EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences

Cells can read damaged DNA without missing a beat

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Emory University) Under certain growth-limiting conditions, enzymes that read DNA can skim through damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." This suggests a mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

Caltech researchers develop nanoscale structures with superior mechanical properties

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(California Institute of Technology) Researchers at Caltech have developed a way to make some notoriously brittle materials ductile -- yet stronger than ever -- simply by reducing their size. The work could eventually lead to the development of innovative, superstrong, yet light and damage-tolerant materials. These new materials could be used as components in structural applications, such as in lightweight aerospace vehicles that last longer under extreme environmental conditions and in naval vessels that are resistant to corrosion and wear.

WPI, Colorado School of Mines found Center for Sustainable Metals Recovery and Recycling

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) With National Science Foundation support, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Colorado School of Mines have established the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling, the nation's first research center dedicated to developing new technologies for maximizing the recovery and recycling of metals used in manufactured products and structures. By promoting a more sustainable approach to the use of metals, the center aims to dramatically reduce the energy usage and the carbon footprint associated with metals production.

Basque Country University researcher studies atom to atom cement

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Elhuyar Fundazioa) Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about this material continue to have unsatisfactory answers.

SAGE to publish the Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(SAGE Publications) SAGE has partnered with The Histochemical Society (HCS) to publish its official journal, the Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, beginning with volume 59 in 2011. John R. Couchman, Ph.D., the Danish National Research Foundation Professor at the University of Copenhagen, will assume the Editor-in-Chief position of the Journal at the same time.

The biggest loser: Maternal obesity puts a load on her offspring that lasts a lifetime

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) As if there are not enough reasons for obese people to lose weight, a research report recently published online in The FASEB Journal, adds several more. In a study involving rats, Duke University researchers found that obesity in mothers causes cellular programming in utero that predisposes offspring to inflammation-related disorders (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and more) from birth, regardless of whether or not the offspring are obese themselves.

A new 3-D map of the interstellar gas within 300 parsecs from the sun

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Astronomy & Astrophysics) Astronomy & Astrophysics is publishing new 3-D maps of the interstellar gas in the local area around our sun. A French-American team of astronomers presents new absorption measurements towards more than 1800 stars. They were able to characterize the properties of the interstellar gas within each sight line.

Extra large carbon

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Physical Society) The nucleus of one form of carbon is much larger and more stable than expected.

URI researcher calls for global effort to monitor marine pollutants

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Rhode Island) A researcher who studies chemical pollutants in the marine environment has called on colleagues around the world to establish a global monitoring network to verify that the chemicals banned by the United Nations in 2003 are no longer in use.

New international satellite observations help assess future earthquake risk in Haiti

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science) Analyzing images captured using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) by Japan's ALOS satellite before and just after Haiti's earthquake on Jan. 12, University of Miami scientists are making new discoveries. The images show that the earthquake rupture did not reach the surface--unusual for an earthquake this size. More importantly, the images confirm that only the western half of the fault actually ruptured this time. Scientists are interpreting the data to establish the probability of another large quake in the next 20-30 years.

One-third of antimalarial medicines sampled in 3 African nations found to be substandard

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(US Pharmacopeia) The first results from a large-scale study of key antimalarial medicines in ten Sub-Saharan African countries reveal that a high percentage of medicines circulating on national markets are of substandard quality and thus may contribute to the growth of drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent form of malaria.

New era of pain drugs advanced by Barrow researcher

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center) Research led by a scientist at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center has opened the door for the advancement of a new category of painkillers, called TRPV1 antagonists.

Scripps research team reveals how an old drug could have a new use for treating river blindness

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Scripps Research Institute) Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a potential new use for the drug closantel, currently the standard treatment for sheep and cattle infected with liver fluke. The new research suggests that the drug may be useful in combating river blindness, a tropical disease that is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness for humans.

Scientist explore future of high-energy physics

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Chicago) A collaboration between the University of Chicago and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory aims to improve the efficiency of superconducting radio frequency cavities made of niobium to accelerate beams of subatomic particles in the next generation of high-energy physics experiments. The result could be accelerators powerful enough to open new frontiers in physics without the need for a massive increase in size. The project has $1.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Researchers reveal 3-D structure of bullet-shaped virus with potential to fight cancer, HIV

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Los Angeles) A recent UCLA study demonstrates that with advanced imaging technique, the vesicular stomatitis virus can be modified to serve as an anti-cancer agent because it displays high selectivity in killing cancer cells while sparing normal cells. It can also be engineered as a potent vaccine against HIV/AIDS.

More smokers than non-smokers accept HPV vaccination for their daughters

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Association for Cancer Research) A parent's existing health habits or behaviors, like cigarette smoking, may influence the likelihood that they will have their daughters vaccinated against HPV.

Few women take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Association for Cancer Research) Less than a quarter of one percent of women took tamoxifen in 2000 and 2005 to prevent breast cancer.Further research is recommended to explore explanations for the drug's low use.

New magnetic tuning method enhances data storage

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Chicago) Researchers in Chicago and London have developed a method for controlling the properties of magnets that could be used to improve the storage capacity of next-generation computer hard drives.

Research award puts focus on future malaria prevention

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Gothenburg) The Faculty of Science at the University of Gothenburg has presented the recipient of their third annual Faculty of Science Research Award. The winner of the SEK 250,000 prize is a chemist whose research may eventually help prevent the spread of malaria.

Inhibiting serotonin in gut could cure osteoporosis

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Columbia University Medical Center) An investigational drug that inhibits serotonin in the gut, administered orally once daily, effectively cured osteoporosis in mice and rats, reports a new paper in Nature Medicine. Serotonin in the gut has been shown in recent research to stall bone formation. The finding could lead to new therapies that build new bone; most osteoporosis drugs only prevent the breakdown of old bone.

Mescal worm test shows DNA leaks into preservative liquids

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(International Barcode of Life) Research team uses mescal (and the famous worm) to prove their theory that DNA from a preserved specimen leaks into the preservative medium, allowing the medium itself to be directly PCR amplified.

Electrons on the brink: Fractal patterns may be key to semiconductor magnetism

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Princeton University) A Princeton-led team of scientists has observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of the metal-insulator transition for the first time. Caught in the act, the electrons formed complex patterns resembling those seen in turbulent fluids, confirming some long-held predictions and providing new insights into how semiconductors can be turned into magnets. The work also could lead to the production of smaller and more energy-efficient computers.

Princeton scientist makes a leap in quantum computing

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Princeton University) Princeton University's Jason Petta has demonstrated a method that alters the properties of a lone electron without disturbing the trillions of electrons in its immediate surroundings. The feat is essential to the development of future varieties of superfast computers with near-limitless capacities for data.

Prof. Stephen Hawking to visit Perimeter Institute and provide TV lecture across Canada

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics) Dr. Neil Turok, Director of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, is pleased to announce that Prof. Stephen Hawking will visit the institute in Waterloo, Ontario, this summer to conduct scientific research and participate in a televised outreach event.

Renewable oil companies

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Inderscience Publishers) The entry of oil companies into the realm of renewable energy could present major obstacles for the development of a sustainable economy that is not based on carbon resources, according to a report in the International Journal of Green Economics.