Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

  1. Physics

    Science offers recipes for homemade coronavirus masks

    New studies provide data on what types of mask materials protect best against the virus that causes COVID-19. They also point to the value of a really snug fit.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  2. Tech

    Tackling the novel coronavirus calls for novel ideas

    Teams around the world are proposing new innovations to fight COVID-19. Projects tackle supply shortages, new treatments, vaccines and more.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  3. Tech

    COVID-19 victims could breathe easier with these innovations

    Feared equipment shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted research teams to develop novel technologies to help oxygen-starved lungs.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  4. Tech

    Here’s one way to harvest water right out of the air

    Need water but you have no access to rain, lakes or groundwater? Materials known as metal-organic frameworks could be used to slurp that water from the air, new data show.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. Environment

    Legos could last a disturbingly long time in the ocean

    By looking at toys washed up on beaches, scientists have estimated how long it takes hard plastics to break down in the oceans. And it’s a long time.

    By Maria Temming
  6. Chemistry

    Batteries should not burst into flames

    Because lithium-ion batteries power modern life, they need to store a lot of energy. Now scientists are focusing on making them safer.

    By Carolyn Wilke
  7. Environment

    Laundry tweaks can help clothes last longer and pollute less

    Clothes washed in cooler water and for less time shed less dye and fewer fibers, a new study finds. That’s better for clothes — and the environment.

    By Kathiann Kowalski
  8. Materials Science

    Silk can be molded into strong medical implants

    Freeze-dried and powdered silk has a long shelf life. It also is cheap to ship and can be molded into sturdy medical implants.

    By Sid Perkins
  9. Chemistry

    Converting trash to valuable graphene in a flash

    Flash heating of carbon-rich wastes creates graphene, which has many commercial uses.

    By Alison Pearce Stevens
  10. Physics

    How to temporarily ‘fossilize’ a soap bubble

    Here’s how to freeze a soap bubble in midair. Warning: The environment needs to be frosty, and even then it can take a certain amount of trial and error.

    By Matthew Cappucci
  11. Materials Science

    New twist can hush — even cloak — some sounds

    Swiss engineers developed clear, spiral structures to make a new sound-dampening system. Those twists block some vibrations and lets others through.

    By Stephen Ornes
  12. Materials Science

    Here’s how to hide some objects from heat-sensing cameras

    A special coating that conceals temperature information from heat-detecting cameras might someday be used as a privacy shield.

    By Emily Conover