Latest News

Quantum dots: get your free samples here!

A company spun out from the UK’s University of Manchester has become the first in the world to produce and ship multi-gram quantities of quantum dots – and has launched a unique ‘Free Evaluation Samples’ program throughout the EU and UK.

Using a patented process, Nanoco Ltd is not only able to ship its standard ‘NanoDots’ in production-level quantities to meet growing market demand, but can easily configure NanoDots to meet custom performance specifications – previously a long process of t

Cleaning up pollutants with sunlight

A cheap, harmless chemical and sunlight could provide an environmentally friendly way of destroying micro-pollutants in the environment.

UK researchers are developing a new type of reactor to destroy persistent contaminants such as pesticides and pharmaceutical residues.

The technology, which breaks down the polluting molecules into carbon dioxide and water, could provide a breakthrough for a sustainable way of cleaning up fresh water supplies and industrial wastewater.

Th

New study shows weight loss decreases ACE enzyme that controls blood pressure

People who find it hard to lose all the weight they want or that their doctors recommend should take heart, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientist says. New research suggests that losing even modest amounts of weight can pay off in better health.

The study showed for the first time that shedding excess pounds decreases activity of a key enzyme known to play a central role in high blood pressure, said Dr. Joyce Harp, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at the UNC s

Ouch! The receptors mediating acidic pain sensation

When we feel pain in response to harmful stimuli it is the result of messages sent from pain sensors in the periphery of the body to the brain. These pain sensors – or nociceptors – often lie beneath the skin and detect and signal the presence of tissue-damaging stimuli or the existence of tissue damage. One particular nociceptor, vanilloid receptor-1 (VR1), relays sensory messages to the brain in response to thermal and painful chemical stimuli and is generally regarded as the major pain sensor.

Getting more mileage out of cord blood

Blood from human umbilical cords is a rich source of hematopoeitic stem cells, the progenitors that can reconstitute all of the different cell types in our blood, including oxygen-carrying red blood cells and white blood cells that are our major defense against infections. Cord blood contains a higher percentage of stem cells than adult bone marrow (another source of blood stem cells), and has several additional advantages: cord blood stem cells divide faster than stem cells from bone marrow and have

MRI technique lets researchers directly compare similarities, differences between monkey and human brain

Researchers have developed a new way to use a decade-old imaging method to directly compare the brains of monkeys with those of humans. Their report appeared in the journal Science.

The method uses functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) – a technique that measures blood volume and flow and blood-oxygen levels in the brain. It also provides an indirect measure of neuronal activity in different regions of the brain.

Neurons need oxygen and glucose to work. Blood carries

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Physics and Astronomy

The BioSCape team is poctured with NASA and South African aircraft. Image Credit: Jeremey Shelton/Fishwater Films

Measuring Life on Earth from Space: A Global Research Project

Measurements and data collected from space can be used to better understand life on Earth. An ambitious, multinational research project funded by NASA and co-led by UC Merced civil and…

ALMA observations of the protoplanetary disk around HD 142527. The white bars show the directions of the magnetic field revealed by the orientation of the dust grains. The strength of the magnetic field is 0.3 milligauss. For comparison, a typical refrigerator magnet has a magnetic field of about 1,000,000 milligauss. Image Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Ohashi et al.

“Unveiling Stars’ Magnetic Fingerprints Through Dust Analysis”

For the first time astronomers have succeeded in observing the magnetic field around a young star where planets are thought to be forming. The team was able to use dust…

Annealing quantum computer. Picture credit: D-Wave Quantum Inc. Image Credit: Picture credit: D-Wave Quantum Inc.

Quantum Machine Reveals Cosmic Bubble Dynamics

Physicists have performed a groundbreaking simulation they say sheds new light on an elusive phenomenon that could determine the ultimate fate of the Universe. Pioneering research in quantum field theory…

Life Sciences and Chemistry

UC Davis Researchers Complete Total Synthesis of Ibogaine

Discovery creates opportunities to study therapeutic properties of ibogaine and related compounds  Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine…

The female receives a dead insect as a gift from the male during mating. The gift provides the female with the necessary protein to produce eggs. If the male arrives empty-handed, he is rejected. Image Credit: Tom Houslay

Male Flies Sharpen Eyesight to Outwit Females

With bloated bellies and hairy legs, female flies try to look bigger to get food from courting mates. But male flies, in turn, have sharpened their eyesight to call their…

Schematic model depicting single molecule DNA translocating through a nanoprecipitated nanopore. Image Credit: Makusu Tsutsui

Electrical Control of Nanopore Diameter: Shut the Nano Gate!

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University develop a versatile electrically controlled nanogate that can be tailored for specific molecules  A gate that can…

Materials Sciences

Spintronics memory innovation: A new perpendicular magnetized film

Long gone are the days where all our data could fit on a two-megabyte floppy disk. In today’s information-based society, the increasing volume of information being handled demands that we…

Materials with a ‘twist’ show unexpected electronic behaviour

In the search for new materials that can enable more efficient electronics, scientists are exploring so-called 2-D materials. These are sheets of just one atom thick, that may have all…

Layer by Layer

How simulations help manufacturing of modern displays. Modern materials must be recyclable and sustainable. Consumer electronics is no exception, with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) taking over modern televisions and portable…

Information Technology

TU Graz AI System Boosts E-Mobility Powertrain Development

The new method optimises the technical design with regard to classic objectives such as costs, efficiency and package space requirements and also takes greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply…

Parsimonious models may be the norm in science, but complex models can be more flexible and accurate.

Exploring Ockham’s Razor: Simplifying Complex Innovations

Medieval friar William of Ockham posited a famous idea: always pick the simplest explanation. Often referred to as the parsimony principle, “Ockham’s razor” has shaped scientific decisions for centuries. But…

AI Tool Analyzes Speech Patterns to Identify Depression

Evaluation of an AI-based voice biomarker tool to detect signals consistent with moderate to severe depression Background and Goal: Depression impacts an  estimated 18 million Americans each year,  yet depression…