News From the National Science Foundation
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NSF Press Releases

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Showing releases 1-25 out of 68. [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

Public Release: 24-Jul-2013
 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Boreal forests in Alaska becoming more flammable
A 2,000-square-kilometer zone in the Yukon Flats of interior Alaska -- one of the most flammable high-latitude regions of the world -- has seen a dramatic increase in both the frequency and severity of fires in recent decades, according to research funded by the National Science Foundation.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Peter West
pwest@nsf.gov
703-292-7530
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 23-Jul-2013
 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Bee faithful? Plant-pollinator relationships compromised when bee species decline
Remove even one bumblebee species from an ecosystem and the effect is swift and clear: Pollination is less effective, and plants produce significantly fewer seeds.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 23-Jul-2013
India is latest to partner with NSF through GROW
National Science Foundation Acting Director Cora B. Marrett has signed a new research partnership with T.K. Chandrashekar, Secretary of the Science and Engineering Research Board of India through Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW). GROW is a coordinated effort that enhances international collaborative research opportunities for NSF Graduate Research Fellows. There are currently GROW agreements between NSF and science agencies in 13 countries.
Contact: Maria C. Zacharias
mzachari@nsf.gov
703-292-8454
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 23-Jul-2013
NSF grants enhance science and engineering research capacity across the nation
The National Science Foundation today announced funding for four projects aimed at fostering world-class research through regional improvements to research infrastructure. Each of the projects represents a consortium of regional institutions that will receive up to $6 million over a three year period in Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 awards as part of NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lzgorski@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 16-Jul-2013
 Nature
Changing atmosphere affects how much water trees need
Spurred by increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, forests over the last two decades have become dramatically more efficient in how they use water.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 16-Jul-2013
 Environmental Science & Technology
Study identifies source of oil sheens near Deepwater Horizon site
A chemical analysis indicates that the source of oil sheens recently found floating at the ocean's surface near the site of the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill is pockets of oil trapped within the wreckage of the sunken rig.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 28-Jun-2013

