Science

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Diamonds are technologists' best friends: Researchers from the Lomonosov Moscow State University have grown needle- and thread-like diamonds and studied their useful properties

Physicists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University have obtained diamond crystals in the form of a regular pyramid of micrometer size. Moreover, in cooperation with co-workers from other Russian and foreign research centers they have also studied the luminescence and electron emission properties of obtained diamond crystals. The research results have been represented in a serie of articles published in the leading peer review journals, the most recent appeared in Scientific Reports.

Researchers from the Faculty of Physics, the Lomonosov Moscow State University, have described structural peculiarities of micrometer size diamond crystals of needle- and thread-like shapes, and their interrelation with luminescence features and efficiency of field electron emission. The luminescence properties of such thread-like diamond crystals could be used in different types of sensors, quantum optical devices and also for creation of element base for quantum computers and in other areas of science and technology.

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Stability challenge in perovskite solar cell technology: New research reveals intrinsic instability issues of iodine-containing perovskite solar cells

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The schematic drawing showing that various factors (e.g., moisture, oxygen, light illumination, applied electric field, etc.) during the operation of MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells can generate iodine, which leads to degradation of solar cells.

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Advance in intense pulsed light sintering opens door to improved electronics manufacturing

Faster production of advanced, flexible electronics is among the potential benefits of a discovery by researchers at Oregon State University's College of Engineering.

Taking a deeper look at photonic sintering of silver nanoparticle films -- the use of intense pulsed light, or IPL, to rapidly fuse functional conductive nanoparticles -- scientists uncovered a relationship between film temperature and densification. Densification in IPL increases the density of a nanoparticle thin-film or pattern, with greater density leading to functional improvements such as greater electrical conductivity.

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Pan-STARRS Releases Largest Digital Sky Survey to the World

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UN invited to monitor and assist fresh evacuation efforts under way in war-ravaged Aleppo

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One of six mobile clinics provided by WHO to deliver health services to people fleeing violence in Aleppo, Syria.

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Researchers, ski safety experts develop new tool that maps potential avalanches

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A researcher prepares to use a laser scanning (lidar) unit to scan snow depth at the Arapahoe Ski Basin Ski area in Keystone, Colorado.

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Antarctic Site Promises to Open a New Window on the Cosmos

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Sea ice hits record lows

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. NSIDC scientists provide Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis content, with partial support from NASA.

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The graph above shows daily Arctic sea ice extent as of December 5, 2016, along with daily ice extent data for four previous years. 2016 is shown in blue, 2015 in green, 2014 in orange, 2013 in brown, and 2012 in purple. The 1981 to 2010 average is in dark gray. The gray area around the average line shows the two standard deviation range of the data. Sea Ice Index data. High-resolution image.

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Giant heads sculpted from fruit and vegetables draw attention to rural communities at climate summit

Drawing attention to the impact that climate change is having on smallholder farmers and rural communities in developing countries, British artists Adam and Silas Birtwistle unveiled four giant heads – Voices from the Good Earth - sculpted from fruit and vegetables at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Summit (CBD COP13) in Cancun, Mexico.

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Shape matters when light meets atom: Mapping the interaction of a single atom with a single photon may inform design of quantum devices

Have you ever wondered how you see the world? Vision is about photons of light, which are packets of energy, interacting with the atoms or molecules in what you're looking at. Some photons reflect off, reaching your eyes. Others get absorbed. The main decider of which happens is the photon's energy - its colour.

But look closely at the moment that light meets matter, and there's more to be discovered. Scientists at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore have just shown that a photon's shape also affects how it is absorbed by a single atom.