The fresh, unmistakable scent of a pine forest comes from a medley of chemicals produced by its trees. Researchers have now, for the first time, accurately determined the chemical structure of one of these compounds in its ...
Materials Science
Dec 7, 2017
0
16
Chemical reactions necessarily involve molecules coming together, and the way they interact can depend on how they are aligned relative to each other. By knowing and controlling the alignment of molecules, a great deal can ...
General Physics
Jun 13, 2017
0
315
Matter is either gas, liquid or solid based on how its molecules respond to temperature and pressure. But what if the building blocks are self-spinning particles instead of ordinary molecules? Theoretical physicists found ...
Condensed Matter
Dec 5, 2016
1
19
Just as a photographer needs a camera with a split-second shutter speed to capture rapid motion, scientists looking at the behavior of tiny materials need special instruments with the capacity to see changes that happen in ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 10, 2016
0
928
The space between stars is not empty, but contains an abundance of diffuse material, about 5-10% of the total mass of our galaxy (excluding dark matter). Most of the material is gas, predominantly hydrogen, but with a small ...
Astronomy
Jan 11, 2016
3
78
Astronomers have long held that water—two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom—was a relative latecomer to the universe. They believed that any element heavier than helium had to have been formed in the cores of stars and ...
Astronomy
May 13, 2015
4
178
How soon after the Big Bang could water have existed? Not right away, because water molecules contain oxygen and oxygen had to be formed in the first stars. Then that oxygen had to disperse and unite with hydrogen in significant ...
Astronomy
Apr 28, 2015
9
482
Ubiquitous carbon-rich aerosol particles created by emissions from cars, trees, and other sources alter our climate and affect air quality. Until recently, the properties of these aerosols were hard to experimentally characterize, ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 12, 2015
13
39
Laboratory chamber walls have been stealing vapors, causing researchers to underestimate the formation of secondary organic aerosol in the atmosphere.
Earth Sciences
Apr 7, 2014
0
0
Helsinki/Jülich/Leipzig. Scientists made an important step in order to better understand the relationships between vegetation and climate. So-called extremely low-volatility organic compounds, which are produced by plants, ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 26, 2014
0
1
