Science Today - Daily Science News: February 2004 Edited by Chinnappan Baskar
Today is
"I aim here only at revealing myself, who will perhaps be different tomorrow, if I learn something new which changes me. I have no authority to be believed, nor do I want it, feeling myself too ill-instructed to instruct others." – Montaigne
The World's Richest People 2004 (Billionaires 2004): After two years of falling fortunes, the collective net worth of the world's wealthiest jumped half a trillion dollars in the past year, to $1.9 trillion. The biggest gainer in sheer dollars was Warren Buffett, who added $12.4 billion to his net worth and now is only a few billion dollars shy of ending Bill Gates' ten-year reign as the richest person on the planet. This year Forbes reports a record 587 billionaires, including 64 newcomers. Among them, some real surprises. In a fairy tale as fantastic as her popular Harry Potter series, former welfare mother Joanne Kathleen Rowling makes her debut on Forbes' 18th annual billionaire rankings...... - Forbes, February 27, 2004.
When all is told, it won't be in English: In the future, more people will speak more than one language, with English no longer likely to be dominant, a British expert said in a new analysis. "English is likely to remain one of the world's most important languages for the foreseeable future, but its future is more problematic - and complex - than most people appreciate," said language researcher David Graddol of the British consulting and publishing business The English Company. ..... - Newsday.com, February 27, 2004.
Zinc-oxide nanorings circle new applications: Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, US, have grown nanorings of single-crystal zinc oxide. Since the material is piezoelectric and semiconducting, the nanostructures could have applications in sensors, resonators and transducers.. ..... - Nanotechweb.org, February 27, 2004.
Spin valves open organic chip era: A research technique for making organic spin-valve electronics could herald the coming of nonvolatile semiconductors melded with optical emitters, transducers and sensors. By using the spin of electrons, organic spin valves not only offer nonvolatile storage, but also enable emitters and sensors to share a chip with a processor, rather than requiring separate inorganic silicon or gallium arsenide chips for transducers... ..... - EE Times, February 27, 2004.
Depression can lead to back pain: It is well documented that physical pain can lead to feelings of depression, but a new study from the University of Alberta shows the reverse can be true, as well. Dr. Linda Carroll, a professor in the U of A Department of Public Health Sciences, led the study that shows depression is a risk factor for onset of severe neck and low back pain. The study is published in the journal Pain. . .. ..... - EurekAlert, February 27, 2004.
New findings on memory could enhance learning: New research in monkeys may provide a clue about how the brain manages vast amounts of information and remembers what it needs. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have identified brain cells that streamline and simplify sensory information – markedly reducing the brain's workload. The findings are reported in the on-line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. . .. ..... - EurekAlert, February 27, 2004.
Tagging faulty genes with fluorescent nanodots: A nanoscale imaging technique that could improve the reliability of an important diagnostic test for breast cancer, and other biomedical tests, is described by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers in the Feb. 11 online issue of Nucleic Acids Research. . .. ..... - EurekAlert, February 27, 2004.
Quantum dots deliver photons one at a time: A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientist has demonstrated efficient production of single photons---the smallest pulses of light---at the highest temperatures reported for the photon source used. The advance is a step toward practical, ultrasecure quantum communications, as well as useful for certain types of metrology. The results are reported in the Feb. 23 issue of Applied Physics Letters. .. ..... - EurekAlert, February 27, 2004.
Using water as a lens to shrink chip dimensions: Thanks in part to highly accurate measurements made by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers, semiconductor manufacturers will be able to pursue a new production method that will enable them to produce new generations of computer chips using existing equipment---saving the industry hundreds of millions of dollars. . .. ..... - EurekAlert, February 27, 2004.
The Fastest Stopwatch in the World: German-Austrian research team presents a method of measuring time in the region of a few hundred attoseconds, allowing the observation of atomic processes on this time scale... - Max Planck Society News, February 27, 2004.
Self-assembly wins with gold rosette: Scientists at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have used the self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded rosettes to create nanostructures containing gold. The technique could have applications in the fabrication of nanowires.. ..... - Nanotechweb.org, February 26, 2004.
Scientists Model Silicon Nanotubes That Appear to Be Metal: Using one large computer, one borrowed graduate student, one good friend and one piece of advice from dear old Dad, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln chemist and his team came up with an unexpected discovery -- at extremes of size, silicon may behave like a metal.. ..... - Newswise, February 26, 2004.
Konarka to Develop Polymer-Based Solar Cells: In another development for solar photovoltaic (PV) company Konarka, the Massachusetts-based company has licensed intellectual property from DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies to complement their ongoing organic PV program.. ..... - SolarAccess, February 26, 2004.
NanoDynamics Acquires Patent Filings From Versilant Nanotechnologies: NanoDynamics, a leading manufacturer of superior nanomaterials, announced today that it has acquired two patent filings to support the development of carbon nanotechnology. The technology covered by these two patent filings is expected to enable more rapid commercialization of carbon nanotechnology, specifically applications which utilize carbon nanotubes; a class of materials which are expected to lead to significant breakthroughs in applications such as flat panel displays, advanced drug delivery, new semiconductors, catalysis, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell components... ..... - Nanotechnology Now, February 26, 2004.
Nanoimprint litho progress reported at SPIE: Steady progress in nanoimprint lithography reported Tuesday (Feb.24) at the SPIE conference here definitely caught the attention of attendees. In six papers, researchers from Hewlett-Packard Labs and from three nanoimprint equipment makers all reported the fabrication of structures or devices with existing equipment. In addition, progress in the materials field was described... ..... - EE Times, February 26, 2004.
Nanowires spot DNA mutation: Harvard University researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to detect sequences of DNA that cause cystic fibrosis in real-time using a sensor made from nanowires. Nanowire sensors could eventually be built into labs-on-a-chip that could be used for medical diagnostics and pathogen detection in the field, and for drug discovery... ..... - Technology Research News, February 26, 2004.
Nanotube mix makes liquid crystal: Researchers from the University of Cambridge in England have found that carbon nanotubes can be mixed with a solvent to form a liquid crystal. Carbon nanotubes are rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms that can be as narrow as 0.4 nanometers, or the span of four hydrogen atoms. They have useful electrical and mechanical properties and are a leading player in nanotechnology.... ..... - Technology Research News, February 26, 2004.
Ethanol yields hydrogen: Fuel cells that convert the chemical bonds between hydrogen atoms to energy are about three times more efficient than combustion engines that burn hydrocarbons. And fuel cells powered with pure hydrogen carry out the conversion cleanly... ..... - Technology Research News, February 26, 2004.
Simple optics make quantum relay: If it weren't for repeaters, the light pulses that carry information over fiber-optic long distance lines would fade before they got much further than 100 kilometers... ..... - Technology Research News, February 26, 2004.
Spintronics goes organic: Physicists have moved a step closer to creating a new generation of "spintronic" devices that exploit the spin of electrons as well as their charge. Jing Shi and colleagues at the University of Utah in the US have made the first organic "spin valve" - a device that changes resistance depending on the applied magnetic field. Previous spin valves were made from metals or insulators.. ..... - PhysicsWeb, February 26, 2004.
Marine sponges provide model for nanoscale materials production: "Nature was nano before nano was cool," stated Henry Fountain in a recent New York Times article on the proliferation of nanotechnology research projects. No one is more aware of this fact of nature than Dan Morse of the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research groups have been studying the ways that nature builds ocean organisms at the nanoscale for over ten years. For example, they have studied the abalone shell for its high-performance, super-resistant, composite mineral structure. Now they are now looking to learn new biotechnological routes to make high performance electronic and optical materials. ..... - EurekAlert, February 26, 2004.
Purdue chemists 'put the twist' on protein building block: Purdue scientists have made an important biological molecule "swing," in work that might clarify the process by which proteins fold as well as lead to new approaches to drug development and computer memory..... - Purdue News, February 26, 2004.
