Geoneutrinos Hold Vital Information About Planet Earth
The discovery of a number of particles from deep within the Earth could hold vital information about the amount of heat produced by the planet. The same particles may also prove that Earth was formed from materials derived from the sun.
These particles are called geoneutrinos. They are also the opposite of neutrinos (particles that are both exotic and fundamental that are able to pass directly through Earth), which form deep within the core of the Earth.
Biodegradable Nanospheres Created Using Continuous Flow Process
Biodegradable and composed of poly (lactide-coglycolide) (PLGA) or other materials, microspheres and nanospheres represent significant systems for drug and antigen delivery. They also create the possibility for targeting of drugs and antigens.
Despite the hope and promise offered, techniques presently used to create PLGA nanospheres give rise to a range of complications when they are upscaled using sterile conditions.
Physicists Hopeful of a Higgs Boson Find
Confidence is rising that physicists have found a Higgs boson – a particle that provides crucial information for explaining the universe.
New data has been reviewed by physicists and has generated much enthusiasm about the possible discovery of the Higgs boson.
Discovering the Benefits of Tea
Researchers in Germany have begun to uncover how the polyphenols found in tea affect cells on a molecular level.
The scientists used mass spectrometry and circular dichroism spectroscopy to measure the interactions between individual polyphenol molecules and biomolecules from the nucleus – histone proteins, double-stranded DNA and quadruplex DNA.
Determining Digestibility
Most commercial laboratories will offer you three methods of analysis to determine the digestibility of your forages and feed additives.
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) is fast and doesn’t require extensive sample preparation. NIR analytical instruments detect infrared light and interpret the type and amount of compounds present. While very accurate, only certain samples can be analysed, so NIR is the cheapest option.
Improving Time
Scientists are continually looking to improve time-keeping and one essential ingredient is a better understanding of the properties of the atoms used in atomic clocks.
Now JQI researchers have come up with a novel method to measure the strength of two of rubidium’s atomic transitions with unprecedented accuracy.
They applied laser beams to rubidium atoms in such a way that cumulatively, the light shifts due to the probe they were using cancelled.
Click Here To Read More
ASU Team Wins Gold for Pathogen Detecting Biosensor System
Arizona State University’s team has made a strong showing in one of the most prominent international student engineering and science competitions, the 2012 International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) World Jamboree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The team won a gold medal and the Best Human Practices Advance award, given to the team judged to be working rigorously to find new ways to help people address the impacts of ongoing advances in biotechnology.
Click Here To Read More
Lake Erie Under Attack from Toxic Algae Bloom
Lake Erie is under attack, with toxic algae blooms covering its surface, dead zones where fish can’t survive and invasive species crowding out native plants, fish and mussels.
Heavy spring rains that wash fertilisers off fields help the blue-green algae blossom into a massive stain that can stretch from Toledo to Cleveland.
Erie has been on life support before, with a 1983 water-quality agreement calling for a cut in phosphorus and strict limits on sewage-treatment plants.
Self-Folding Robots May Open New Doors
As a student, roboticist Robert Wood became fascinated with developing a flying bee machine that could monitor hazardous environments without risking human lives.
Wood developed a system to cut materials into shapes and fold them into insect-sized parts, but because the structures were so small, the folding was tremendously difficult and imprecise.
Then he thought ‘Why not get the bees to fold themselves?’ Inspired by the engineering in pop-up books, he began investigating ways to get the pieces to swing into place on their own.
NASA Invention Being Used to Help Reduce Drug Doses
Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago are experimenting with levitation to help reduce drug doses by changing their physical structure.
If you levitate a liquid as it cools and solidifies, its structure may be different if it has no contact with a surface that can trigger crystallisation.
Instead of solidifying in its usual crystal structure, the compound is more likely to freeze as an “amorphous” or glassy material, which can make a big difference if it is a drug.
Particle size analysis shows that amorphous drugs dissolve better in water and work more efficiently in the patient, which means that much lower doses can be given
The technology is based on acoustic levitation, invented by NASA to simulate weightlessness. Small speakers generate intense sound waves, which create enough acoustic pressure to counteract the downward force of gravity.
The researchers believe the technique could prove valuable for AIDS drugs, which are particularly difficult to dissolve.
Source:http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/2f8bc6f6-337a-11e2-aa83-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DTmljgpc
