Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found new support for the age-old advice to “sleep on it.” Mice allowed to sleep after being trained remembered what they had learned far better than those deprived of sleep for several hours afterward.

The researchers also determined that the five hours following learning are crucial for memory consolidation; mice deprived of sleep five to 10 hours after learning a task showed no memory impairment. The results are reported in the May/June i

A pickle-shaped root is revealing how plants develop from embryos to adults and also may hold answers about cancer cell growth.

Purdue University researchers have uncovered nine specific genes that are shut off before plants make the developmental transition from the embryonic stage to adulthood. Results of the latest study are published in the July issue of The Plant Journal.

“We now have data supporting the hypothesis that the gene PKL is a master regulator of genes that pr

Energy emissions far greater than predicted by Planck’s Law

You can’t get something for nothing, physicists say, but sometimes a radical innovation can come close.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories — exceeding the predictions of a 100-year-old law of physics — have shown that filaments fabricated of tungsten lattices emit remarkably more energy than solid tungsten filaments in certain bands of near-infrared wavelengths when heated.

This greater use

Technical Insights Electronics and Semiconductors Industry Impact Research Service: Developments and Opportunities in Advanced Electronic Materials

Materials such as polymers, superconducting ceramics, and diamond films are likely to shape the electronics industry in the coming decade. Processing technologies for these improved materials will also gain importance.

“Advanced materials are synthesized at nano levels, creating the possibility of achieving several new structures

New class of superweak particles may reveal secrets of hidden mass in universe

A UC Irvine study has revealed a new class of cosmic particles that may shed light on the composition of dark matter in the universe.

These particles, called superweakly interacting massive particles, or superWIMPs, may constitute the invisible matter that makes up as much as one-quarter of the universe’s mass.

UCI physicists Jonathan Feng, Arvind Rajaraman and Fumihiro Takayama report th

U-M researchers report more effective method for separating viable sperm

A new technique to find the viable sperm in the semen of men with low sperm motility could lead to a new approach for infertility treatment, according to University of Michigan Health System researchers.

In a study published online and in the July/August issue of Reproductive BioMedicine Online (http://www.rbmonline.com), UMHS researchers used a microscopic chip divided into two channels to encourage vi