Since the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM) in 1986 by Nobel laureate Gerd Binnig, the tool has been employed to advance the science of materials in many ways, from nanopatterning (dip-pen nanolithography) to the imaging of surfaces and nano-objects such as carbon nanotubes, DNA, proteins and cells. In all these applications, the quality and integrity of the tip used to obtain the images or interrogate materials is paramount.
A common problem in atomic force microscopy is
Buffer zones immediately surrounding refuges at great risk
Six of the nation’s 545 National Wildlife Refuges are at severe risk, according to the 2005 State of the System Report, released earlier today.
The six most threatened National Wildlife Refuges in the United States are: Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), North Carolina; Horicon NWR, Wisconsin; Stone Lakes NWR, California; White River NWR, Arkansas; Alaska Maritime NWR, Alaska; and Desert NWR, Neva
Novel structure made from cell components could deliver drugs, genes on command
By combining one natural component of a cell with the synthetic analog of another component, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have created a nanoscale hybrid they call the “smart bio-nanotube”: a novel structure that could one day become a vehicle for ultra-precise drug or therapeutic gene delivery.
The nanotubes are “smart” because they can open or close at the ends,
Think of it as a kind of chemical clothes wringer.
University of Florida engineers have developed a compound that forces clothes in the washer to shed 20 percent more water during the spin cycle than in normal conditions. The result: A load of clothes dries faster in the dryer, saving energy — and reducing homeowners’ electricity bills and time spent in the laundry room.
“We feel it’s very cost-effective research and convenient for consumers,” said Dinesh Shah, a professor
The latest information coming from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
With an aging population, and with people living longer, experts say bone fractures will become a bigger and more costly problem unless more is done to prevent them. Osteoporosis (reduced bone mineral density) is most common in older adults, particularly women. It is a major risk factor for bone fractures, which can cause significant suffering while carrying high economic cost
The latest information coming from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
Age-related cataract, the world’s leading cause of blindness, affects more than 20 million Americans over the age of 40 years. Surgical correction is currently the only known option for intervention, but researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University recently sought, in three different studies, to determine if prevention is
New discoveries about the timing and speed of gigantic, 6500-foot (2-km) thick lava flows that poured out of the ground 65 million years ago could shift the blame for killing the dinos.
The Deccan Traps of India are one of Earth’s largest lava flows ever, with the potential of having wreaked havoc with the climate of the Earth – if they erupted and released climate-changing gases quickly enough. French and Indian geologists have now identified a 600-meter (2000-foot) thick po
British researchers have hit on a clever way to search for ancient ozone holes and their relationship to mass extinctions: measure the remains of ultraviolet-B absorbing pigments ancient plants left in their fossilized spores and pollen.
To develop the approach, researcher Barry Lomax and his colleagues at the University of Sheffield and other leading UK institutions analyzed spores held in the British Antarctic Survey’s collection from South Georgia Island, a UK territor
Two peas in a pod may not be so friendly when planted in the ground and even two parts of the same plant, once separated may treat the former conjoined twin as an alien “enemy,” according to a Penn State researcher.
“We were looking at how plants determine who is a competitor when competing with other roots for limited resources,” says Dr. Omer Falik, postdoctoral researcher in plant ecology. “There is no reason for roots to fight if they belong to the same plant.”
The
While volcanologists can see the dome of the Soufriere Hills Volcano on the island of Montserrat grow and collapse, it takes instrumentation to delve beneath the surface. Now, Penn State geologists, using tiltmeter measurements, have investigated a shallow area under the dome and what they found was not quite what they expected.
“The Soufriere Hills Volcano has been building a lava dome, collapsing and rebuilding a dome since 1995, when it first erupted,” says Dr. Christina W
Cocoa shows benefits for coronary heart disease
Throughout history, cocoa has been described as a medicine for many ailments. New research suggests that cocoa may also have a beneficial effect on heart disease and stroke. A research team in Southampton in England, led by Dr Denise O’Shaugnessy, has shown that drinking a cup of cocoa can prevent potentially fatal blood clots. Dr O’Shaughnessy will present this data at the XXth Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis & H
Treatment failures occur with any drug and aspirin is no exception. Evidence is growing that some people will not respond to the anti-coagulant action of aspirin and the drug will not protect against cardiovascular events despite its regular intake.
Professor Andrew Szczeklik from Poland and Professor Graeme Hankey from Western Australia will present the latest findings on aspirin resistance at the XXth Congress of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis today.
Summers are getting sunnier in Oregon, according to evidence presented today by University of Oregon physicists during the 2005 Solar World Congress in Orlando. The study is a first step toward testing and refining regional climate models for the Pacific Northwest that will help track global warming.
In sharp contrast to reports of increased global dimming, the study’s researchers reported a 10 to 15 percent increase in solar radiation at sites in Burns, Hermiston and Eugene
UCLA biochemists reveal the first structural details of a family of mysterious objects called microcompartments that seem to be present in a variety of bacteria. The discovery was published Aug. 5 in the journal Science.
“This is the first look at how microcompartments are built, and what the pieces look like,” said Todd O. Yeates, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and a member of the UCLA-DOE Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. “These microcompartments appear to
Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research have developed a technique which will markedly help in predicting the behaviour of prostate cancer.
At present, prostate cancer tests – needle biopsies, blood and urine samples – are unable to accurately predict how aggressive the cancer is and whether it is likely to progress, resulting in thousands of men undergoing radical preventative surgery which may be unnecessary.
A study – published online today in the British Jo
New research suggests why some older adults who exercise have better physical function than others. Surprisingly, researchers found that an enzyme involved in blood pressure regulation may also influence how the body responds to exercise. The findings, by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues, are reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Our results reinforce the importance of exercise, but also may explain a mechanism
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