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It might not seem like scraping the top of a cold stick of butter with a knife could be a scientific test, but engineers at MIT say the process is very similar to the "scratch test," which is perhaps the oldest known way to assess a material's hardness and strength — or, in scientific language, its resistance to deformation.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of physicists at the University of Innsbruck, led by Philipp Schindler and Rainer Blatt, has been the first to demonstrate a crucial element for a future functioning quantum computer: repetitive error correction. This allows scientists to correct errors occurring in a quantum computer efficiently. The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Science.

The long, slow decay of carbon-14 allows archaeologists to accurately date the relics of history back to 60,000 years.

Vanderbilt University engineers have created a "spongy" silicon biosensor that shows promise not only for medical diagnostics, but also for the detection of dangerous toxins and other tiny molecules in the environment. This innovation was originally designed to detect the presence of particular DNA sequences, which can be extremely helpful in identifying whether or not a person is predisposed to heart disease or certain kinds of cancer. The new sensor is described in the Optical Society's open access journal, Optics Express.

The move toward smarter, lighter and more powerful electronics, computers and smartphones depends on whether transistor circuits, the building blocks of such devices, can process large amounts of information.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Space scientists working to solve one cosmic mystery at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., now have the capability to better understand unidentified matter in deep space. Using a new facility so sensitive that it can recognize the molecular structure of particles in space, researchers now are able to track unidentified matter seen for the last century absorbing certain wavelengths of light from distant stars.

The lab, though it may seem quiet and insulated, can be as full of background noise as a crowded train station when we're trying to catch the announcements. Our brains can filter out the noise and focus on the message up to a certain point, but turning up the volume on the loudspeakers – improving the signal-to-noise ratio – helps as well.

QD Laser, Fujitsu Laboratories, and the Institute for Nano Quantum Information Electronics, the University of Tokyo today announced the world's first successful operation of a 1.3

(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine sitting down for your early morning coffee when your nice little suburban morning is disrupted by the sound of highway traffic from a quarter mile away. When you purchased your home far from the freeway, the last thing you expected to hear was the roar of traffic, but according to a new study presented at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Nick Ovenden from University College London says that is exactly what can happen when the right temperatures and wind conditions are present.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in the Optical Sciences Division at the Naval Research Laboratory, report a successful demonstration of a novel high-efficiency ceramic laser that is both, light-weight and compact for use in both military and civilian applications.

Using the new beamline, 911-4, at MAX-lab in Lund, Sweden, researchers can study a wide range of different types of material with a resolution of a few nanometres. This could be useful for both basic research and industry in general. The facility is the result of a Danish–Swedish collaboration

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers have used a mathematical equation to create a so called "rogue" wave; the giant kind that appear out of nowhere in the open ocean to topple ships and drown their crews. Using one solution to the non-linear Schroedinger equation; the Peregrine solution; first discovered in 1983, the team of researchers have published a paper in Physical Review Letters, where they describe how by using paddles and a water tank, they were able to create a miniature version of a rogue wave in their lab.

Don't get him wrong: Fred Gittes is, in his words, "extremely squeamish."

The world's biggest particle collider set a new record early Monday, a feat that should accelerate the quest to pinpoint the elusive particle known as the Higgs Boson, a senior physicist said.

Electrical engineers at Duke University have determined that unique man-made materials should theoretically make it possible to improve the power transfer to small devices, such as laptops or cell phones, or ultimately to larger ones, such as cars or elevators, without wires.