Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," relies on water, sand and other chemicals to clear the way for engineers to remove oil or gas from shale—porous rocks below the ground.
Engineers know what they are pumping into the ground, but...
UCLA researchers and collaborators at eight other research institutions have created an extremely light, very durable ceramic aerogel. The material could be used for applications like insulating spacecraft because it can withstand the intense heat and severe temperature changes...
Scientists at Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina have found that human lung cancer cells resist dying by controlling parts of the aging process, in results published online May 10th in the Journal of Biological...
In a proof-of-principle study in mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine report the creation of a specialized gel that acts like a lymph node to successfully activate and multiply cancer-fighting immune system T-cells. The work puts scientists a step...
Rutgers scientists have found the "Legos of life" - four core chemical structures that can be stacked together to build the myriad proteins inside every organism - after smashing and dissecting nearly 10,000 proteins to understand their component parts.
The...
Superhard materials can slice, drill and polish other objects. They also hold potential for creating scratch-resistant coatings that could help keep expensive equipment safe from damage.
Now, science is opening the door to the development of new materials with these...
Scientists have engineered an enzyme which can digest some of our most commonly polluting plastics, providing a potential solution to one of the world's biggest environmental problems.
The discovery could result in a recycling solution for millions of tonnes of...
Fifty years ago, scientists hit upon what they thought could be the next rocket fuel. Carboranes—molecules composed of boron, carbon and hydrogen atoms clustered together in three-dimensional shapes—were seen as the possible basis for next-generation propellants due to their...
A team of scientists has made the strongest silver ever—42 percent stronger than the previous world record. But that's not the important point.
"We've discovered a new mechanism at work at the nanoscale that allows us to make metals that...
If the idea of flying on battery-powered commercial jets makes you nervous, you can relax a little. Researchers have discovered a practical starting point for converting carbon dioxide into sustainable liquid fuels, including fuels for heavier modes of transportation...
Many potential pharmaceuticals end up failing during clinical trials, but thanks to new research from the University of Illinois, biological molecules once considered for cancer treatment are now being repurposed as organic semiconductors for use in chemical sensors and...