Astonishing Discovery over the Amazonian Rain Forest: Isoprene, an organic compound generated in large quantities by natural vegetation, was originally thought not to be involved in producing atmospheric aerosols. It has now been found to be a potentially major player in this process. An international team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry, Mainz, Germany, the University of Antwerp, Belgium, the Ghent University, Belgium, and the University of São Paulo, Brazil, examined natural aerosols from the Amazonian rain forest, and has found that they contained two previously unknown compounds, which are photooxidation products of isoprene. These compounds are hygroscopic and could impact cloud formation, rainfall and climate... - Max Planck Society News, February 26, 2004.
Scientists find HIV-blocking protein in monkeys: Scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a protein that blocks HIV replication in monkey cells. Humans have a similar protein, although it is not as effective at stopping HIV, say the researchers whose work is published in this week's issue of Nature. The team, headed by Joseph Sodroski, M.D., is supported by the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). . ..... - EurekAlert, February 26, 2004.
Stanford goes large-scale on small-scale technology: Although nanotechnology works at the tiniest molecular level, it is definitely making its presence felt across the many departments and research centers on campus. "There is no internationally unified definition for nanotech, but most think that it is coming from the size of 100 nanometers and smaller down to the atomic scale," said Yoshio Nishi, director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF) and a research professor in electrical engineering.... - Stanford Daily, February 25, 2004 Ash Wednesday.
No Simple Solutions: When exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing becomes a practical reality, it will immediately create several severe risks—and each risk will tempt a simple and extreme solution. However, a patchwork of extreme solutions will be both destructive and ineffective.... - Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, February 25, 2004.
Science meets samba: Visitors to this year's Carnaval in the Brazilian party city Rio de Janeiro were treated to more than glittering costumes and swinging samba. They also got a small dose of science..... - Nature Science Update, February 25, 2004.
Ethical review of research in developing countries needed: Developing countries need to more thoroughly review the research ethics of studies being conducted in their country, but sponsored by other, more developed countries, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In one of the first studies of its kind, the researchers looked into the controversy surrounding institutional review board examination of studies and the ethics of biomedical research sponsored by wealthy nations, but conducted in resource-poor countries. The study, "Ethical Review of Health Research: A perspective from developing country researchers" is published in the February 2004, issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics. ..... - EurekAlert, February 24, 2004.
UD works with Russian academy on terahertz technology: The University of Delaware is working with the Russian Academy of Sciences on a project to develop novel devices that emit terahertz signals for applications in biochemical identification, medical diagnostics and cancer research.... - UDaily, February 24, 2004.
Nanomagnetics has new materials in store for memory market: British data storage company NanoMagnetics Ltd. took a route down a blind alley, but may have turned around quick enough to put it in firmly in the pack of companies applying nanotechnology to data storage..... - Small Times, February 24, 2004.
Nanoscience and Microtechnology team leads the way to new innovations: Nanotechnology Now Interviews Robert D. "Skip" Rung. Please tell our readers about your work at Hewlett-Packard, and how, after retiring from HP you were asked to spearhead Oregon’s MMD (multi-scale materials and devices) Signature Research Center (recently renamed ONAMI - Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute). .... - Nanotechnology Now, February 24, 2004.
Mass detection enters attogram regime: Physicists in the US have weighed objects with a mass of just 10-18 grams (attograms) for the first time. Harold Craighead and colleagues at Cornell University made their measurements on small gold dots using a nanoelectromechanical device. The new sensitivity far exceeds the best previous result, which was on the femtogram (10-15 grams) scale. The team hopes their device will be able to detect and identify tiny chemical and biological species, such as viruses..... - PhysicsWeb, February 24, 2004.
Fuel-cell microbes' double duty: treat water, make energy: Something big may be brewing on the sewage treatment circuit thanks to a new design that puts bacteria on double-duty-treating wastewater and generating electricity at the same time. The key is an innovative, single-chambered microbial fuel cell. The prototype is described in the online version of the journal Environmental Science & Technology; the article will also appear in a future print version of ES&T.. ..... - EurekAlert, February 24, 2004.
OHSU researchers discover way to grow silicon nanowires: Oregon Health & Science University researchers have discovered a new way to accurately grow silicon nanowires on an electrode for use in fabricating transistors. A portion of these findings will be published in the Feb. 23 issue of Applied Physics Letter. The discovery has important implications for semiconductor research and may one day help engineers build faster computer chips. ..... - EurekAlert, February 24, 2004.
Nanobiotech Pioneers Predict Nanomedicine Impact within Five Years: With nanobiotech research growing at an astounding rate -- and funds starting to follow -- what are the most promising near-term prospects for nanomedicine? Predicting which applications will have the resources -- and luck -- to succeed is a dicey proposition, experts acknowledge. But NanoBiotech News posed the questions to the field's preeminent pioneers and found that real-world applications of nanomedicine will happen within five years. Ground-breaking nanotechnology researcher Ralph C. Merkle, Ph.D., and the father of nanomedicine Robert A. Freitas, Jr., JD, are among the industry heavyweights who weighed in with NanoBiotech News on the state of the science and where it's headed...... the applications nearest to commercialization are probably the fullerene-related and dendrimer-related drugs....The nanoshells are making their way toward commercialization, but the fullerenes and dendrimers are probably closest in terms of somebody making money from a product...... - dBusiness News, February 23, 2004.
From Bench to Boardroom: A Workshop on the Commercialization of Research Presented by The Scientist. Have you ever thought that your research has commercial potential? This workshop will give answers to your questions: What you need to start a company; Invention vs. Innovation; Interfacing; Gaining first round capital; The matter of valuation; Establish a business strategy...... - The Scientist, February 23, 2004.
Sensor rapidly detects mercury: A novel chemical sensor for the colorimetric detection of toxic mercuric salts in water exhibits submicromolar sensitivity, according to the chemists in the U.K. who designed the system. The sensor is based on a mesoporous nanocrystalline TiO2 film sensitized with a commercially available ruthenium dye. The film's color changes from red to orange when it is immersed in an aqueous solution of a Hg2+ salt..... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 23, 2004.
DNA vaccines get a shot in the arm: The use of DNA--rather than dead or weakened pathogens--as a vaccine may get a boost, thanks to a polymer developed for slow release of the DNA within the immune system's sentry cells...... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 23, 2004.
Isoprene surprise: Isoprene, a compound emitted in large quantities by natural vegetation and previously thought to be uninvolved in producing atmospheric aerosols, has now been found to be a potentially major player in that process. The discovery was made by an international team that examined natural aerosols from the Amazonian rain forest....... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 23, 2004.
Nanotech is Novel; the Ethical Issues Are Not: Nanoscience and nanotechnology are among today's most promising fields of research. If their full potential is to be realized, we need to attend along the way to key ethical issues. But ethics should not be grounded in exaggerations, either positive or negative; hype just obscures important issues...... - The Scientist, February 23, 2004.
Sparkling Spirals: A Romantic Twist on DNA: Were you late getting that Valentine's Day gift? Not to fret: Buy double helix jewelry for your molecular biologist sweetheart. Cathy Cyphers Soref, a fundraiser for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), says the double helix is "as universal a symbol as the heart." And it looks just as lovely in diamonds. Soref has opened a store to benefit CSHL, called DNA Stuff...... - The Scientist, February 23, 2004.
Cornell-developed tools to guide and switch light could lead to photonic microchips and practical home fiber-optic lines: A Cornell University researcher is developing techniques for making photonic microchips -- in which streams of electrons are replaced by beams of light -- including ways to guide and bend light in air or a vacuum, to switch a beam of light on and off and to connect nanophotonic chips to optical fiber. Michal Lipson, an assistant professor at Cornell, in Ithaca, N.Y., described recent research by the Nanophotonics Group in Cornell's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle on Sunday, Feb. 15. Her talk was part of a symposium on "21st Century Photonics."....... - Cornell News, February 23, 2004.
True Fountain of Youth Antioxidant Discovered: Dr. Patrick Flanagan has isolated an antioxidant that could alter the future of human life. He calls this discovery "MegaH." Until recently, the most powerful antioxidants known to man were green tea and grape seed extracts. Validated and confirmed scientific studies verify that MegaH is 800% more powerful than both green tea and grape seed extracts....... - eMediaWire, February 23, 2004.
