Scientists Tried Recreating Uranian and Neptunian Ice. Here’s What Happened
In 2018, scientists confirmed the existence of superionic ice—an odd phase of water that’s part solid and part…
The Poop Emoji Got Gravity Right, Physicists Find
The poop emoji accurately captures the typical poop shape in nature formed by the downward pull of gravity.…
US lab discovers new way to build powerful magnets without rare earths
Scientists at the Ames National Laboratory in the U.S. have developed a systematic path to the discovery of…
New Data Chip Activates a Secret Message When You Breathe On It
Researchers have been hard at work coming up with new ways to safely store information than traditional magnetic…
Scientists Just Turned Silkworm Silk Into a Near-Kevlar Supermaterial
Spider silk is reportedly five times stronger than steel. With some genetic adjustments, silkworm silk can get even…
Diamonds Get a Little Squishy at the Nanoscale. Here’s Why
Familiar materials will act differently at the smallest scales. Notably, diamonds—typically hard and brittle—grow strangely soft at the…
After 100 Years, Engineers Finally Discover Why Rubber Is So Tough
Plenty of familiar phenomena and materials are actually scientific mysteries. Reinforced rubber has long been on that list:…
Liquids Crack With an Audible Snap, Study Finds
At the most fundamental levels, science often challenges common sense. And a new finding might be the most…
High-temperature superconducting dome mapped in nickelate thin films
Physicists hunting for new superconductors often look for a very specific shape hidden in their data—a dome. In…
Molecular “catapult” discovery could transform solar energy technology
image: ©Ramberg | iStock Scientists at the University of Cambridge have revealed a new mechanism that allows electrons…
Scientists Claim They’ve Finally Made the Elusive ‘Hexagonal’ Diamond
In 1962, researchers hypothesized that diamond’s known form—a mostly cubic crystal—wasn’t the coveted mineral at its greatest hardness.…
This hair-thin carbon fiber moves on its own when voltage is applied
In laboratories around the world, scientists have long dreamed of building machines so small that they could grip,…