Silicone liquid crystal stiffens with repeated compression

(Phys.org) —Squeeze a piece of silicone and it quickly returns to its original shape, as squishy as ever. But scientists at Rice University have discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone becomes 90 percent stiffer ...

A foot in the door to genetic information

In the cell nucleus, DNA wraps around what are called histone proteins, forming regularly spaced spherical bodies called nucleosomes. Thus, large portions of the genetic material are inaccessible to the gene reading machinery. ...

Jackson Pollock, artist and physicist?

At a glance, a painting by Jackson Pollock (1912 - 1956) can look deceptively accidental: just a quick flick of color on a canvas.

Tesla coils take on Lady Gaga

(PhysOrg.com) -- In an amazing display of lights and sounds, the Open Spark Project and the Tesla Orchestra, formed from researchers at Case Western Reserve University, have taken Tesla coils to a whole new level. Their ...

Coiled nanowires may hold key to stretchable electronics

Researchers at North Carolina State University have created the first coils of silicon nanowire on a substrate that can be stretched to more than double their original length, moving us closer to incorporating stretchable ...

Magnetic shielding for particle detectors

Particle physicists who hunt for neutrinos, cosmic-rays and other charged particles rely on sophisticated instruments that detect very faint bursts of light given off when incident particles interact with a medium. The most ...

page 4 from 8