A new model now describes the boiling process with much greater precision. When a liquid boils in a vessel, tiny vapor bubbles form at the bottom and rise, transferring heat in the process. How these small bubbles grow and eventually detach was previously not known in any great detail. A German-Chinese research team under the leadership of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) has now managed to fundamentally expand this understanding. The findings could be applied to future cooling systems for…
… thanks to new microscope. A team of scientists from the Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory developed a new characterization tool that allowed them to gain unique insight into a possible alternative material for solar cells. Under the leadership of Jigang Wang, senior scientist from Ames Lab, the team developed a microscope that uses terahertz waves to collect data on material samples. The team then used their microscope to explore Methylammonium Lead Iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite, a material that could…
Engineers dig deep to detail magnetic mechanism of gadolinium-based agents. You can keep your best guesses. Engineers at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering are starting to understand exactly what goes on when doctors pump contrast agents into your body for an MRI scan. In a new study that could lead to better scans, a Rice-led team digs deeper via molecular simulations that, unlike earlier models, make absolutely no assumptions about the basic mechanisms at play when gadolinium agents are used to highlight soft tissues….
Human papilloma virus causes some cases, but the most lethal form of head and neck cancer is linked to chromosomal alterations; a new study sharpens that association and hints of more effective treatment options. Head and neck cancer, which kills more than 400,000 persons worldwide each year, has multiple causes. The human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection, is one, but the most common and lethal subtype are HPV-negative head and neck cancers, which account for 3 percent of…
Scientists led by Prof. Armido Studer from the Organic Chemistry Institute of the University of Münster have achieved a breakthrough in the “meta-C-H functionalisation” of pyridines and developed a strategy that could give a boost to the development of pyridine-containing drugs and organic functional materials. In chemicals used in agriculture, as well as in pharmaceuticals and a variety of materials, pyridines are often found as so-called functional units which decisively determine the chemical properties of substances. Pyridines belong to the…
Strongest increase since 1990 in Europe. Despite many efforts to curb urban sprawl, it continues to progress dramatically. From 1990 to 2014, urban sprawl increased by 95 percent worldwide. During this period, the built-up area grew by an average of around 1.2 square kilometres (more than 160 football fields) every hour. This is the result of a joint study by scientists from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) in Dresden (Germany) and Concordia University in Montréal…
Professor Dr. Dr. Axel Schambach receives prestigious EU funding award for pioneering research on Usher syndrome. Protecting children and adults from hereditary deafness with the help of gene therapy is one of the goals of Professor Dr. Dr. Axel Schambach, head of the Institute for Experimental Haematology at Hannover Medical School (MHH). To this end, he has already received one of the highest European Union grants earmarked for excellent science. His research project iHEAR was awarded the coveted “Consolidator Grant”…
DZNE researchers discover link between the protein medin and Alzheimer’s disease. The protein medin is deposited in the blood vessels of the brains of Alzheimer’s patients along with the protein amyloid-β. Researchers from DZNE have discovered this so-called co-aggregation. They have now published their observation in the renowned journal Nature. “Medin has been known for over 20 years, but its influence on diseases was previously underestimated. We were able to show that pathological changes in the blood vessels of Alzheimer’s…
LMU and SNSB researchers have identified coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars in the Red Sea as distinct species that occurs only in this location. Tropical coral reefs are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. In addition to climate change, coral-eating crown-of-thorns seastars (Acanthaster spp.) pose one of the biggest threats in parts of the Indo-Pacific region. Up to 40 cm in length, these creatures feed mainly on the polyps of fast-growing stony corals. Mass outbreaks are not uncommon, whereby the seastars…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the once-hidden features of the protostar within the dark cloud L1527, providing insight into the beginnings of a new star. These blazing clouds within the Taurus star-forming region are only visible in infrared light, making it an ideal target for Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). The protostar itself is hidden from view within the “neck” of this hourglass shape. An edge-on protoplanetary disk is seen as a dark line across the middle of the…
Researchers led by Osaka University find that a molecule called ATAD3A is essential for the movement of genetic material inside mitochondria, affecting energy production. Mitochondria, famously known as the powerhouse of the cell, are important cellular structures that are vital for their role of generating energy. Mitochondria are “dynamic”, meaning they constantly fuse together and split apart. They contain a small amount of genetic information known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mtDNA, organized into dot-like structures called “nucleoids”, also moves…
CO2 in the deep Earth may be more active than previously thought and may have played a bigger role in climate change than scientists knew before, according to a study by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The research, led by Prof. PAN Ding, looked into the dissolution of CO2 in water, which has significant implications on ways to reduce the return of carbon from underground to the atmosphere. The vast majority of the Earth’s carbon is…
… with enhanced mechanical and coagulative capabilities for treating aneurysms. Aneurysms, abnormal enlargement or ballooning in the wall of blood vessels can result in rupture and fatal bleeding. To treat aneurysms, it is essential to stop the blood flow to the affected area and prevent rupture of the vessel. Existing treatments for treating aneurysms include catheter-delivered stainless-steel coils or injectable biomaterials placed at the aneurysm site; however, coils sometimes migrate, necessitating repeat procedures. Furthermore, there are problems with injectable biomaterials currently…
New study uses postmortem brain tissues to understand genomic differences in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have successfully identified differences in gene activity in the brains of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study, led by scientists at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the NIH, found that individuals diagnosed with ADHD had differences in genes that code for known chemicals that brain cells use to…
New device opens the doors to applications in communication, quantum computing, astronomy. Femtosecond pulsed lasers — which emit light in ultrafast bursts lasting a millionth of a billionth of a second — are powerful tools used in a range of applications from medicine and manufacturing, to sensing and precision measurements of space and time. Today, these lasers are typically expensive table-top systems, which limits their use in applications that have size and power consumption restrictions. An on-chip femtosecond pulse source…
A new statistical model developed by researchers from the University of Oldenburg can describe wind turbulence with considerably greater accuracy than ever before. The physicists have made important progress in realistically simulating the often extreme fluctuations of the wind. They also developed a method which uses this model to calculate three-dimensional wind fields based on data from a limited number of measurement points. The method is suitable for applications not just in the field of wind energy but also other…
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