Is the Revolution Real?: In his famous 1959 speech, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," physicist Richard Feynman articulated a vision later called 'nanotechnology'. Feynman proposed that mechanical systems (now termed molecular assemblers) could direct chemical reactions, building atomically precise products. This molecular manufacturing process will enable digital control of the structure of matter, revolutionizing areas ranging from military to medical, from environmental to economic. This vision of nanotechnology helped launch the current global surge in research and spending, including the multi-billion dollar U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Molecular manufacturing has been the focus of Drexler's work, including Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation....... - Foresight Institute, February 21, 2004.
Plausible and Sensible: CRN Director of Research Chris Phoenix presented his paper "Studying Molecular Manufacturing" at the IEEE Conference on Nanoscale Devices & System Integration today. Here he reports on the reception to his remarks........ - Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, February 21, 2004.
Interview with John Robert Marlow on the Superswarm Option: Published in hardback in February 2004, John Robert Marlow's techno-thriller Nano is a tale about humanity's close brush with extinction at the hands of "the Final Technology." In Nano's appendix, Marlow postulates something he calls the "Superswarm," a means by which we may find a measure of safety once we achieve advanced nanotechnology. The following interview was conducted to address this concept........ - Nanotechnology Now, February 21, 2004.
Holographic storage enters blue era: A new data storage material that is sensitive to blue light could accelerate the development of holographic disk drives........ - Optics.org, February 21, 2004.
Business, Academia Meet at Life Sciences Summit: Trends in research, business and investment affecting the growing life sciences industry in the Sacramento region will be the topic of the 2004 Sacramento Regional Life Sciences Summit, to be held on Thursday, March 4, at the Hyatt Regency hotel, Sacramento. ....... - UC Davis News, February 20, 2004.
Attogram Mass Detection: Attogram mass detection has been achieved by Harold Craighead and his colleagues at Cornell, with prospects of exquisite detection of very tiny chemical and biological species, possibly with arrays of detectors. With their lithographically fabricated nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) device, the Cornell researchers can measure the mass of a particle with a sensitivity of 10-18 grams, far exceeding the precision of a comparable device with femtogram (10-15 g) sensitivity reported last year ...... - Physics News Update, February 20, 2004.
Intel Makes Experimental Component for Linking Chips With Light: The road to faster computing is paved with optical interconnects that can speed signals from computer to computer or from circuit to circuit much faster than the metal wires used today. Currently, the essential optical components that convert data from electrical to optical bits and back again, mainly used in networks to communicate over distances from meters to kilometers, are made of exotic and expensive materials—too pricey to put into PCs, workstations, and servers.. ....... - IEEE Spectrum, February 20, 2004.
Testing Better Batteries: Building a better battery is a key goal for those who would like to see electric and hybrid-electric vehicles become viable options in the car market. However, progress toward this goal has been slow. Many labs are seeking battery anode (negative electrode) and cathode (positive electrode) materials that will last longer, suffer less degradation, and operate safely over wider temperature ranges than is currently possible. ....... - Science Beat, February 20, 2004.
Improved Algorithms Lead to Simulations of Combustion on the Laboratory Scale: In spite of its fundamental technological importance, our knowledge of basic combustion processes is surprisingly incomplete. Theoretical combustion science is unable to address the complexity of realistic flames, and laboratory measurements are difficult to interpret and often limited in the types of applicable flames or levels of detail they can provide. ....... - Science Beat, February 20, 2004.
Playing Keep-Away with Carbon: At the end of 2003, the American Geophysical Union issued an unequivocal message: "Human activities are increasingly altering the Earth's climate. . . . A particular concern is that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide may be rising faster than at any time in Earth's history, except possibly following rare events like impacts from large extraterrestrial objects." ....... - Science Beat, February 20, 2004.
Mixing up nanotubes causes complications: As applications of polymer-nanotube composites take off, mixing up suspensions of nanotubes will be an increasingly important processing operation. But researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the University of Kentucky and Michigan Technological University, all in the US, have found that certain mixing conditions may actually cause the nanotubes to separate........ - Nanotechweb.org, February 19, 2004.
Looking at decoherence: Physicists in Austria have observed decoherence - the transition from quantum to classical behaviour - in carbon-70 molecules. At temperatures below 1000 Kelvin the molecules demonstrate quantum behaviour when they pass through a double slit. However, the molecules gradually become classical at higher temperatures, and the interference pattern - which is the classic sign of quantum behaviour - becomes weaker. Markus Arndt, Anton Zeilinger and co-workers at the University of Vienna in Austria have shown that the decoherence is caused by the thermal emission of photons from the molecules...... - PhysicsWeb, February 19, 2004.
Closing in on a theory of superconductivity: Theorists have put forward many theories to explain high-temperature superconductivity in materials containing layers of copper oxide. A team of experimenters from McMaster University in Canada and the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US has now ruled out two of these theories and presented new evidence that magnetic correlations between pairs of electrons is responsible for superconductivity in the cuprates...... - PhysicsWeb, February 19, 2004.
Scientists Say Administration Distorts Facts: More than 60 influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, issued a statement yesterday asserting that the Bush administration had systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad....... - New York Times, February 19, 2004. (Registration Required)
New method for converting nitrogen to ammonia: A research team at Cornell University has succeeded in converting nitrogen into ammonia using a long-predicted process that has challenged scientists for decades. The achievement involves using a zirconium metal complex to add hydrogen atoms to the nitrogen molecule and convert it to ammonia, without the need for high temperatures or high pressure. "The value of our work is that we have answered the very basic chemical question of how to take this very inert and unreactive [nitrogen] molecule and get it to a useful form," says Paul Chirik, Cornell assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology....... - Cornell News, February 19, 2004.
A Specialties Play: One of the hottest sectors of nanotechnology—nanoparticle zinc oxide—is becoming a little bit hotter with the entrance of a new player into the marketplace......... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 19, 2004.
Giant black hole rips star apart: A super-massive black hole has ripped apart a star and consumed a portion of it, according to data from ESA's XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatories. These results are the best evidence yet that such a phenomenon, long predicted by theory, does actually happen....... - ESA News, February 19, 2004.
Wunderkind from MIT is showing Singapore how nanotech is done: At the age of 36, Jackie Ying already had an enviable nine-year career in the chemical engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But a year ago, rather than remain in a comfortable professorship at MIT, she decided to take on a whole new project. Ying went to the opposite side of the world to help nanotechnology develop in Asia. Ying, for almost a year now, has headed Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, a government-supported research center...... - Small Times, February 18, 2004.
Bacteria grow selenium nanospheres: Selenium nanospheres created by certain anaerobic bacteria have optical properties unlike those grown by chemical methods. That’s the finding of researchers at the US Geological Survey, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, New Mexico State University, all in the US, and the University of Guelph in Canada....... - Nanotechweb.org, February 18, 2004.
Scientists Brew Tree-Shaped DNA: Researchers from Cornell University have synthesized a new type of DNA that can be used as a nanotechnology building block. DNA, whether biological or artificial, consists of a series of nucleotide bases attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone. DNA usually comes in straight strands; these pair up and twist to form the familiar biological double helix....... - MIT Technology Review, February 18, 2004.
Statistical technique helps researchers gain more information from a single data run: For certain classes of data that may be very expensive or difficult to obtain, a new statistical technique may provide useful information from a single data run by allowing meaningful re-sampling. The technique, known as "wavelet bootstrapping" or "wavestrapping," has applications in the geophysical sciences, bioinformatics, medical imaging, nanotechnology and other areas. It can also be useful for rapidly obtaining information from small data sets in such applications as medical diagnostics. ...... - Innovations Report, February 18, 2004.
