When it comes to miniature electronics, scientists have seen the shape of things to come — and that shape is a fractal.
People most often see fractals in the familiar, irregular branching shapes of nature — a leaf, or tree, or snowflake. A repeating pattern of ever-smaller branches gives these structures a unique profile that defies classical geometry.
Now a study suggests that magnetic fields can take the form of fractals, too — if a magnet is made of plastic molecules t
Pseudomonas putida has potential for use in bioremediation, promoting plant growth and fighting plant diseases
In a successful transatlantic collaboration, scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, MD, and at four research centers in Germany have deciphered and analyzed the complete genome of a bacterium, i>Pseudomonas putida , that has the potential to be used to remediate organic pollutants in soil as well as to help promote plant growth and fig
Researchers at Ohio State University have identified three genes that are involved in the seasonal clock that determines when hamsters reproduce.
While researchers have learned a lot about reproductive clocks in some animals, this study is unique in helping uncover at least part of the genetic basis for determining how the reproductive system shuts off in the fall and restarts in time for spring.
“This study offers some of the first insights into how changes in gene expression are a
Research community questioning legitimacy of Canadian drug approved for market in Africa
With one million deaths and 300 million new cases of malaria each year, the quest for a successful malaria treatment is urgent. But one new drug, touted by its manufacturer as safe and exceptionally effective, and already approved for sale by five African nations, is provoking suspicion in the malaria research community. At best, some researchers claim, the Canadian drug Malarex has not been ade
The findings of this research published on 30th November 2002 in The Lancet suggest that targeting the underlying cause of asthma—rather than treating symptoms of the disorder—could be more effective in reducing severe asthma attacks.
Asthma affects 5.1 million people in the UK and leads to an estimated 1,500 deaths per year, however current treatment methods, based on an assessment of symptoms and a measurement of lung function may not be the most effective.
Asthma is known to be
A researcher at Aston University in Birmingham has become the first in the UK to investigate a new type of vaccination delivery that could revolutionise how we are protected against diseases including flu, hepatitis and, most excitingly, cancer.
Dr Yvonne Perrie from the School of Life & Health Sciences has received a research grant from The Royal Society for a brand new project to investigate the potential of delivering DNA vaccines by mouth.
“The patient would be given a small solutio
Researchers at the University of Leeds have rescued the BBC Domesday Project, preserving it for future generations. The CAMiLEON Project has developed software that emulates the obsolete BBC computer and videodisc player on which the original system ran.
The BBC Domesday project was conceived by the BBC to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the 1086 Domesday book. It formed a social snapshot of life in the UK during the mid eighties. Information was recorded on two virtually indestructible i
Eastern Canadian producers can now benefit from a new wheat cultivar with increased tolerance to Fusarium head blight, a fungal disease which has cost the Canadian agri-food industry hundreds of millions of dollars.
The new line, a soft red winter wheat often used for pastries, exhibits nearly four-times fewer mycotoxins when exposed to the fungus, than other wheat varieties on the market. The level of mycotoxins present in wheat can greatly affect yields, as well as grade and market value.
Scientists have identified a critical, new stem cell protein – a marked advance in the elucidation of the molecular blueprint of stem cells.
Drs. Robert Tsai and Ronald McKay at the NIH have discovered a novel gene, called nucleostemin, whose encoded protein is necessary for maintaining the proliferative capacity of embryonic and adult stem cells, and possibly some types of cancer cells. Their report is published in the December 1 issue of the scientific journal Genes & Development.
Russian scientists of the Kovrov State Technology Academy have proposed a new technology for aluminium alloy welding based on using of two lasers. The first laser removes the oxide film by small portions from the surface of welded components, and the second laser executes the welding. Although the first phase lasts for about one millionth of a second, it is very important, since the refractory oxide film deteriorates the welding strength. The new method is also characterized by one more benefit: the
Falling asleep is usually thought of as something we can control ourselves as part of our behaviour patterns. In a new article in the December Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Dr Bidi Evans argues that waking and sleeping is actually controlled by a physical mechanism that is ‘hard-wired’ into the brain. She suggests that evidence from people with brain damage shows that coma patients literally cannot wake up, because their waking mechanism is ‘broken’. Dr Evans recommends that sleep medicin
In the Prati del Sirente plain in the heart of the Abruzzo mountains, a small circular lake is clearly visible. A prominent ridge encircles the lake. The peculiar appearance of the lake drew the attention of this papers first author (Jens Ormö) when working in Pescara between 1999 and 2002. Jens did at that time a European Union Marie Curie post-doc as an impact geologist at the International Research School of Planetary Sciences (IRSPS), Universita d’Annunzio. After the years of research that follo
The Basque company Contec, specialised in connectivity and security tasks in Internet accesses, has just presented a range of VPN e-Link solutions.
e-Link solutions provide several capacities of connectivity, security and interconnection between the head offices of one or more companies. These solutions guarantee the possibility to keep connected all head offices, representative offices or stores located in different geographical places of a company. That way, they can share all resources a
Thanks to the cochlear implant deaf children under two years old can express and understand properly the language. Those are the results obtained by the University Clinic of the University of Navarre.
The University Clinic of Navarre is a pioneer in cochlear implant. This technique replaces the ear with a system that stimulates the hearing nerve electrically.
The programme of cochlear implant started in 1989 and one year later was done the first implant. This first implant was mad
VLT Interferometer Measures the Size of Proxima Centauri and Other Nearby Stars [1] At a distance of only 4.2 light-years, Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun currently known [2]. It is visible as an 11-magnitude object in the southern constellation of Centaurus and is the faintest member of a triple system, together with Alpha Centauri, the brightest (double) star in this constellation. Proxima Centauri is a very-low-mass star, in fact barely massive enough to bu
An accepted assumption in astrophysics holds that it takes more than 1 million years for gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn to form from the cosmic debris circling a young star. But new research suggests such planets form in a dramatically shorter period, as little as a few hundred years.
The forming planets have to be able to survive the effects of nearby stars burning brightly, heating and dispersing the gases that accumulate around the giant planets. If the process takes too lo
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