The chemist Mikel Arandigoyen Vidaurre, of the Department of Chemistry and Soil Sciences of the University of Navarra, has proved the effectiveness of new formulas for the restoration of buildings. In his thesis, defended at the School of Sciences, he proposes a combination of calcium and cement, which is able to strengthen the qualities of both materials.
The restoration of architectural patrimony currently presents certain problems of compatibility. Cement-based mortar is useful fo
Building a self-reliant moon colony is no longer science fiction, or a gimmick to promote the new James Bond film. It is indeed near-term reality.
After the Apollo landings, the moon returned to its magnificent desolation, and has until recently received very little attention as a target of exploration, let alone settlement. Currently, the Swedish-made SMART-1 is the only spacecraft orbiting the moon. It is scheduled to impact in early 2007, but another Swedish effort is already
A new method to increase the efficiency of contrast radiology may open the way to earlier and more reliable diagnosis of, for example, breast cancer. With new integrated electronics and signal processing, the image quality can be improved sharply. This was demonstrated by Hans Bornefalk at the Royal Institute of Technology as he presented his doctoral thesis about the technology on March 10.
To date, the new technology has only been tested in a test rig, but in principle it can open the
Growing bamboo on their land could help African farmers to improve the safety of their food crops and generate precious additional income, researchers at the University of Nottingham believe.
Academics in the University’s School of Biosciences are working with colleagues in Kenya to examine whether bamboo could be used to remove potentially harmful contaminants from soil and provide extra income for subsistence farmers.
Training in how to grow bamboo and new skills such as
Even when they mutually repel each other, material particles in a solution can still form clusters. Details on the conditions necessary for this seemingly contradictory, phenomenon have now been published, following a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Though they come from the realm of theoretical physics these findings may be very important for understanding of the ordering of polymer-like entities — and increase the standing of the fledgling field of soft matter physics in Au
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found how coffee can reduce the risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing severe abdominal pain. It is often triggered by alcohol consumption which causes digestive enzymes to digest part of the pancreas.
Scientists have known for some time that coffee can reduce the risk of alcoholic pancreatitis, but have been unable to determine how. Researchers at
Relieved UK scientists are celebrating the news that NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) appears to have smoothly entered Mars orbit on Friday night (March 10th). Entering orbit is one of the most critical times for a space mission and Friday night’s manoeuvre managed to boost the tension for all as it took place on the far side of the Red Planet – so no news of the progress could be received on Earth during the critical phase.
UK scientists, from Oxford, Cardiff and Reading Uni
Researchers from the University of Essex have discovered a deep-sea oasis with new microbial life forms that could have significant implications for biotechnology. The findings have been published this week in the journal Nature.
The researchers have found that microbial activity, biomass and diversity are greatly increased at the interface between seawater and a salt-saturated brine lake, 3.3 kilometres below the surface of the Mediterranean. These life forms could have signif
Scientists from Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and the US have identified a genetic mechanism that regulates growth in chickens. The study is based on two chicken selection lines, where one is bred for high growth and the other one for low. The researchers show that a network of four interacting genes explains half of the difference in body weight between the lines. The results may be of great significance for genetic studies of complex diseases such as obesity
Fusion molecules could be the key to producing vaccines from plants
Scientists have developed a new kind of molecule which they believe could ultimately lead to the development of a vaccine against HIV using genetically modified tobacco. Writing in Plant Biotechnology Journal, Dr Patricia Obregon and colleagues from St George’s, University of London along with researchers at the University of Warwick say they have overcome a major barrier that has so far frustrated attempt
In pregnancy the foetus secretes proteins that fool the immune system of the pregnant woman so that it will not attack the foetus. This is shown by Lucia Mincheva-Nilsson, associate professor and researcher at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Sweden, in the leading publication Journal of Immunology. The findings may be of great importance in transplants and in the treatment of cancer and infertility.
Transplants between humans are easily attacked by the recipient’
As few as four per cent of US adults with overactive bladders (OAB) seek medical treatment, despite the condition affecting an estimated 34 million Americans over the age of 18, according to research in the March issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.
The American research comes hard on the heels of a recent European study, published in the same journal, which reported that only 43 per cent of adults with OAB would consider visiting their doctor.
A team
A new theory to explain global warming was revealed at a meeting at the University of Leicester (UK) and is being considered for publication in the journal “Science First Hand”. The controversial theory has nothing to do with burning fossil fuels and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. According to Vladimir Shaidurov of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the apparent rise in average global temperature recorded by scientists over the last hundred years or so could be due to atmospheric changes tha
Applications of new method will make possible earliest warning of cancer and other diseases
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a paradigm-shifting method for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood. Applications of this method will make discerning low-abundance molecules associated with cancers (such as breast cancer), Alzheimer’s disease, prion diseases, and possibly psychiatric diseases relatively easy and more accurat
Cassini data obtained during a close flyby of the Saturn moon Enceladus support an observation that large amounts of water are spewing into space from the tiny moon’s surface. This water originates near south polar “hot spots” on the moon, possible locations for the development of primitive life in the solar system.
Announced by the Cassini Imaging Science Team in today’s issue of Science, the theory is bolstered by measurements from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (C
This new understanding could lead to potential advances in pain therapy, the researchers said. Moreover, the scientists envision that their method may be potentially useful in studying the activation mechanism of other drugs and proteins.
“Because our ability to sense temperature is closely linked to our ability to sense pain, it is not surprising that the misregulation of temperature-activated ion channels can result in chronic pain syndromes,” said Ardem Patapoutian, associ
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