The big picture: Revolutionary biologists begin to ask how the pieces they've studied for decades fit together to make life work. To understand the story of biology, and the crucial turning point the field has reached, consider the rose. A 19th-century botanist would have sketched the wine-hued bloom, noted the pattern of thorns winding its stem, and studied the lines on its jagged leaves. A generation later, scientists would use the new tools of chemistry to extract the compounds that lend the rose its distinctive perfume...... - Boston Globe, February 18, 2004.
Intercellular telephone wires: Thin tubes between cells transport organelles but block small molecules. A cell extends a threadlike tube to a neighbor, attaches, and transfers a small organelle from one cell to the other. Such a scenario describes a newly discovered type of cell-to-cell communication. "The discovery is spectacular," says Owe Orwar, professor of biophysical chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden...... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 17, 2004.
Chemical firms in fuel firsts: Companies say technologies will lead to less dependence on fossil fuels. Dow Chemical and Novozymes last week advanced fuel-cell- and ethanol-based alternative energy projects, both of which are backed by the Department of Energy. Proclaiming a "key step toward developing a hydrogen economy," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham flipped the switch in Freeport, Texas, on a General Motors fuel cell, the first used to generate electricity at Dow Chemical’s giant chemical complex there.... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 17, 2004.
The changing face of chemistry: Where will chemical professionals come from in the future? Nobody can be certain. But detailed analysis of long-term trends in the number of Ph.D. graduates each year in chemistry and chemistry-related disciplines provides some indications of what to expect for the demographics and the nature of the chemical enterprise..... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 17, 2004.
Sharpless Clicks at Informex 2004: Guru of catalytic asymmetric oxidation regaled his audience with adventures in click chemistry. Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless drew a big crowd at an educational workshop on homogeneous catalysis at Informex 2004, held last month in Las Vegas. However, Sharpless talked little of conventional asymmetric catalysis and focused instead on his new passion, "click chemistry," where reagents fuse easily, irreversibly..... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 17, 2004.
Plastic heralds next-generation batteries: Arrays of tiny carbon rods may build tomorrow's lithium cells. A method for growing forests of miniature carbon pillars could lead to a new generation of lithium batteries, which could power everything from mobile phones to laptop computers...... - Nature Science Update, February 17, 2004.
Packing them in: Using M&Ms a group of physicists in the US have discovered that oval-shaped objects can pack together more densely than spherical-shaped ones - contrary to what was previously believed. Paul Chaikin and colleagues at Princeton and Cornell universities believe their results could have implications for applications as diverse as designing high-density ceramics and reducing the cost of transporting goods. Mathematicians and physicists have long been interested in how objects pack together. In the sixteenth century, Johannes Kepler predicted that the densest possible arrangement of spheres would fill about 74% of the total available space...... - PhysicsWeb, February 17, 2004.
MEMS sensor detects single virus particle in real-time: Detection of a single virus particle was recently demonstrated for the first time in a sensor based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The tiny cantilever, measuring just 1 x 4 microns x 20 nanometers thick, vibrates at a fixed frequency until a virus particle lands on it, which changes its resonance enough to be detected. A single particle of vaccinia-a virus that forms the basis for the smallpox vaccine-weighs only 9 femtograms, or quadrillionths of a gram...... - EE Times, February 17, 2004.
Do-Coop Technologies Announces Water-based Nano-reagent for Molecular Biology Research Tool Kits: Do-Coop Technologies announced today the general availability of Neowater(TM), a water-based reagent that is used for enhancing the performance of molecular biology tool kits for research. "We are very excited about the introduction of Neowater(TM), it is currently under evaluation with several customers and we have already gotten an enthusiastic response," said CTO Eran Gabbai. "Unlike conventional reagents, Neowater(TM) is not application-specific and delivers significant performance enhancement as well as cost reduction in a variety of tool kits applications, and moreover, it is water-based so we are also helping to protect the environment," Gabbai said...... - Business Wire, February 17, 2004.
The future of drug development: In this month's essay, Tim Hubbard and Jamie Love argue that we need a better way to research and develop new drugs. They contend that the existing system for drug development--rooted within the pharmaceutical industry--is inefficient and unsustainable. Drugs are too expensive and are beyond the reach of many people in the developed as well as the developing world. ........ - EurekAlert, February 17, 2004.
New, non-radioactive screen for antimalarial compounds: Panama's International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) announces the development of a new test for identification of antimalarial compounds with wide applicability in the developing world. The assay for plant-derived compounds also can be used to detect anti-plasmodial compounds from synthetic or natural sources. Initial results of the research are published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene under the title "A Novel DNA-Based Microfluorometric Method to Evaluate Antimalarial Drug Activity". ........ - EurekAlert, February 17, 2004.
Hair Dye Use Increases Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Yale researchers have found that lifetime users of hair coloring products have an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that attacks the lymphatic system, part of the body's immune system. ....... - Yale News, February 17, 2004.
India Moves Up The Patent Ladder, But Still Has A Long Way To Go: In what reflects India’s edge in knowledge creation, the total number of patents originating from India has grown from 48 in 1997 to 179 in 2001, according to the latest data available from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)....... - Financial Express, February 16, 2004.
The sensor revolution: NSF sensors activities in focus at AAAS annual meeting in Seattle. In the 1990s, the Internet connected us to a planet-wide webof information-all the zillions of bits that are stored in computer memories and hard drives. But now, thanks to an ongoing revolution in highly miniaturized, wirelessly networked sensors, the Internet is reaching out into the physical world, as well......Indeed, that prospect has led the NSF to fund sensor research for the past decade and more, culminating in a foundation-wide Sensors and Sensor Networks Program that was begun in 2003 with a first-year funding of $47 million. Among the likely applications.......... - EurekAlert, February 16, 2004.
Breakthroughs in capacity, power consumption set to revolutionize photonics: For years, organic electro-optic polymers have held the promise of vastly improving technologies such as communications, data processing and image displays. Now it appears scientists are on the verge of breakthroughs that will bring dramatic progress in materials, as well as the devices in which they are used, setting the stage for a virtual revolution. . ........ - EurekAlert, February 16, 2004.
3D fabrication technique uses light-activated molecules to create complex microstructures: A three-dimensional microfabrication technique that uses a unique class of light-activated molecules to selectively initiate chemical reactions within polymers and other materials could provide an efficient way to produce complex structures with sub-micron features......... - EurekAlert, February 16, 2004.
Training for science teachers should focus on learning, not teaching strategies: Three different professions need to be involved in training our secondary-school science teachers, but it's a rare program that does that, says Debra Tomanek. Moreover, folks in those professions -- science teachers, science-teacher educators, and university science faculty members -- need to think differently about how to train science teachers and about how to teach science. Tomanek says all three professions must shift their focus from strategies for teaching to understanding how and why students learn. ........ - EurekAlert, February 16, 2004.
Green Nanotechnology: Environmental degradation is a serious problem with many sources and causes. One of the biggest causes is farming. Greenhouses can greatly reduce water use, land use, runoff, and topsoil loss. Mining is another serious problem. When most structure and function can be built out of carbon and hydrogen by molecular manufacturing, there will be far less use for minerals, and mining operations mostly can be shut down. Manufacturing technologies that pollute can also be scaled back. ....... - Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), February 16, 2004.
Nanotechnology and Aging: CRN was contacted recently by Sage Crossroads, "the premier online forum for emerging issues of human aging". They are planning a discussion on nanotechnology and asked for our input. "Due to the impacts of biotechnology, genomics, and nanotechnology, the process of human aging will undergo a fundamental transformation in the first half of this century. It's a good thing someone has initiated a forum for discussion of these topics."....... - Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN), February 16, 2004.
Unity is the loneliest integer: Internet gives scientists methodologies for dating.....Sites such as Science Connection, which advertises its members' photos with the catchphrase "A picture is worth 103 words", offer a range of prospects for scientists searching for a unifying formula...... - Nature Science Update, February 16, 2004.
Maths predicts chance of divorce: Ignoring snide comments and stopping yourself from rolling your eyes at the stupidity of your partner are, mathematically speaking, the best way to stay solid in your relationship. That's according to clinical psychologist John Gottman from the University of Washington in Seattle, who has been watching couples bicker about sex and money for more than a decade, gathering data to help him understand the mathematics of matrimony...... - Nature Science Update, February 16, 2004.
