Sometimes screwing up a science experiment isn't such a bad thing. Case in point: Researchers in Sweden accidentally left their equipment running on an experiment over a weekend, and ended up creating something awesome — Upsalite, the world's most efficient water absorber, reports The Independent.
This substance, prohibitively expensive and difficult to produce until now, can potentially do everything from controlling moisture on a hockey rink to cleaning up toxic waste and oil spills, reports Science Blog.
This "is expected to pave the way for new sustainable products in a number of industrial applications," says nanotechnology professor Maria Stromme.
Scientists have been trying — and failing — to cheaply create a dry, powdered form of magnesium carbonate since the early 1900s, earning it the nickname the "impossible material."
Strange animals that get their energy from chemical reactions instead of the sun have been discovered...
The US Department of Energy has reported the discovery of a radioactive wasp nest at...
