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Public Release: 23-May-2013
Hubble reveals the Ring Nebula's true shape The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist. Contact: Lynn Chandler Public Release: 23-May-2013
Scientists discover how rapamycin slows cell growth University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative drug rapamycin slows down or prevents cells from dividing. Contact: Julie Gazaille Public Release: 23-May-2013
Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. University of Illinois researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone's built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor to detect toxins, proteins, bacteria, viruses and other molecules. Although the cradle holds only about $200 of optical components, it performs as accurately as a large $50,000 spectrophotometer in the laboratory. Contact: Liz Ahlberg Public Release: 23-May-2013
New filtration material could make petroleum refining cheaper, more efficient A newly synthesized material might provide a dramatically improved method for separating the highest-octane components of gasoline. Measurements at NIST have helped explain why. Contact: Chad Boutin Public Release: 23-May-2013
University of Illinois biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells For the first time, biophysicists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have measured the molecular force required to mechanically transmit function-regulating signals within a cell. A new laboratory method, named the tension gauge tether approach, has made it possible to detect and measure the mechanics of the single-molecule interaction by which human cell receptors are activated. Contact: Taekjip Ha Public Release: 23-May-2013
Milwaukee-York researchers forward quest for quantum computing Research teams from UW-Milwaukee and the University of York investigating the properties of ultra-thin films of new materials are helping bring quantum computing one step closer to reality. Contact: Caron Lett Public Release: 23-May-2013
UBC engineer helps pioneer flat spray-on optical lens A University of British Columbia engineer and a team of US researchers have made a breakthrough utilizing spray-on technology that could revolutionize the way optical lenses are made and used. Contact: Patty Wellborn Public Release: 23-May-2013
The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting Research with GM purple tomatoes could lead to improved varieties of tomatoes with consumer and commercial benefits through conventional breeding or GM. The findings could also be applied to other soft fruit such as strawberries. Contact: Zoe Dunford Public Release: 23-May-2013
Gold nanocrystal vibration captured on billion-frames-per-second film A billon-frames-per-second film has captured the vibrations of gold nanocrystals in stunning detail for the first time. Contact: Clare Ryan Public Release: 22-May-2013
NASA's SDO observes another mid-level solar flare An image, captured at 11:06 a.m. EDT on May 22, 2013, from the ESA/NASA Solar Heliospheric Observatory shows the conjunction of two coronal mass ejections streaming away from the sun. Contact: Susan. Hendrix Public Release: 22-May-2013
NASA's SDO observes mid-level solar flare The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare on the morning of May 22, 2013. The flare peaked at 9:38 a.m. EDT and was classified as an M7. M-class flares are the weakest flares that can still cause some space weather effects near Earth. In the past, they have caused brief radio blackouts at the poles. Contact: Susan Hendrix Public Release: 22-May-2013
NASA's Landsat satellite looks for a cloud-free view For decades, Landsat satellites have documented the desiccation of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. Once one of the largest seas in the world, it shrunk to a tenth of its original volume after Russia diverted its feeder rivers in the 1960s. Scientists studying the Aral Sea's changing ecology and retreating shoreline have looked to Landsat -- and a new feature of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission will help ensure they get a clear, cloud-free view. Contact: Kate Ramsayer Public Release: 22-May-2013
Tests lead to doubling of fuel cell life Researchers working to improve durability in fuel cell powered buses have discovered links between electrode degradation processes and bus membrane durability. The team is quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime. The findings of the study are the latest in a long-term study at Burnaby-based Ballard Power Systems funded by Automotive Partnership Canada aiming to make fuel cell buses competitive with diesel hybrids. Contact: Marianne Meadahl Public Release: 22-May-2013
Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors, displays Researchers have created a new type of transparent electrode that might find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics and future "optoelectronic" circuits for sensors and information processing. Contact: Emil Venere Public Release: 22-May-2013
NLST: CT detects twice as many lung cancers as X-ray at initial screening exam Low-dose CT scans detected twice as many early-stage lung cancers as chest X-ray on initial screening exam, according to additional National Lung Screening Trial results. Investigators say the 20 percent lung cancer mortality reduction previously reported in the NLST is achievable at experienced screening centers in the United States. Contact: Shawn Farley Public Release: 22-May-2013
Research offers promising new approach to treatment of lung cancer Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system that allows inhalation of chemotherapeutic drugs to help treat lung cancer, and in laboratory and animal tests it appears to reduce the systemic damage done to other organs while significantly improving the treatment of lung tumors -- the tumors virtually disappeared. Contact: Oleh Taratula Public Release: 22-May-2013
Overcoming resistance to anti-cancer drugs by targeting cell 'powerhouses' Re-routing anti-cancer drugs to the "power plants" that make energy to keep cells alive is a promising but long-neglected approach to preventing emergence of the drug-resistant forms of cancer -- source of a serious medical problem, scientists are reporting. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the journal ACS Chemical Biology. Contact: Michael Bernstein Public Release: 22-May-2013
New technique may open up an era of atomic-scale semiconductor devices Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating high-quality semiconductor thin films at the atomic scale -- meaning the films are only one atom thick. The technique can be used to create these thin films on a large scale, sufficient to coat wafers that are two inches wide, or larger. Contact: Matt Shipman Public Release: 22-May-2013
The Norway spruce genome sequenced Swedish scientists have mapped the gene sequence of Norway spruce (the Christmas tree) -- a species with huge economic and ecological importance -- and that is the largest genome to have ever been mapped. The genome is complex and seven times larger than that of humans. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature. Contact: Pär Ingvarsson Public Release: 22-May-2013
Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing A specially-designed tracheal splint, made from a biopolymer using 3D printing, was created and used at the University of Michigan to save a baby from life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia. Contact: Mary F. Masson Public Release: 21-May-2013
Whirlpools on the nanoscale could multiply magnetic memory Research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source promises four-bit magnetic cells instead of the two-bit magnetic domains of standard magnetic memories. Magnetic vortices are whirlpools of magnetic field, in which electron spins point either clockwise or counterclockwise. In the crowded center of the whirlpool the spins point either down or up. These four orientations could represent separate bits of information in a new kind of memory, if controlled independently and simultaneously. Contact: Paul Preuss Public Release: 21-May-2013
Satellites see storm system that created Moore, Okla., tornado On May 20, 2013, NASA and NOAA satellites observed the system that generated severe weather in the south central United States and spawned the Moore, Okla., tornado. Contact: Rob Gutro Public Release: 21-May-2013
Solar and lithium ion car race winners announced Ninety-seven teams from 28 Colorado schools participated in today's car competitions hosted by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The student teams raced solar and lithium ion powered vehicles they designed and built themselves. Contact: David Glickson Public Release: 21-May-2013
New tumor-killer shows great promise in suppressing cancers Scientists from Nanyang Technological University and Lund University, Sweden, have bioengineered a novel molecule which has been proven to successfully kill tumor cells. Contact: Lester Kok Public Release: 21-May-2013
Allosaurus fed more like a falcon than a crocodile, new study finds The mighty T. rex may have thrashed its massive head from side to side to dismember prey, but a new study shows that its smaller cousin Allosaurus was a more dexterous hunter and tugged at prey more like a modern-day falcon. Contact: Andrea Gibson |