Fraud spurs Cell paper retraction: Postdoc fabricated data, leaving his career in tatters and embarrassing his boss. A Columbia University researcher retracted a paper from the journal Cell last week due to fabricated data. Scientists said the fraud was more disturbing than damaging to the field of research on Wnt signaling, a major pathway in embryonic development and human cancer. Its impact on the scientists involved may be more serious......... - The Scientist, February 14, 2004.
Photosynthesis proteins bring new platinum nanostructures: Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, US, the University of New Mexico, US, the University of Porto, Portugal, and the University of Georgia, US, have made a new type of platinum nanostructure. The scientists used a catalyst based on porphyrins, the active part of photosynthetic proteins, to seed the growth of the structures......... - Nanotechweb.org, February 14, 2004.
Silicon achieves optical success: Physicists at Intel have created the first high-speed optical modulator made from silicon. The modulator, which is silicon-based, has a bandwidth that is greater than 1 gigahertz. This is 50 times faster than previous efforts and could threaten the role of optoelectronics made from compound semiconductors. ...... - PhysicsWeb, February 14, 2004.
Electricity Teleportation Devised: Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands have devised a way to teleport electricity. Teleportation is possible at the atomic scale, and was discovered a decade ago for photons in free space. The researchers' proposal works for electrons contained in conductors, and could eventually be used within computer circuits...... - MIT Technology Review, February 14, 2004.
Nanoparticle probes are destined for major new role in medical diagnostics and drug delivery: The emerging miniaturized world known as nanomedicine integrates technology, biology and medicine using tools and materials constructed from molecular- and atomic-sized particles too small to seen with a conventional laboratory microscope. Shuming Nie, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, and director of cancer nanotechnology at Emory's Winship Cancer Institute, will highlight exciting technological breakthroughs in nanomedicine at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle. Dr. Nie's talk on "Bioconjugated Nanoparticles for Personalized Medicine: Molecular Imaging, Profiling and Drug Targeting" will be part of a two-day Nanotechnology Seminar at the meeting.......... - EurekAlert, February 14, 2004.
Laser method identifies, counts toxic molecules: A spectroscopy technique that offers advances in detection of toxic chemicals and counting of molecules has been demonstrated by a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientist and collaborators. Described in the Feb. 8 issue of the Journal of Chemical Physics, the NIST-patented technique may be useful for development of miniaturized chemical sensors, as well as for fundamental surface science studies. . ........ - EurekAlert, February 14, 2004.
Stressed at work? How taking a coffee break might make things worse: Trying to reduce feelings of stress by taking a coffee break might actually increase them - particularly in men, working alone, who believe it should help them perform faster - according to new research sponsored by the ESRC. However, the study, led by Professor Peter Rogers and Dr Lindsay St. Claire at the University of Bristol, also found that men working in teams could feel less stressed after enjoying a sharp intake of caffeine. ........ - EurekAlert, February 14, 2004.
UCL study establishes common biological ground for maternal and romantic love in humans: A new study of young mothers by researchers at University College London (UCL) has shown that romantic and maternal love activate many of the same specific regions of the brain, and lead to a suppression of neural activity associated with critical social assessment of other people and negative emotions. The findings suggest that once one is closely familiar with a person, the need to assess the character and personality of that person is reduced, and bring us closer to explaining why, in neurological terms, 'love makes blind.' ....... - EurekAlert, February 14, 2004.
Molecular Mechanisms that Trigger Flowering in Spring: The appearance of flowers in spring is one of the surest signs that winter is over, but how do plants follow the changing seasons, and use this information to trigger the formation of flowers? That plants contain internal clocks enabling them to measure day length was proposed 80 years ago and was initially controversial, but now the mechanisms by which plants measure time are being explained by the isolation of genes and proteins that play central roles in this process.. ...... - Max Planck Society News, February 13, 2004.
Nanotubules shuttle organelles: Cell-to-cell communication is achieved by a variety of means, from diffusible signals and gap junctions to the thin actin-based cellular extensions termed cytonemes seen in Drosophila. . ...... - The Scientist, February 13, 2004.
Photosynthesis inspires molecular-assembly process: Nanotechnologists have recently succeeded in their attempts to build molecular systems based on highly efficient versions of the molecular "machine" that plants use to turn sunlight into energy. Such molecular-assembly machines could be used in many applications, including sensors and other electronic devices........... - EE Times, February 13, 2004.
Nanolaminates can stand the heat: Researchers at the universities of Illinois and Colorado in the US have grown a nanolaminate structure with extremely low thermal conductivity. The structure consisted of alternating layers of tungsten and alumina just a few nanometres thick........... - Nanotechweb.org, February 13, 2004.
Controlling material structure at nanoscale makes better thermal insulator: Heat may be essential for life, but in some cases -- such as protecting the space shuttle or improving the efficiency of a jet engine -- materials with low thermal conductivities are needed to prevent passage of too much heat. As reported in the Feb. 13 issue of the journal Science, researchers have created a better thermal insulator by controlling material structure at the nanoscale. . ........ - EurekAlert, February 13, 2004.
Fuel cells turn to alcohol: Researchers in the US and Greece have invented a reactor that can produce hydrogen from ethanol. Lanny Schmidt of the University of Minnesota, Xenephon Verykios of the University of Patras and co-workers say their reactor is both efficient and cost-effective, and that it represents a major step towards a realistic "hydrogen economy". It could be employed in small fuel cells capable of generating enough hydrogen for 350 Watt-hours of electricity ......... - PhysicsWeb, February 13, 2004.
Sweet science: Common candies yield physics discovery: For most people, a regular lunch of M&M's and coffee would lead to no good. For Princeton physicist Paul Chaikin and collaborators, it spurred fundamental insights into an age-old problem in mathematics and physics. Chaikin and Princeton chemist Salvatore Torquato used the candies to investigate the physical and mathematical principles that come into play when particles are poured randomly into a vessel. While seemingly simple, the question of how particles pack together has been a persistent scientific problem for hundreds of years and has implications for fields such as the design of high-density ceramic materials for use in aerospace or other applications. . ........ - EurekAlert, February 13, 2004.
Hidden order found in cuprates may help explain superconductivity: Like the delicate form of an icicle defying gravity during a spring thaw, patterns emerge in nature when forces compete. Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a hidden pattern in cuprate (copper-containing) superconductors that may help explain high-temperature superconductivity. of high-density ceramic materials for use in aerospace or other applications. . ........ - EurekAlert, February 13, 2004.
New Research into Love Letters Reveals Spaniards are Traditionally More Romantic: New research by Historian Dr Rebecca Earle from the University of Warwick charts love letters from the 16th -18th centuries to reveal that over 300 years ago men commonly used flowery, romantic words to express emotions, and that the emotionally open ‘New Man’ is not so new. Her research also suggests that 16th century Spaniards were more romantic than their wealthy American or English contemporaries. ........ - University of Warwick News, February 13, 2004.
A New Form of Matter: II: We learned it in grade school. There are three forms of matter: solids, liquids and gases. But that's not even half right. There are at least six: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, Bose-Einstein condensates, and a new form of matter called "fermionic condensates" just discovered by NASA-supported researchers......... - Science@NASA, February 12, 2004.
Radical molecule breaks the rules: A team of chemists in the US has discovered the first organic molecule that breaks Hund's rule. The molecule has three unpaired electrons in its ground state - an arrangement that has only previously been observed in molecules that contain transition metals. The breakthrough could lead to the development of new non-metallic magnets made from polymers and hydrocarbons ......... - PhysicsWeb, February 12, 2004.
DNA folds into nano-octahedra: Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute, US, have synthesized a single-stranded DNA molecule that will fold up into a hollow octahedral structure roughly 22 nm in diameter under certain conditions. Unlike other DNA that forms three-dimensional objects, the molecules can be readily copied by polymerases.......... - Nanotechweb.org, February 12, 2004.
