Carnegie Institution for Science

A molecular model of a buckyball, which researchers have now crushed into a new ultrahard diamond glass

Materials

Ultrahard diamond glass made by crushing buckyballs

Researchers at Carnegie Science have developed an ultrahard diamond glass. Made entirely of crushed “soccerballs” of carbon, the new material also has high thermal conductivity and could find use in electronics.

An artist's illustration of the atomic structure of the new 4H-silicon allotrope

Materials

Scientists create strange new form of silicon

Silicon is vital to all of the electronics that our modern world is built on. Now, research led by the Carnegie Institution for Science has developed a way to create a new form of silicon with a unique hexagonal structure.

A new study has found that the North Atlantic ocean has the ideal conditions for wind farms, such as the Block Island Wind Farm that opened up off the coast of Rhode Island last year

Energy

Study shows North Atlantic wind farms could power the whole world

A new study has found that wind speeds over the oceans could allow offshore turbines to generate far more energy than a land-based wind farm – with the North Atlantic, in particular, theoretically able to provide enough energy for all of human civilization.

Visualization of ultrastrong, hard and elastic compressed glassy carbon

Materials

Diamond-like linkages help create super-strong "stretchy" carbon

Scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science and Yanshan University has developed a new form of carbon that is elastic as well as ultra-strong, lightweight, and electrically conductive, properties that lend it to a wide array of applications, from aerospace engineering to military armor.

Remarkable People

Vera Rubin, "mother" of dark matter, passes away

Vera Rubin, the astronomer whose work first confirmed the existence of dark matter, has passed away at the age of 88. Along with that groundbreaking discovery, Rubin has a legacy of scientific achievements and awards, and was a strong advocate for women in science.