Life Sciences and Chemistry

Chemists at Rice University have identified a chemical process for cutting carbon nanotubes into short segments. The new process yields nanotubes that are suitable for a variety of applications, including biomedical sensors small enough to migrate through cells without triggering immune reactions.

The chemical cutting process involves fluorinating the nanotubes, essentially attaching thousands of fluorine atoms to their sides, and then heating the fluoronanotubes to about 1,000 Celsi

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown component of the body’s cellular garbage disposal called the ubiquitin system, which is responsible for regulation of cell function by removal of abnormal and unneeded proteins.

Published in the July 8, 2003 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study provides the first description of a molecule called GAIP interacting protein N terminus (GIPN)

Virginia Tech wood scientists hope that their vacuum-drying project will benefit wood pallet and container manufacturers and hardwood sawmill businesses across the nation.

“The vacuum controlling system eliminates the need for a heating system, saves energy, and does not release ozone-depleting chemicals into the earth’s atmosphere,” says Zhangjjng Chen, one the researchers working on the project at the Center for Unit Load and Design in the wood science and forest products depa

In a river valley just southwest of Mexico City stands a small patch of teosinte – a wild, weedy grass thought to be the ancient ancestor of corn. As a gentle breeze blows gene-carrying pollen from a nearby crop of maize to its wild relative, the genetic integrity and even survival of this ancient plant and others could be jeopardized, according to new mathematical models.

The models, described in the July 23 online edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London and develo

A team of scientists – including one from Michigan State University – has announced a genomic sequence for the rest of us: mapping the DNA of a grain fungus that wreaks havoc with beer brewing.

The genomic sequence of the fungal plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, has been completed, providing scientists a roadmap to combating a fungus that infects wheat and barley crops, rendering them unusable.

“We have enough to do a tremendous amount of good work,” said Frances Trail,

In a study made possible by the sequencing of the human genome, scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified 57 genes involved in the growth of human tumor cells.

Some of these genes appear to be linked with the growth of cancerous cells only – not healthy cells – making them possible targets for new drugs that could halt the spread of disease without necessarily compromising normal processes.

The research relied on a strategy pioneered in the laboratory of I