The Dominion Factor: Humanity does not gradually progress from combat to combat until it arrives at universal reciprocity, where the rules of law finally replaces warfare; humanity installs each of its violences in a system of rules and proceeds from domination to domination ...... Every day, we hear phrases like this: Someone always has to have the "upper hand." "She’ll come out on top." "Don’t tell me what to do!" People are in conflict........... - Journal of Christian Theology and Philosophy, February 12, 2004.
God, Time and Eternity: Time is a perplexing subject. Physicist, Lee Smolin wrote: I have been studying the question of what time is for much of my adult life. But I must admit ... that I am no closer to an answer now than I was then. Indeed, even after all this study, I do not think we can answer even the simple question: 'What sort of thing is time?' In Smolin's honesty we can hear echoes of Augustine when he wrote: What then is time? If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to a questioner, I do not know. The relationship of God and time is even more perplexing! Before I start proper, I want to spell out some of my precommitments: God is lord of all - that includes time; Creator and creation are distinct; God is creator of all things; thus time is a creation. I assume these points and shall argue form them........... - Journal of Christian Theology and Philosophy, February 12, 2004.
The Failure of Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud’s Objection to Thomistic (Objective) "Truth" and "Right": In proposing a single and objective standard of truth and right, Aquinas draws upon the Realist tradition after the manner of Aristotle. Though Aquinas does not assert that complete truth is divulged through reason alone (for faith communicates additional truths and values beyond the scope of rationality), he does argue that human beings can discover the eternal, natural law through "speculative and practical reason." As quoted above, however, though the possibility exists for every human being to reach the summit of what reason reveals, it is not reached by all (for reasons of conditioning, hard-heartedness, defective faculties, etc.). For those who are able to reach the summit, what is found is a universal moral law of right and wrong commonly referred to as Aquinas’ natural law......... - Journal of Christian Theology and Philosophy, February 12, 2004.
Toward Applications of Ceramic Nanostructures: This article serves to introduce the January 2004 issue of MRS Bulletin on progress toward applications of ceramic nanostructures. Conventional ceramic materials are widely used today in areas ranging from structural to biological applications, and in devices as diverse as lasers, semiconductors, sensors, and piezoelectric components. Such materials include oxides, carbides, nitrides, mixed oxides, and composites. Over the last decade, the use of ceramic nanostructures has already changed the approach to materials design in many of these applications, by seeking structural control at the atomic level and tailoring of the engineering properties. The articles in this issue review the advantages of nanoceramics, their application in various fields, and the challenges involved in their fabrication.......[Full text in pdf]....... - MRS Bulletin, February 12, 2004.
Manufacturing Nanocomposite Parts: Present Status and Future Challenges: The promises of nanotechnology are mostly based upon the ability to produce nanostructured materials with novel properties. Nanocomposites are defined here as a class of materials that contain at least one phase with constituents in the nanometer domain. This article describes the present state of knowledge of the fabrication of nanocomposite materials, with special emphasis on plasma forming of bulk parts. Future challenges facing the development of methods for consolidating nanocomposites with retained nanostructures are also highlighted........ - MRS Bulletin, February 12, 2004.
Nanoceramics in Biomedical Applications: An improved understanding of the interactions at the nanoscale level between the bioceramics in medical implants and the hard or soft tissues in the human body could contribute significantly to the design of new-generation prostheses and postoperative patient management strategies. Overall, the benefits of advanced ceramic materials in biomedical applications have been universally accepted, specifically in terms of their strength, biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, and wear resistance in articulating joints. The continuous development of new-generation implants utilizing nanocoatings with novel nanosensors and devices is leading to better compatibility with human tissue and improved well-being and longevity for patients. This article gives a short overview of bioceramics and reexamines key issues of concern for processing and applying nanoceramics as biomaterials........ - MRS Bulletin, February 12, 2004.
Nanostructured p–n Junctions for Printable Photovoltaics: By controlling the morphology of organic and inorganic semiconductors on a molecular scale, nanoscale p–n junctions can be generated in a bulk composite. Such a composite is typically called a bulk heterojunction composite, which can be considered as one virtual semiconductor combining the electrical and optical properties of the individual components. Solar cells are one attractive application for bulk heterojunction composites. Conjugated polymers or oligomers are the favorite p-type semiconducting class for these composites, while for the n-type semiconductor, inorganic nanoparticles as well as organic molecules have been investigated. Due to the solubility of the individual components, printing techniques are used to fabricate them.. ........ - MRS Bulletin, February 12, 2004.
Bio-Resorbable Nanoceramics for Gene and Drug Delivery: Nanoscale ceramic particles, such as layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have been developed to deliver drugs or genes into biological cells. In this article, we describe the controlled-release properties of LDHs as drug delivery carriers, the formation of bio-LDH nanohybrids, their in vivo and in vitro cytotoxicity tests, and their potential as anticancer gene delivery carriers. Unstable biomolecules can be intercalated into LDHs, displacing the interlayer anions; the drug or gene's negative charge is thus shielded, enabling penetration into the cell. In the slightly acidic environment of the cell, ceramic nanoplatelets of ~100 nm diameter dissolve, thus releasing the intercalates in a controlled manner. ........ - MRS Bulletin, February 12, 2004.
RPI researchers use bacteria to form nanospheres: New nanotechnology research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute may lead to smaller, faster semiconductors. Two researchers with ties to the school published a paper focusing on nano-sized spheres of selenium, an ingredient in semiconductors and other electronics......... - The Business Review (Albany), February 11, 2004.
A Small World: Recent visitors to Disney's Epcot Center theme park are getting a new view of the microscopic world thanks to a four-year collaboration between Cornell researchers and the Ithaca Sciencenter. "It's a Nano World" aims to explain nanobiotechnology to a young audience. The exhibit arose from public education programs at the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC), a national research center located at Cornell.......... - The Cornell Daily Sun, February 11, 2004.
Superconductors, Quantum Mechanics and Nanotech to the Rescue: A trio of high technologies -- superconductors, quantum mechanics and nanotech -- may allow cancer specialists to spot tumors so small they elude today's best imaging methods. A "Superconducting QUantum Interference Device," or SQUID, lets oncologists and surgeons locate previously injected tumor-specific nanoparticles that act like submicroscopic cancer-detection beacons, claims an eight person research team from the University of California at Riverside and New York's Long Island Cancer Center........... - NewsFactor, February 11, 2004.
Scientists find ozone-destroying molecule: Using measurements from a NASA aircraft flying over the Arctic, Harvard University scientists have made the first observations of a molecule that researchers have long theorized plays a key role in destroying stratospheric ozone, chlorine peroxide. Analysis of these measurements was conducted using a computer simulation of atmospheric chemistry developed by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. ......... - EurekAlert, February 11, 2004.
Etching holes in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers creates better beam: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found a way to significantly improve the performance of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers by drilling holes in their surfaces. Faster and cheaper long-haul optical communication systems, as well as photonic integrated circuits, could be the result. Low-cost VCSELs are currently used in data communication applications where beam quality is of little importance......... - EurekAlert, February 11, 2004.
Tiny scales weigh virus: How much does a virus weigh? About 10 femtograms, according to scientists who have created tiny weighing scales that can detect the mass of a single virus particle. That's about one trillionth as much as a grain of rice, says lead researcher Rashid Bashir of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.......... - Nature Science Update, February 11, 2004.
Academies call for two global science funds: Representatives of the world's leading academies of sciences have called for two new global funds to enhance science and technology capacity in developing countries, describing such capacity building as "a necessity and not a luxury"......... - SciDev.Net, February 11, 2004.
Capacity building: a chance for action: The world's scientific academies last week set out an ambitious agenda for strengthening scientific and technological capacity in the developing world. The challenge is to find viable ways of implementing their recommendations........ - SciDev.Net, February 11, 2004.
