For every man who thinks women are complex, there’s new evidence they’re correct; at least when it comes to their genes.
Chromosomes contain the set of instructions to create an organism. Men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, the latter being responsible for the characteristics that make men male, including the male sexual organs and the ability to produce sperm. In contrast, women have two copies of the X chromosome. But, because the X chromosome carries a bigg
Research into making the emerging nanomaterial industry environmentally sustainable is showing promise in a preliminary engineering study conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Rice University.
Under the auspices of the Rice University Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers have been investigating the potential environmental impact of nanomaterial waste. Specifically, they want to kn
The United States exports nitrogen pollution beyond its borders, and some of this nitrogen may end up in Western Europe, according to a recent data analysis by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of New Hampshire. Most of the nitrogen pollution produced in Western Europe is deposited within its own boundaries, the authors found. The findings are an important step in quantifying total U.S. pollution export for policy makers. The study was published
A unique rover-based life detection system developed by Carnegie Mellon University scientists has found signs of life in Chile’s Atacama Desert, according to results being presented at the 36th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference March 14-18 in Houston. This marks the first time a rover-based automated technology has been used to identify life in this harsh region, which serves as a test bed for technology that could be deployed in future Mars missions.
“Our life detec
A revolutionary machine which can make everything from a cup to a clarinet quickly and cheaply could be in all our homes in the next few years.
Research by engineers at the University of Bath could transform the manufacture of almost all everyday household objects by allowing people to produce them in their own homes at the cost of a few pounds.
The new system is based upon rapid prototype machines, which are now used to produce plastic components for industry such as
The Cassini spacecraft’s two flybys of the icy moon Enceladus have revealed that the moon has a significant atmosphere. Scientists using Cassini’s magnetometer instrument for their studies, say the source may be due to volcanism, geysers, or gases escaping from the surface or its interior.
When the Cassini had its first encounter with Enceladus on 17th February 2005 at an altitude of 1,167 kilometres (725 miles), the magnetometer instrument saw a striking signature in the ma
The stresses in the earth’s crust which have resulted from the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake have significantly increased the risk of another large earthquake in the already-devastated Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to new research findings by scientists from the University of Ulster’s School of Environmental Sciences.
According to their calculations, published in this week’s edition of leading scientific journal Nature, the Christmas 2004 earthquake which generated the m
A unique technique for neutralizing the action of the leptin protein in humans and animals – thereby providing a means for controlling and better understanding of leptin function, including its role in unwanted cell growth — has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Leptin was discovered ten years ago and has attracted attention first because of its involvement in control of appetite and later by its effect on growth, puberty, digestion and immun
Within the framework of a unique project of cooperation between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Palestinian research organizations, two engineers of the Palestinian Meteorological Service have come to the university for training and advanced study. This was the first time in many months that this has been possible.
Prof. Menachem Luria and Dr. Daniel Pederson of the Institute of Earth Sciences, together with a team from the university’s air quality research laboratory, ar
Work-related sleeping disorders have proliferated rapidly in recent years with increases in occupational stress and abnormal working hours. ”Sleep deprivation affects a person’s emotional and mental faculties and increases the risk of, for example, cardiovascular diseases. Work-related sleeping disorders and changes in lifestyle due to occupation are key factors affecting national health,” says Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Senior Researcher, Mikko Härmä, speaking at an Academy of F
Italian, US cosmologists present alternate explanation for accelerating expansion of the universe
Why is the universe expanding at an accelerating rate, spreading its contents over ever greater dimensions of space? An original solution to this puzzle, certainly the most fascinating question in modern cosmology, was put forward by four theoretical physicists, Edward W. Kolb of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Chicago (USA): Sabino Matarrese of the
Dutch researcher Mirela Tanase has developed a new technique for finding images using search engines. Her technique is based on how the human eye recognises objects. It can increase the success rate of certain search operations for objects from 10 to 70 percent.
Tanase developed two methods for decomposing objects into parts, which are then used to search for similar objects. The first method decomposes the interior of the shape. Humans find this task easy, but a computer often
Chemical catalysts used to produce clean fuels gradually become less active. Dutch researcher Bas Vogelaar believes that the loss of sulphur atoms might be an important cause of this. He investigated hydroprocessing catalysts which remove sulphur compounds from petrol and diesel.
Crude oil contains sulphur compounds which form sulphur oxides during the combustion process. These sulphur oxides are an important source of acid rain.
Hydroprocessing catalysts are used in oi
Old masters never used the green pigment copper resinate supposed to be present in their paintings. Dutch art historian Margriet van Eikema Hommes reached this conclusion on the basis of old paint recipes, investigations of paintings and experiments to reproduce the green paint. The scientist recently published her results in a richly-illustrated book.
Green copper-containing glazed paint on oil paintings by artists such as Frans Hals, Raphael and Titian was not made by dissolvi
Employees with diabetes are not automatically more tired due to a combination of work and illness. However, Dutch researcher Iris Weijman found that employees with diabetes who have several chronic conditions and those who experience inconvenience from their illness do have a higher risk of fatigue.
Employees with diabetes become tired more frequently because their energy balance is more easily disrupted. Due to the double burden of illness and work, researchers expected that empl
A new set of priorities for the chemical industry will be revealed by the Chemical Industries Association (CIA) today during the launch of their new Policy Priorities booklet at the House of Commons, London.
On the eve of the Budget, and as we near the General Election, these issues have a particular significance for policy makers. The booklet argues that the correct public policy framework can help the chemical industry to continue to be productive and innovative and to work
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