In the Mesozoic Era, 70 million years before birds first conquered the skies, pterosaurs dominated the air with sparrow- to Cessna-sized wingspans. Researchers suspected that these extinct reptiles sustained flight through flapping, based on fossil evidence from the wings, but had little understanding of how pterosaurs met the energetic demands of active flight.

Continue reading about Air-filled Bones Extended Lung Capacity And Helped Prehistoric Reptiles Take First Flight

For centuries, animals have been our first line of defense against toxins. A canary in a coalmine served as a living monitor for poisonous gases. Scientists used fish to test for contaminants in our water. Even with modern advances, though, it can take days to detect a fatal chemical or organism. Until now. Working in [...]

Continue reading about Tiny ‘Lab-on-a-chip’ Detects Pollutants, Disease And Biological Weapons

Researchers have created hybrid carbon nanotube metal oxide arrays as electrode material that may improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Continue reading about Nanotechnology: Lithium-Ion Batteries Have Better Performance With New Electrode Material

Scientists have discovered a mechanism in liver metabolism that is responsible for pathologically elevated blood fat levels found in severe metabolic disorders. Mice suffering from metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes produce only small amounts of a molecule called LSR in the liver. As a result, only small amounts of fat are transported from the [...]

Continue reading about Pathologically Elevated Blood Fat Levels In Obesity: Molecular Causes Discovered

admin on February 18th, 2009

Materials scientists have put a new “twist” on carbon nanotube growth. The researchers found nanotubes grow like tiny molecular tapestries, woven from twisting, single-atom threads. The research finds a direct relationship between a nanotube’s “chiral” angle — the amount it’s twisted — and how fast it grows.

Continue reading about Nanotube’s ‘Tapestry’ Controls Its Growth

admin on February 18th, 2009

Surfing the Internet could provide significant relief for seniors with chronic pain, according to new research.

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While U.S. intelligence officials have spent more than seven years searching fruitlessly for Osama bin Laden, geographers say they have a good idea of where the terrorist leader was at the end of 2001 — and perhaps where he has been in the years since.

Continue reading about Bin Laden’s Hide-out? Geographers Urge US To Search Three Structures In Pakistan For Bin Laden

A researcher finds a clue to the calcification process by studying how a genetic mutation in rats makes them resistant to poison but also leaves them susceptible to arterial calcification and, potentially, osteoporosis.

Continue reading about New Light On Longstanding Medical Mystery That May Link Cardiovascular Disease, Osteoporosis And Perhaps Even Alzheimer’s Disease

European food companies already use nanotechnology in consumer products, but few voluntarily inform consumers. “The promise of nanotechnology,” a Dutch scientist said, “is that it could allow re-engineering ingredients to bring healthy nutrients more efficiently to the body while allowing less-desirable components to pass on through.”

Continue reading about Could Nanotechnology Make An Average Donut Into Health Food?

admin on February 18th, 2009

A national panel of national pain management experts has published the first comprehensive, evidence-based clinical practice guideline to assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

Continue reading about New Guideline For Prescribing Opioid Pain Drugs