Before the Big Bang: Maverick cosmologists contend that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our universe and a parallel world. The Catholic Church, which put Galileo under house arrest for daring to say that Earth orbits the sun, isn’t known for easily accepting new scientific ideas. So it came as a surprise when Pope Pius XII declared his approval in 1951 of a brand new cosmological theory—the Big Bang. What entranced the pope was the very thing that initially made scientists wary: The theory says the universe had a beginning, and that both time and space leaped out of nothingness. It seemed to confirm the first few sentences of Genesis.......... - Discover, February 10, 2004.
Retelling the Story of Science: We often hear of a conflict between religion and science. Is there one? Certainly, some religious beliefs are scientifically untenable: for example, that the world is six thousand years old. However, for Jews and Christians not committed to a narrowly literalistic interpretation of Scripture, that kind of direct and clear–cut contradiction between scientific facts and religious doctrines does not exist........ - First Things, February 10, 2004.
Nano Patterning: Self-assembly has become a critical implement in the toolbox of nanotechnologists. Scientists and engineers who explore the nano realm posit that the same types of forces that construct a snowflake--the natural attractions and repulsions that prompt molecules to form intricate patterns--can build useful structures--say, medical implants or components in electronic chips....... - Scientific American, February 10, 2004.
Nano’s Safety Checkup: Even as the pace of nanotechnology research accelerates in labs around the world, a few early studies have raised concerns that tiny man-made particles might pose threats to human health or the environment. ...... - MIT Technologyreview, February 10, 2004.
BBC Airs Scaremongering Nanotech Documentary: The BBC saw fit to fuel the fires of fear over nanotech in last nights Horizon. While the web content is quite moderate, the prevailing image of nanotech the program presented was a swarm of CGI grey goo flying like a whirling dervish over a blasted desert (an image straight out of Michael Crichton's Prey, interspersed with time-lapse shots of reproducing cells and decaying animals as the commentary spoke of 'our day of reckoning'...... - Nanodot.org, February 10, 2004.
Prejudice from thin air: You may be more prejudiced than you think, especially if you're angry and approached by someone of a different race, religion or creed. A study slated for publication in the Spring 2004 edition of Psychological Science (the flagship Journal of the American Psychological Society) by psychology professors David DeSteno and Nilanjana Dasgupta from Northeastern University and UMass Amherst respectively, reveals that the experience of anger causes automatic, immediate prejudices against those who are not a part of one's social group...... - EurekAlert, February 10, 2004.
Depression: Many mysteries remain, but scientists are making progress in understanding what causes depressive disorders and how various treatments work...... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 10, 2004.
Roomy crystals: From catalysis and surface chemistry to gas storage and separation, materials with high porosity and surface area play key roles in industrial processes. Because of the importance of those properties to materials performance, researchers have developed techniques for preparing materials with very large surface areas and controlled pore dimensions. Yet no method has been established for determining the upper limit to a material's surface area....... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 10, 2004.
The latest fix for nitrogen: In the latest effort to activate and functionalize nitrogen to produce ammonia, assistant chemistry professor Paul J. Chirik and coworkers at Cornell University have found that tweaking the ligand in a soluble zirconium complex provides a valuable clue that may help chemists develop a homogeneous catalytic route for nitrogen fixation ...... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 10, 2004.
New superheavy elements created: Elements 113 and 115 have been synthesized and detected for the first time, according to an international research team based in Dubna, Russia. The discovery broadens understanding of the properties of superheavy nuclei and adds to a growing number of experimental findings that support theoretical predictions of very stable transactinide elements....... - Chemical & Engineering News, February 10, 2004.
'Dry eye' in women may be linked to sex hormones: Women whose ovaries prematurely cease functioning may be at a greater risk for dry eye symptoms, according to an article in the February issue of The Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Premature ovarian failure (POF) occurs when the ovaries stop functioning normally in women under 40 years and affected approximately 1 percent of women in a large study, according to the article. ...... - EurekAlert, February 10, 2004.
Smart switching could solve communication tangle: Someone walks into your office as you are in the middle of a confidential phone call, and you do not want them to overhear it. Your only option is to cut the call short, and either phone back later or switch to more discreet email or instant messaging. Now IBM engineers are developing a system that makes the switch seamlessly, without breaking the flow of your discussion. It will enable a voice call to be switched to silent instant messaging when you get to your desk, for example....... - New Scientist, February 9, 2004.
Style, hyphens and the split infinitive (pdf file): Authors of scientific papers always await referees’ reports with trepidation. Nothing can be as disheartening to authors as a summary rejection of their manuscripts by editors, who often base their decisions on devastatingly worded comments from ‘peer reviewers’. Many referees seem to delight in dismissive language; anonymity provides an impenetrable shield. Sometime ago, I received referees’ reports on a paper that I had submitted to a journal published from the United States. The editor’s covering letter seemed promising, requesting the inevitable revision. But one of the reviewers, while grudgingly accepting that the mundane science described in the paper was publishable, went on to launch a vigorous attack on my language.......I came across a copy of Scientific English by Robert Day (Universities Press, 2000). Reading a book on writing scientific papers is not easy. But, Day’s preface was both encouraging and entertaining. He quoted both Plato and Confucius. The former had said: ‘Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity’. The latter was characteristically brief: ‘In language clarity is everything’....... - Current Science, February 9, 2004.
An elegant synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (pdf file): Since the exciting discovery of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) by Iijima in 1991 and subsequent production of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), research studies in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have acquired the important status of one of the most active fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology........ - Current Science, February 9, 2004.
'I'm sorry, has your brain broken?': Self-taught scientist Steve Grand built his own intelligent android. Now he's seeking intelligent life among the newsreaders, television producers and yoghurt advertisers who label things as 'science'. ...... - Guardian Unlimited, February 7, 2004.
Turning wasted heat into a power source: Mercouri Kanatzidis envisions a refrigerator that not only would keep the Maytag repairman pining by a silent phone, but could put him out of business altogether. Gone would be the noisy compressors, the environmentally dubious coolants, and the dust bunnies under the cooling coils. ....... - The Christian Science Monitor, February 7, 2004.
Common Ethics Needs Acceptance of Natural Law, Says Pope: People lack a common ethical foundation because of the rejection of the idea of natural law, said John Paul II as he proposed a remedy. The Pope called for the promotion of points of common agreement with representatives of other religions and various cultures so that ethics, especially in public life, won't be at the mercy of the majority opinion. The rediscovery of the natural law was one of the points the Holy Father mentioned today in his address to the participants of the plenary session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ....... - Catholic Online, February 7, 2004.
Virtual Nanotech: Modeling materials one atom at a time: It's hard enough to thread a needle. Imagine trying to manipulate threads and needles miniaturized to one-millionth the normal size. Now, you're thinking like the emerging group of nanotechnologists whose growing dexterity at fashioning new materials and devices may eventually improve every arena of technology, from aerospace to drug development. While many researchers focus on developing tools for working on nanoscale materials, others are pursuing a virtual pathway toward nanotechnology applications. As ever-more powerful computers have become ever more affordable, computational nanoscientists can readily simulate materials atom by atom. ....... - Science News, February 7, 2004.
Protein Orders Semiconductor Bits: Researchers working to make structures at the size-scale of molecules are tapping self-assembly techniques found in nature. National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers have found a way to construct fairly complicated nanostructures by combining a genetically engineered form of the protein cohesin with quantum dots. Cohesin is found naturally in a microorganism that uses it to build side protein complexes dubbed cellusomes; quantum dots are bits of semiconductor material that can trap electrons........ - MIT Technology Review, February 7, 2004.
Nanotubes Tied to Silicon Circuit: Many research teams are working to make electronics that include carbon nanotubes—rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms that have useful electrical properties and that can be as narrow as the span of four hydrogen atoms........ - MIT Technology Review, February 7, 2004.
Incorporate disassembly into every self-assembled nanotech product: There is a growing mantra in the nanotech community that molecular nanotechnology (MNT) and its precursors will clean up the toxic mess left by older technologies, then produce clean energy and materials to replace them.......... - Small Times, February 7, 2004.
