News tagged with materialism

Researchers find new properties of the carbon material graphene

Graphene has caused a lot of excitement among scientists since the extremely strong and thin carbon material was discovered in 2004. Just one atom thick, the honeycomb-shaped material has several remarkable ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created May 30, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (20) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

High-temperature superconductivity starts at nanoscale

(Phys.org) -- High-temperature superconductivity doesn't happen all it once. It starts in isolated nanoscale patches that gradually expand until they take over.

Physics / Superconductivity

created May 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (16) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Finnish researchers find explanation for sliding friction

Friction is a key phenomenon in applied physics, whose origin has been studied for centuries. Until now, it has been understood that mechanical wear-resistance and fluid lubrication affect friction, but the fundamental origin ...

Physics / General Physics

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (7) | comments 0

Development of nonvolatile white light-emitting liquid that is coatable on diverse range of materials

A Japanese research team headed by Dr. Takashi Nakanishi of the National Institute for Materials Science developed a nonvolatile liquid material which emits white light at room temperature.

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 30, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

Scientists develop ultra-sensitive test that detects diseases in their earliest stages

Scientists have developed an ultra-sensitive test that should enable them to detect signs of a disease in its earliest stages, in research published today in the journal Nature Materials.

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created May 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Nanoscale protein containers could aid drug, vaccine delivery

UCLA biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the ...

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created May 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Microreactors to produce explosive materials

The larger the reaction vessel, the quicker products can be made – or so you might think. Microreactors show just how wrong that assumption is: in fact, they can be used to produce explosive materials ...

Technology / Engineering

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Robotic jellyfish could one day patrol oceans, clean oil spills, and detect pollutants (w/ Video)

(Phys.org) -- Virginia Tech College of Engineering researchers are working on a multi-university, nationwide project for the U.S. Navy that one day will put life-like autonomous robot jellyfish in waters around ...

Technology / Engineering

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Tighter 'stitching' makes better graphene

(Phys.org) -- Similar to how tighter stiches make for a better quality quilt, the "stitching" between individual crystals of graphene affects how well these carbon monolayers conduct electricity and retain ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created 20 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Trapped dental 'calculus' holds clues to ancient human diets and health

Many ancient human teeth, including specimens tens of thousands of years old, still hold onto tiny pieces of food -- and even bacteria. Anthropologists are studying the tartar attached to ancient human teeth ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created May 31, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Frequency stabilization in nonlinear nanomechanical oscillators

Using Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) expertise in the design and fabrication of micro- and nanoscale devices, a new strategy for engineering low-frequency noise oscillators capitalizes on the intrinsic ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Unique approach to materials allows temperature-stable circuits

(Phys.org) -- Sandia National Laboratories researcher Steve Dai jokes that his approach to creating materials whose properties won’t degenerate during temperature swings is a lot like cooking — mixing ...

Technology / Semiconductors

created May 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Materialism

In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance. To many philosophers, not only is 'physicalism' synonymous with 'materialism', but they use both words to describe a position that supports ideas from physics which may not be matter in the traditional sense (like anti-matter or gravity). Therefore much of the generally philosophical discussion below on materialism may be relevant to physicalism. Also related are the ideas of methodological naturalism (i.e. "let's at least do science as though physicalism is true") and metaphysical naturalism (i.e. "philosophy and science should operate according to the physical world, and that's all that exists"). The philosophical alternatives to materialism are some forms of monism (besides the materialistic monism), dualism and idealism.

For more information about Materialism, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.