Ecological Society of America 2013 Annual Meeting
Interplay of ecology, infectious disease, wildlife and human health featured at annual conference
West Nile virus, Lyme disease and hantavirus. All are infectious diseases spreading in animals and in people. Is human interaction with the environment somehow responsible for the increase in these diseases?
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 27-Jun-2013
NSF and Mozilla announce breakthrough applications on a faster, smarter internet of the future
Imagine connecting sophisticated weather radars and other sensor data to ultra-high-speed networks so that weather forecasters can more accurately predict natural disasters. Imagine the nation's finest brain surgeon seamlessly operating on a patient in a remote area while sitting in her office thousands of miles away. Imagine an entrepreneur, without the capital for even the most basic start-up expenses, borrowing key business tools from an online software lending library to turn an idea for a new venture into reality.
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 27-Jun-2013
 Nature
What is the fastest articulated motion a human can execute?
Humans are amazing throwers. We are unique among all animals, including our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, in our ability to throw projectiles at high speeds and with incredible accuracy. This trait was critical to the survival and success of our ancestors, aiding their hunting and protective skills, according to National Science Foundation-funded research featured on the cover of this week's journal Nature.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Deborah Wing
dwing@nsf.gov
703-292-5344
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 27-Jun-2013
 Astronomy & Astrophysics
Astronomers detect 3 'super-earths' in nearby star's habitable zone
New observations of a star known as Gliese 667C have revealed a system with at least six planets, including a record-breaking three super-Earths orbiting in the star's "habitable zone" where liquid water could exist on the planets. This is the first planetary system found to have a fully packed habitable zone.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Ivy Kupec
ikupec@nsf.gov
703-292-8796
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 24-Jun-2013
Part-time graduate enrollment in science and engineering growing at a higher rate
From 2010 to 2011, enrollment of part-time graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) fields grew at a higher rate than that of full-time S&E graduate students for the first time since 2005.
Contact: Deborah Wing
dwing@nsf.gov
703-292-5344
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 24-Jun-2013
 PLOS Computational Biology
Bacterial DNA may integrate into human genome more readily in tumor tissue
Bacterial DNA may integrate into the human genome more readily in tumors than in normal human tissue, scientists have found.
The researchers, affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Genome Sciences, analyzed genomic sequencing data available from the Human Genome Project, the 1,000 Genomes Project and the Cancer Genome Atlas.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 19-Jun-2013
 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Natural underwater springs show how coral reefs respond to ocean acidification
Ocean acidification due to rising carbon dioxide levels reduces the density of coral skeletons, making coral reefs more vulnerable to disruption and erosion.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 19-Jun-2013
Scientists undertake extensive field campaign to study US southeast atmospheric chemistry
In the largest US atmospheric chemistry field project in decades, researchers sponsored by the National Science Foundation and other organizations are working to study tiny particles and gases in the air over the southeastern United States.
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 12-Jun-2013
 Geophysical Research Letters
World Oceans Month brings mixed news for oysters
In World Oceans Month, there's mixed news for the Pacific Northwest oyster industry.
For the past several years, it has struggled with significant losses due to ocean acidification. Oyster larvae have had mortality rates high enough to render production no longer economically feasible.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 10-Jun-2013
 Journal of Ecology
Whitebark pine trees: Is their future at risk?
There's trouble ahead for the whitebark pine, a mountain tree that's integral to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada.
Over the last decade, some populations of whitebark pines have declined by more than 90 percent. But these declines may be just the beginning.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 7-Jun-2013
Research and development funding for businesses was virtually unchanged between 2009 and 2010
The National Science Foundation recently released a report detailing that the amount companies spent on US research and development during 2010 was essentially unchanged from the amount spent in 2009.
Contact: Deborah Wing
dwing@nsf.gov
703-292-5344
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 7-Jun-2013
NSF-supported Antarctic science documentary is also a teaching tool for aspiring film students
An unusual Rutgers University program that involves undergraduates in making documentary films about science has released a three-minute trailer for a project that was filmed in the ice and beneath the frigid waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. The film project was supported by a National Science Foundation grant.
Contact: Peter West
pwest@nsf.gov
703-292-7530
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 31-May-2013
 Nature
Cracking the code of HIV; Providing an up-close view of the enemy
Researchers have determined the precise chemical structure of the HIV capsid, a protein shell that protects the virus's genetic material and is a key to its ability to infect and debilitate the human body's defense mechanism. Detailed simulations were achieved with the use of a supercomputer on a 64 million atom sample. The capsid has become an attractive target for the development of new antiretroviral drugs that suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of AIDS.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 30-May-2013
NSF and NICT of Japan announce partnership in next-generation networking
Principals from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology of Japan today signed a memorandum of understanding, facilitating a partnership on research in networking technology and systems enabling future Internet/new-generation networks.
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 21-May-2013
NSF and SRC to fund research to create failure-resistant systems
Leaders of the National Science Foundation and the Semiconductor Research Corporation, the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today announced 18 new projects funded through a joint initiative to address research challenges in the design of failure-resistant circuits and systems.

National Science Foundation, Semiconductor Research Corporation
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 15-May-2013
University of Chicago launches Bionimbus Protected Data Cloud to analyze cancer data
The University of Chicago launched the first secure cloud-based computing system that enables researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.
Contact: Lisa-Joy Zgorski
lisajoy@nsf.gov
703-292-8311
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 14-May-2013
 Zoonoses and Public Health
Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa
Leptospirosis is the world's most common illness transmitted to humans by animals. It's a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms. If untreated, it can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure and death.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 14-May-2013
Where, when will thunderstorms strike Colorado's Front Range, adjacent Great Plains?
To better predict where and when spring thunderstorms rip across Colorado's Front Range and the adjacent Great Plains, researchers are launching a major field project this week with high-flying aircraft and fine-grained computer simulations.
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 9-May-2013
 Science
Climate record from bottom of Russian lake shows Arctic was warmer millions of years ago
The Arctic was very warm during a period roughly 3.5 to 2 million years ago -- a time when research suggests that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was roughly comparable to today's -- leading to the conclusion that relatively small fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels can have a major influence on Arctic climate, according to a new analysis of the longest terrestrial sediment core ever collected in the Arctic.

National Science Foundation
Contact: Peter West
pwest@nsf.gov
703-292-7530
National Science Foundation

Showing releases 1-25 out of 68. [ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

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