Are you just four steps away from a genius?: The world of science is a small one, according to a new statistical analysis by a US physicist. Mark Newman at the University of Michigan studied the collaboration patterns between researchers and found that most scientists are separated from each other by only about 4 to 7 links. He believes this and other results that he has unearthed could have implications for the way science is practised in the future ....... - PhysicsWeb, February 6, 2004.
Crystal breaks surface area record: Researchers in the US have made a novel chemical structure that has the largest internal surface area ever observed in an ordered material. Omar Yaghi at the University of Michigan and co-workers at Michigan and Arizona State University fabricated a new porous metal-organic framework with an estimated surface area of 4500 metres squared per gram - 50% more than the previous record. The structure can bind large quantities of gas and could be used in a variety of applications including gas storage and catalysis (H Chae et al. Nature, 2004, 427, 523). Porous materials with very large internal surface areas are important in many applications involving catalysis, chemical separation and gas storage....... - PhysicsWeb, February 6, 2004.
Bottling the hydrogen genie: As the dawn of a new century approached, a transportation revolution was brewing. Visionary inventors and small companies, inspired by new technologies and driven by public outcry for relief from urban pollution, set out to remake an entire industry. Their goal was nothing less ambitious than the creation of a completely new transportation infrastructure. ...... - The Industrial Physicist, February 6, 2004.
Simplifying carbon nanotube identification: Carbon nanotubes belong to the fullerene family, a molecular form of carbon quite distinct from diamond and graphite. These cylindrical structures of carbon atoms take two forms: single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) and multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs), each of which has its advantages and disadvantages for different applications. SWNTs are essentially single layers of pure-carbon atoms rolled into a seamless tube capped at each end by half-spherical fullerene structures....... - The Industrial Physicist, February 6, 2004.
Simulation of a nanotube-based memory element: The associated MPEG movie shows the functionality of a nanotube-based memory element. The outer capsule is a short segment of a (10,10) carbon nanotube, with a diameter of 1.4 nanometers, terminated at both ends by perfect fullerene caps. The capsule is large enough to hold a C60 buckyball molecule inside. The buckyball carries a net charge if it contains an alkali atom in the hollow cage. The C60 molecule can be shifted from one end to the other by applying an electric field between the ends of the capsule. The two energy minima of this system, with the buckyball bonded to either end of the capsule, can be associated with bit 0 and bit 1........ - The Industrial Physicist, February 6, 2004.
Scientists embed nanotubes in hybrid semiconductors: Scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, claim to have made the first electronic hybrid nanotube-semiconductor devices. They encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes in epitaxially grown semiconductor heterostructures such as GaAs/AlAs and (Ga,Mn)As....... - Nanotechweb.org, February 6, 2004.
Nanotube quantum dot doubles up: Researchers at Harvard University, US, have made a nanotube double quantum dot by gating a carbon nanotube in a number of places. The strength of the tunnel coupling between the dots was tunable, a feature which means that the device could have applications in quantum computing....... - Nanotechweb.org, February 6, 2004.
Blasts from the past: It does not matter if they were published 10 years ago or 100 years ago, old scientific papers may be more important than you think, as Werner Marx and Manuel Cardona explain. How can the significance or usefulness of a scientific paper be measured? One way to do this is to count the number of times that a given paper has been included in the reference lists of other papers. This citation approach can be applied to individual papers or scientists, and also to journals, areas of science and whole countries. However, the number of citations cannot easily be equated with the overall significance or usefulness of a paper. This is true for recent papers, the long-term significance of which may not yet be clear, and also for many older papers that are not cited because their results are now so well known that they appear in textbooks. ....... - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
A reading and writing revolution: Merging pen and paper with digital media could change the way we learn and communicate. Wherever and whenever people need to work with information you will find paper. For most of us paper provides the best way to understand something, but the reasons why are not obvious. Research shows that there is a sophisticated interplay between people and paper......... - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
Natural photonics: Optical tricks that have given butterflies, beetles and other creatures an evolutionary advantage are beginning to teach physicists a thing or two about advanced photonics........ - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
The special effect of physics: From Hollywood blockbusters to the design of aircraft cockpits, the visual-effects industry relies on tracing the path of light to create scenes that do not and may never exist........ - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
The subtlety of rainbows: IN HIS poem of 1820 entitled Lamia, John Keats complained that cold philosophy had destroyed the mystery of nature, and that Newton, through his work on optics, had "unweave[d the] rainbow". Such a sentiment would find little sympathy with most scientists - or with most artists today for that matter....... - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
Light fantastic: One of the reasons why rainbows are so special, as Robert Crease writes on page 16, is that they are rare, but not so rare that people are not familiar with them. Most readers of this magazine will have some inkling of how a rainbow is formed, but could you, if pushed to the test, derive what happens from first principles? And what about ice-crystal haloes, fog-bows and glories? ........ - Physics World, February 5, 2004.
Nickel nanowire caps lead to manipulation: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US have capped copper-tin alloy nanowires with nickel. The nickel endcaps enabled positioning of the nanowires by magnetic fields......... - Nanotechweb.org, February 5, 2004.
Can nanopulses heal?: A method that would allow doctors to tweak the innards of cells without even touching a patient's body is being developed in the US. The technique is still in its infancy, and it is still not clear exactly what it does to cells. But initial experiments suggest it might one day be possible to use the technique to treat cancer, speed up healing or even tackle obesity....... - EurekAlert, February 5, 2004.
Scientists excited by new palladium-based nanotubes: Scientists in Germany say they have developed a new type of nanotube that uses palladium and other precious metals to exhibit a new range of properties. Nanotechnologists at Weizmann Institute say they have combined palladium, gold, silver and other nanoparticles to formulate a new type of nanotube. The nanotubes are tiny cylindrical structures measured in millionths of a millimetre, first discovered in 1991, which can boast unusually exaggerated properties.. ....... - Platinum Today, February 4, 2004.
Carbon Nanotube Gel: Carbon nanotube gel, the first example of a liquid crystalline material consisting of single-walled nanotubes, has been made by physicists at the University of Pennsylvania. Basically the gel is a mass of half-micron long nanotubes, aligned like little logs along a single direction, in a polymer matrix. The gel exhibits hallmark properties of a nematic liquid crystal (in which rod shaped molecules are aligned) including optical anisotropy (birefringence) and topological defects.. ....... - Physics News Update, February 4, 2004.
Superconducting nanodots: American Superconductor has filed a patent application for a new manufacturing technique that delivers a 30% increase in the electric current-carrying capability of the company's second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. ....... - e4engineering.com, February 4, 2004.
Nanoparticle stereolithography: DSM Somos claims to have introduced the first composite stereolithography material that incorporates 'nanoparticle' technology. Specific information regarding the actual nanoparticle technology is 'strictly proprietary and not available at this time.'. ....... - e4engineering.com, February 4, 2004.
The little things count at Md. nanotech conference: Maryland technology development leaders put nanotechnology -- the engineering of materials at the atomic and molecular levels -- on center stage Tuesday. The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) highlighted research done at Adelphi's Army Research Laboratory in its latest showcase, designed to forge partnerships between companies, entrepreneurs and federal government scientists....... - Washington Business Journals, February 4, 2004.
NTT Develops Three-Dimensional Nanofabrication Using Electron Beam Lithography: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (TSE: 9432) has created an electron beam lithography system that enables the fabrication of extremely small three-dimensional structures with sizes measured in nanometers. NTT demonstrated the 3D nanopatterning and nanofabrication by exposing a small sphere to the EB to form the world's smallest globe. This highly advanced technique promises to become the technological foundation of nanotechnology, which is expected to give rise to many new industries and new markets ....... - JCN Network, February 4, 2004.
Scientists find ozone-destroying molecule: For years, scientists theorized that a molecule called ClOOCl in the stratosphere played a key role in destroying ozone. Now, using measurements from a NASA aircraft laboratory flying over the Arctic, Harvard scientist Rick Stimpfle and colleagues observed the molecule for the first time. They report their discovery in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, published by the American Geophysical Union...... - EurekAlert, February 4, 2004.