admin on October 17th, 2008

Classic experiment yields new clues to life’s origins

Continue reading about Did Volcanoes Spark Life on Earth?

admin on October 17th, 2008

Fossil braincase adds details to transition from marine to terrestrial vertebrates

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About three times a second, a 10,000-year-old stellar corpse sweeps a beam of gamma-rays toward Earth. This object, known as a pulsar, is the first one known to “blink” only in gamma rays, and was discovered by the Large Area Telescope onboard NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

Continue reading about First Gamma-ray-only Pulsar Observation Opens New Window On Stellar Evolution

admin on October 17th, 2008

A new screening method can be used to detect the chromosomal abnormalities most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders. By screening for genetic defects associated with various kinds of cognitive impairment, the approach will help clinicians identify the underlying causes of some patients’ autism spectrum disorders.

Continue reading about Gene Screen To Identify Causes Of Autism

admin on October 17th, 2008

Scientists are using nanotechnology to investigate the workings of vancomycin, one of the few antibiotics that can be used to combat increasingly resistant infections such as MRSA. The researchers developed ultra-sensitive probes capable of providing new insight into how antibiotics work, paving the way for the development of more effective new drugs.

Continue reading about Nanotechnology Boosts War On Superbugs

admin on October 17th, 2008

Currently, early detection of prostate cancer depends on an abnormal digital rectal examination and an elevated prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) level requiring a prostate biopsy, often associated with anxiety, discomfort, complications, and heavy expenses. Now researchers have developed a test using a new PCa gene-based marker that can be carried out with a urine sample.

Continue reading about Prostate Cancer Gene Test Provides New Early Detection

Mathematicians have proven a significant version of the quantum unique ergodicity conjecture. The new work, based in the pure mathematics area of number theory, illuminates deep connections between classical and quantum physics in what is being hailed as one of the best theorems of the year.

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admin on October 17th, 2008

College students often spend their free time thinking about beer, but a group of Rice University students are taking it to the next level. They’re using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that’s been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals.

Continue reading about Better Beer: College Team Creating Anticancer Brew

A new research field called transformation optics may usher in a host of radical advances including a cloak of invisibility and ultra-powerful microscopes and computers by harnessing nanotechnology and “metamaterials.”

Continue reading about Invisibility Cloak And Ultra-powerful Microscopes: New Research Field Promises Radical Advances In Optical Technologies

A new study reveals that specific types of bacteria in the intestine trigger the generation of pro-inflammatory immune cells, a finding that could eventually lead to novel treatments for inflammatory bowel disease and other diseases.

Continue reading about Bugs In The Gut Trigger Production Of Important Immune Cells, Study Finds