Jul 08 2008
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Chemists in Japan report development of the world’s first DNA molecule made almost entirely of artificial parts. The finding could lead to improvements in gene therapy, futuristic nano-sized computers, and other high-tech advances, they say. Read More Keywords:Biotechnology&Biochemistry, DNA, Artificial parts Article via Science Daily |
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Jul 08 2008
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The mind appears to have has a consistent way of organizing an event that defies the order in which subjects, verbs, and objects typically appear in languages, according to research at the University of Chicago.”Not surprisingly, speakers of different languages describe events using the word orders prescribed by their language. The surprise is that when the same speakers are asked to ’speak’ with their hands and not their mouths, they ignore these orders – they all use exactly the same order when they gesture,” said Susan Goldin-Meadow, the Bearsdley Rum Distinguished Service Professor in Psychology. Read More Keywords: Brain&Mind, Gestures, Order Article via University of Chicago |
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Jul 08 2008
Scientists at CNRS-affiliated laboratories in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris have provided the first proof that amorphous materials, also known as soft glasses, deform and flow through a collective movement of their particles. These materials (which include chocolate mousse, shaving cream, mayonnaise, metallic glasses, granular materials and mud) are amorphous solids, in other words, they are resistant like solids but, like liquids, lack a crystalline structure. This discovery, published in the journal Nature, should make it possible to better understand deformation and fracturing in metallic glasses and the spreading of thin layers of fragile materials (such as face creams) used in the cosmetics, food-processing and lubrication industries. Read More
Keywords:Energy, Amorphous Materials, Liquids
Article via Science Daily
Jul 08 2008
Kevin C. Chen, an assistant professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, is using high-powered computers to determine how substances known as recombinant immunotoxins can best be modified in order to attack and kill malignant tumors while doing minimal harm to a patient’s healthy cells. Read More
Keywords: Engineering, High-Powered Computers, Cancer-killing drugs
Article via Florida State University
Jul 08 2008
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A research team led by Brown University planetary geologist James Head has determined that volcanism played a central role in forming Mercury’s surface. The evidence of volcanic activity lends important insights into Mercury’s geologic history and appears in a special section describing the MESSENGER mission’s recent flyby of Mercury in the July 4 issue of Science. Read More
Keywords: Astronomy, Volcanic Activity, Mercury Article via Brown University |
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Jul 07 2008
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that quantum dot nanoparticles can penetrate the skin if there is an abrasion, providing insight into potential workplace concerns for healthcare workers or individuals involved in the manufacturing of quantum dots or doing research on potential biomedical applications of the tiny nanoparticles.While the study shows that quantum dots of different sizes, shapes and surface coatings do not penetrate rat skin unless there is an abrasion, it shows that even minor cuts or scratches could potentially allow these nanoparticles to penetrate deep into the viable dermal layer – or living part of the skin – and potentially reach the bloodstream.
Key Words: Physics&Applied Science
Article via North Carolina State University
Jul 07 2008
Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy may affect primary tooth calcification, leading to enamel defects, which are a risk factor for early-childhood tooth decay. Investigators from the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg and Victoria) recently presented* the results of a study they conducted to determine the vitamin D status of pregnant women, the incidence of enamel defects and early-childhood tooth decay among their infants, and the relationship with pre-natal vitamin D levels. Read More
Keywords:Health&Medecine, Vitamin D, Tooth Calcification
Article via Science Daily
Jul 07 2008
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Letting your imagination run away with you may actually influence how you see the world. New research from Vanderbilt University has found that mental imagery—what we see with the “mind’s eye”—directly impacts our visual perception. We found that imagery leads to a short-term memory trace that can bias future perception,” says Joel Pearson, research associate in the Vanderbilt Department of Psychology. Read More Key Words: Brain&Mind, Visual Perception Article via Science Daily |
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Jul 07 2008
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When tumor cells acquire the capacity to move around and invade other tissues, there is a risk of metastases and cancer treatment becomes more difficult. At the Institut Curie, CNRS Director of Research Philippe Chavrier and his group have just discovered how breast cancer cells break the bonds that tether them to the tumor. Read More Key Words: Health&Medecine, Breast Cancer, Metastases |
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Jul 07 2008
Stanford, CA— It’s not just about climate change anymore. Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases, human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the ocean—often called the cradle of life on Earth. The ecological and economic consequences are difficult to predict but possibly calamitous, warn a team of chemical oceanographers in the July 4 issue of Science, and halting the changes already underway will likely require even steeper cuts in carbon emissions than those currently proposed to curb climate change. Read More
Key Words: Environment,Oceanography, CO2
Article via Carnegie Institution for Science
