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Delft breakthrough in bioethanol production from agricultural waste

With the introduction of a single bacterial gene into yeast, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands achieved three improvements in bioethanol production from agricultural waste material: 'More ethanol, less acetate and elimination of the major by-product glycerol'...

New on-off 'switch' triggers and reverses paralysis in animals with a beam of light

This tiny worm became temporarily paralyzed when scientists fed it a light-sensitive material, or "photoswitch," and then exposed it to ultraviolet light.In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off "switch" that paralyzes animals when exposed...

Nanotube defects equal better energy and storage systems

Mark Hoefer (left), a UCSD materials science grad student, and mechanical engineering professor Prabhakar Bandaru have discovered that defects in carbon nanotubes could lead to supercapacitors that could possibly be used for portable electronic devices such as cell phones.Most people would like to be able to charge their cell phones and other personal electronics quickly and not too often. A recent discovery made by UC San Diego engineers...

Developing 'green' tires that boost mileage and cut carbon dioxide emissions

A new generation of "green" automobile tires that can boost fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety and durability is rolling their way through the research pipeline. The new tires could help...

UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells

Fluorescence micrographs and SEM images show how more cancer cells were captured on the silicon nanopillar (SiNP) substrate compared to the flat substrate.Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken...

MIT: Better way to harness waste heat

New MIT research points the way to a technology that might make it possible to harvest much of the wasted heat produced by everything from computer processor chips to car...

'No muss, no fuss' miniaturized analysis for complex samples developed

These photographs show three complex samples that can be successfully analyzed by the technique: (b) whole milk, (c) dirt and (d) coal fly ash.The goal of an integrated, miniaturized laboratory analysis system, also known as a "lab-on-a-chip," is simple: sample in, answer out. However, researchers wanting to use these microfluidic devices to analyze...

Small optical force can budge nanoscale objects

With a bit of leverage, Cornell researchers have used a very tiny beam of light with as little as 1 milliwatt of power to move a silicon structure up to...

GEN reports on enhancing the applications of qPCR

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology is experiencing a surge of interest and rapid expansion as a result of advances such as instrumentation that pushes capacity to 1,536 wells and...

Spotting evidence of directed percolation

This is an illustration of directed percolation in 1+1 dimensions: Activity percolates through open bonds (red lines), activating nearest neighbors and giving rise to a cluster of activity.A team of physicists has, for the first time, seen convincing experimental evidence for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through...

Purdue, NASA research provides blueprint for molecular basis of global warming

Some common chemical molecules, most of them used industrially, may be more worrisome from a global warming perspective than carbon dioxide, according to a new study by Timothy Lee, chief of the Space Science and Astrobiology Division at NASA Ames Research Center. The study was collaboration between Lee and Joseph Francisco, a Purdue chemistry and earth and atmospheric sciences professor.A new study indicates that major chemicals most often cited as leading causes of climate change, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are outclassed in their warming potential by compounds...

On the crest of wave energy

The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet as engineers test new technologies for capturing it, the devices are plagued by battering storms, limited efficiency, and the need to be tethered to the seafloor.

Braking news

Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that heavy braking, as...

Proton's party pals may alter its internal structure

JLab experiment E03-103 made precise new measurements of the EMC effect in a variety of light nuclei. The results indicate that the effect does not depend on nuclear mass or density but rather on the microscopic structure of nuclei, usually neglected in high-energy measurements. This result hinges on the unusual structure of 9Be. Most of the time, it is in a configuration with two 4He-like clusters and an additional neutron orbiting around each other. The orbiting clusters yield a large radius and an anomalously low average density similar to that of the much less massive 3He. But the size of the EMC Effect in 9Be is much more similar to that of the denser nucleus of 12C. This is probably because most nucleons are contained within the high local densities of the clusters. The results suggest that the EMC effect may be entirely generated within these small, high-density clusters, where densities can briefly approach those in a neutron star.A recent experiment at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has found that a proton's nearest neighbors in the nucleus of the atom may modify the proton's...

Berkeley Lab lends expertise to India to promote energy efficiency

India may rank only a distant fourth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, behind China, the United States and Russia, but its rapid economic growth rate coupled with aging and...

Novel NIST connector uses magnets for leak-free microfluidic devices

This photograph shows the use of the NIST magnetic connectors with a microfluidic device designed to generate liposomes. The microchip has five inlets and one outlet, all linked to tubing via the magnetic connectors. The inset at upper right shows the setup of the tube-magnet combination.Like other users of microfluidic systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher Javier Atencia was faced with an annoying engineering problem: how to simply, reliably and most of...

UCSB physicists move 1 step closer to quantum computing

This is David Awschalom from the University of California -- Santa Barbara.Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work...

Related science articles

Rice ties in race for atomic-scale breakthrough

Everybody loves a race to the wire, even when the result is a tie. The great irony is the ultraprecise clocks that could result from this competition could probably break...

New study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene

First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat...

NJIT engineer discovers why particles disperse on liquids

NJIT's Pushpendra Singh (right) and his graduate student examine particles in a dish.Even if you are not a cook, you might have wondered why a pinch of flour (or any small particles) thrown into a bowl of water will disperse in a...

Carnegie Mellon customizing electric cars for cost-effective urban commuting

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have converted a 2001 Scion xB into an electric commuter vehicle that will serve as a test bed for a new community-based approach...

Counterfeit euros are detected with an optical mouse

This image shows the detection of a false two-euro coin (this is a Thai currency) and detail of the optical sensor with a valid currency.The sensor of some optical mice can be used to easily and cheaply detect counterfeit euros, according to a study published by researchers of the University of Lleida (UdL) in...

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