One of the hallmarks of quantum mechanics — the laws of physics that apply on very small scales — is the wave nature exhibited by sub-atomic particles such as electrons. An electron presented with two paths to a destination will use its wave nature to traverse both paths and, depending on the parameters of the two paths, will constructively or destructively interfere with itself at its destination, leading to a high or low probability of it appearing there.
A classic demonstration of th
Stories of exciting chemistry discoveries in Scientific American and The New York Times paint a better picture of chemistry as it is practiced than do some widely used high school textbooks, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The findings signal that introductory textbooks could be shortchanging students, denying them exposure to the creativity of chemistry and omitting context they need to be scientifically literate citizens, according to the au
A six-year study of a special type of brain aneurysm — the thrombotic aneurysm — has led to a treatment “roadmap” that should mean better outcomes for patients with this unusual medical problem.
UCSF Medical Center neurosurgeon Michael Lawton, MD, headed the clinical research team. The findings are reported in the March 2005 issue of Neurosurgery.
Approximately 5 percent of the U.S. population develops a brain aneurysm at some time, and an even smaller percentage — abo
The universe of microbes that lives in your stomach may be nearly as unique as your fingerprint, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine who have embarked on the early stages of exploring the intestinal ecosystem.
Using molecular techniques that detect all known types of microbes and borrowing statistical techniques from field ecology and population genetics, Paul Eckburg, MD, a postdoctoral scholar in infectious diseases and geographic medicine, c
Study of unique reproductive-cell protein in mice could lead to new contraceptives for women and men
Mice lacking a special protein found only in germ-line cells results in infertility in both males and females, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Norman Hecht, PhD, Professor of Human Reproduction in Penn’s Center for Research in Reproduction and Women’s Health, and colleagues say that these investigations point
If you took a survey of life’s small annoyances, surely those unpopped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bag would rank high on the list. But perhaps not for long.
“We think the secret to maximizing ‘pop-ability’ is found in the special chemistry of the corn kernel,” says food chemist Bruce Hamaker, Ph.D., of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Hamaker is part of a team of scientists at the school who have identified a key crystalline structure in popcorn that appears t
New findings from researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center help explain how the 20,000 to 25,000 genes in the human genome can make the hundreds of thousands of different proteins in our bodies.
Genes are segments of DNA that carry instructions for making proteins, which in turn carry out all of life’s functions. Through a natural process called “alternative splicing,” information contained in genes is modified so that one gene is capable of making several different p
Study using new method of dating corals reveals that sea level is more variable over shorter periods of time than previously thought
Sea level may be far more variable over shorter periods of time than can be explained by natural variations in the Earth’s orbit. Scientists using a new method of dating fossil coral reefs have uncovered evidence that sea level is capable of changing by as much as 30 meters in just a few thousand years–more quickly and more dramatically than
Scientists have discovered how the performance of a quantum computer can be affected by its surrounding environment. The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Science, will help engineers to better understand how to integrate quantum components into a standard office computer – moving us one step closer to a future of quantum computing.
The collaborative team from the London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London (UCL), the Paul Scherrer Institute/ETH i
Smad7 protein levels may predict therapy response
Levels of the Smad7 protein may predict therapeutic response in patients with prostate cancer according to research published today by investigators at the Uppsala Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR).
“Although the 2-ME compound is in early clinical trials, no-one has fully understood the molecular mechanisms of how it causes the death of cancer cells, but not normal cells,” says Dr. Maréne Landst
University of California, San Diego biologists and their colleagues have discovered that the genetic system controlling the development and repair of insect cuticle—the outer layer of the body surface in insects—also controls these processes in mammalian skin, a finding that could lead to new insights into the healing of wounds and treatment of cancer.
The UCSD biologists’ study, published April 15 in the journal Science identifies a master gene called grainyhead that activates
More than half of the world’s large rivers are fragmented and regulated by dams. The largest and the most biologically and geographically diverse rivers are all affected. This is shown by a global study that is published in this week’s issue of the journal Science.
Behind the study are Christer Nilsson, Cathy Reidy and Mats Dynesius at Umeå University and Carmen Revenga at The Nature Conservancy in the U.S.
Humans have drastically changed many rivers by impoundments and d
Researchers Conduct First Large Study Defining Premature Ejaculation by Stopwatch & Patient Reported Outcomes
In a four-week study of 1,587 men, researchers report that men who suffer from premature ejaculation (PE) had an average intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) of 1.8 minutes, compared to 7.3 minutes in men who did not. Men with PE and their female partners also had higher ratings for personal distress, interpersonal difficulty with their partner, lack of ejaculation
A University of Liverpool scientist has discovered a new layer near the Earth’s core, which will enable the internal temperature of the Earth’s mantle to be measured at a much deeper level than previously possible.
Dr Christine Thomas, from the Department of Earth Sciences, has found a previously undetected seismic layer near the Earth’s core-mantle boundary. Her discovery will allow geophysicists to measure variations in the Earth’s internal temperature near the boundary bet
European experts meet today in Brussels to consider a potential method to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on a large scale. Greenhouse gases have increased dramatically since the time of the industrial revolution. One of the main contributors is fossil fuel combustion for power generation and industry. The European strategy “Towards Zero Emission Power Plants” will reduce drastically these emissions by capturing the CO2 and storing it underground in geological formations. This will in effect
Researchers from the Viikki Biocenter, University of Helsinki, show that atomic structures can reveal evolutionary history of viruses in a similar fashion as fossils did for the dinosaurs and reptiles. Their article is published in the April 15 issue of Molecular Cell.
These “molecular fossils” also revealed that viruses and proteins of immune system share the same structure. One plausible explanation may be that viral building blocks served as precursors for the evolutionary more re
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