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Superconductors get a boost from pressure

Washington, DC, 19 May 2008 - Superconductors can convey more than 150 times more electricity than copper wires because they don’t restrict electron movement, the essence of electricity. But to do this, the materials have to be cooled below a very low, so-called, transition temperature, which often makes them impractical for widespread use.  more »

Meteorites a rich source for primordial soup

Washington, DC, 13 March 2008—The organic soup that spawned life on Earth may have gotten generous helpings from outer space, according to a new study. more »

Dirty space and supernovae

Washington, DC, 28 Feb. 2008 — Interstellar space may be strewn with tiny whiskers of carbon, dimming the light of far-away objects.  This discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution may have implications for the “dark energy” hypothesis, proposed a decade ago in part to explain the unexpected dimness of certain stellar explosions called Type1a supernovae. more »
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Magnetism loses under pressure

Scientists have discovered that the magnetic strength of magnetite—the most abundant magnetic mineral on Earth—declines drastically when put under pressure. more »

Squeezed crystals deliver more volts per jolt

A discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution has opened the door to a new generation of piezoelectric materials that can convert mechanical strain into electricity and vice versa, potentially cutting costs and boosting performance in myriad applications ranging from medical diagnostics to green energy technologies. more »

Earth’s getting “soft” in the middle

Washington, D.C. - Friday, January 25, 2008. Since we can’t sample the deepest regions of the Earth, scientists watch the velocity of seismic waves as they travel through the planet to determine the composition and density of that material.  more »
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Building blocks of life formed on Mars

Organic compounds contain carbon and hydrogen and form the building blocks of all life on Earth. By analyzing organic material and minerals in the Martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001, scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory have shown for the first time that building blocks of life formed on Mars early in its history.  more »
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Experiments challenge models about the deep Earth

Washington, D.C. —In the first experiments able to mimic the crushing, searing conditions found in Earth’s lower mantle, and simultaneously probe tell-tale properties of iron, scientists* have discovered that material there behaves very differently than predicted by models. more »

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Geoscience converges under pressure

Washington, DC – The contents of the deep Earth affect the planet as a whole, including life at its surface, but scientists must find unusual ways to “see” it. Only recently have researchers been able to produce the extreme temperatures and pressures found inside our planet to understand how it is forming and evolving.  more »
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New Insights into High-Temperature Superconductors

Washington, DC — Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory in collaboration with a physicist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have discovered that two different physical parameters —pressure and the substitution of different isotopes of oxygen (isotopes are different forms of an element) —have a similar effect on electronic properties of mysterious materials called high-temperature superconductors. more »
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