Study finds climate determines shapes of river basins

There are more than 1 million river basins carved into the topography of the United States, each collecting rainwater to feed the rivers that cut through them. Some basins are as small as individual streams, while others ...

Research shows graphene forms electrically charged crinkles

Researchers from Brown University have discovered another peculiar and potentially useful property of graphene, one-atom-thick sheets of carbon, that could be useful in guiding nanoscale self-assembly or in analyzing DNA ...

Quantum stopwatch stores time in a quantum memory

Physicists have developed a "quantum stopwatch"—a method that stores time (in the form of states of quantum clocks) in a quantum memory. In doing so, the method avoids the accumulation of errors that usually occurs when ...

Study analyzes the keys to fragmentation of metallic materials

Scientists have analyzed the mechanisms behind the dynamic fragmentation of ductile metallic materials that exhibit large permanent deformations when subjected to severe mechanical loading. Previously, it was thought that ...

Scientists explain what happens when nanoparticles collide

Helmets that do a better job of preventing concussions and other brain injuries. Earphones that protect people from damaging noises. Devices that convert "junk" energy from airport runway vibrations into usable power.

New approach to measuring stickiness could aid micro-device design

Brown University engineers have devised a new method of measuring the stickiness of micro-scale surfaces. The technique, described in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, could be useful in designing and building micro-electro-mechanical ...

Grasshopper problem yields insight into quantum theory

(Phys.org)—Like many mathematical puzzles, the grasshopper problem is simple to state but difficult to solve: A grasshopper lands at a random point on a lawn of area 1, then jumps once, a fixed distance, in a random direction. ...

How to cut your lawn for grasshoppers

Picture a grasshopper landing randomly on a lawn of fixed area. If it then jumps a certain distance in a random direction, what shape should the lawn be to maximise the chance that the grasshopper stays on the lawn after ...

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