Physics

Textile Waste and Forgeries Cut from Indian Supply Chains with Brilliant Desk-Top Spectroscope

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Textile Waste and Forgeries Cut from Indian Supply Chains with Brilliant Desk-Top Spectroscope

FibreSENSE – credit, courtesy of Kosha.ai An Indian initiative is utilizing a scientific technique known as spectroscopy to prove the authenticity of traditional, handwoven silken garments over forgeries. Often making headlines in the study of planets and nebulae in our galaxy, the spectroscopy device allows for quick and indisputable textile analysis at the molecular level—giving … Read more

More Efficient Way to Defrost Cars Using Electricity to “Zap” Ice Without Heat

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More Efficient Way to Defrost Cars Using Electricity to “Zap” Ice Without Heat

Associate Professor Jonathan Boreyko – credit, Alex Parrish / Virginia Tech / SWNS There are large swaths of America where in order to have a safe drive into work, one has to start their car even before their coffee machine. Heating up a car and running the defrosters is a hugely energy intensive process, but … Read more

Shipwrecked Cargo of Roman Lead Bars Provides a Chance to Observe of Dark Matter on Earth

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Shipwrecked Cargo of Roman Lead Bars Provides a Chance to Observe of Dark Matter on Earth

Hundreds of lead bricks were found in a ship that sunk between 50 and 80 BCE – credit, CUORE Collaboration and LNGS/INFN What do dark matter, the Roman Empire, and a toxic heavy metal have in common? The answer is Mr. Ettore Fiorini who helped excavate a 2,000-year-old shipwreck whose cargo of Roman lead bars … Read more

Animal Origami: The Physics of Nature’s Folds – and How Technology is Adapting Them

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Animal Origami: The Physics of Nature’s Folds – and How Technology is Adapting Them

The earwig’s delicate, paper-thin wings can open 10x their folded size due to its origami-like creases – Credit: ETH Zurich / Purdue University (Article by Rohini Subrahmanyam originally published by Knowable Magazine) As the microscopic, tear-shaped Lacrymaria olor  swims around hunting for food, it does something remarkable: In a blink, the tiny protist extends its … Read more