times less energy than current technologies. It is a major step forward for on-chip data transmission, the researchers say.

CERN has 2020 vision for Large Hadron Collider upgrade

CERN has kicked off the High Luminosity LHC (Large Hadron Collider) study with a workshop bringing together scientists and engineers from some 14 European institutions, along with others from Japan and the USA. The goal is to prepare the ground for an LHC luminosity upgrade scheduled for around 2020.

Supervolcanoes: not a threat for 2012

The geological record holds clues that throughout Earth

Solar in the Asia Pacific region booms: China's 2011 installs may surpass America's for the first time

With European solar markets in decline, the industry is looking to the next hot solar region. Even with political troubles in the U.S., companies still see America as a good long-term bet. (And let

Storeys of energy efficiency

No more cost-effective way to make major cuts in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions exists than retrofitting buildings. Now, from New York to Mumbai to Melbourne, a push is on to overhaul older buildings to make them more energy efficient.

Hot air ahead of climate meeting

Climate negotiations resume in South Africa today. In the United States, the hot air has yet to stop blowing.

Pitt discoveries in quantum physics could change face of technology

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have made advances in better understanding correlated quantum matter that could change technology as we know it, according to a study published in the Nov. 20 edition of <em>Nature</em>.

The impending revolution of low-power quantum computers

By 2017, quantum physics will help reduce the energy consumption of our computers and cellular phones by up to a factor of 100. For research and industry, the power consumption of transistors is a key issue. The next revolution will likely come from tunnel-FET, a technology that takes advantage of a phenomenon referred to as "quantum tunneling."

Japan collab transmits record data speeds on terahertz waves

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Japan-based semiconductor manufacturer Rohm, together with a team from Osaka University, have come up with a chip that, in experiments, has achieved a wireless data transmission speed of 1.5 gigabits per second. This is a record breaker as the world

Tuning out: How brains benefit from meditation

Experienced meditators seem to be able switch off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming as well as psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, according to a new brain imaging study by Yale researchers.