http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org)—A group of chemistry researchers working in a lab at Cambridge University have succeeded in causing a group of molecules to form themselves into trefoil knots. The team was working on combinatorial chemistry experiments, they note in their paper describing their achievement in the journal Science, when they noticed the spontaneous formation of knots. http://phys.org/news271667530.html Chemistry Fri, 09 Nov 2012 07:40:06 EST news271667530 (Phys.org) -- Ferroelectricity, which was first observed in the 1940s, is an interesting phenomenon involving the spontaneous (non-induced) formation of charge polarization (separation of charge) in certain materials. This is analogous to the spontaneous formation of magnetic fields in iron and other elements via ferromagnetism. Multiferroics (materials exhibiting both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism) have attracted increased interest of late due to their potential use in various technologies, such as improved electronic memory chips and highly sensitive magnetic field sensors. The crystalline material lutetium-iron-oxide (LuFe2O4) has, in turn, garnered much attention due to its purported multiferroic properties. http://phys.org/news256550862.html Physics Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:02 EST news256550862 Most scientists who study the origin of life assume that it occurred in the ocean. But a minority view is that ions in seawater may interfere with prebiotic chemistry, making a freshwater environment more likely. http://phys.org/news246181738.html Chemistry Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:49:24 EST news246181738 The National Institute for Materials Science in Japan succeeded in fabricating mesoporous Prussian blue, in which an extremely large number of nanosized pores (mesoporous) are formed in the crystal structure of the material. http://phys.org/news244975774.html Chemistry Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:50:23 EST news244975774 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have conducted experiments confirming which of three possible mechanisms is responsible for the spontaneous formation of three-dimensional (3-D) pillar arrays in nanofilms (polymer films that are billionths of a meter thick). These protrusions appear suddenly when the surface of a molten nanofilm is exposed to an extreme temperature gradient and self-organize into hexagonal, lamellar, square, or spiral patterns. http://phys.org/news225005339.html Nanotechnology Thu, 19 May 2011 06:29:54 EST news225005339 (PhysOrg.com) -- A 200-year-old report by a sea captain and a stunning photograph of the 2008 eruption of Mount Chaiten are helping scientists at the University of Illinois better understand strong volcanic plumes. http://phys.org/news157210366.html Space & Earth Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:33:43 EST news157210366