ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Bioengineered miniature structures could prevent heart failure Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:46 AM PST The delivery of tiny biodegradable microstructures to heart tissue damaged by heart attack may help repair the tissue and prevent future heart failure.

HIV and syphilis biomarkers: Smartphone, finger prick, 15 minute diagnosis Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:45 AM PST Medical researchers have developed a low-cost smartphone accessory that can perform a point-of-care test that simultaneously detects three infectious disease markers -- HIV and syphilis -- from a finger prick of blood in just 15 minutes. The device replicates, for the first time, all mechanical, optical, and electronic functions of a lab-based blood test without requiring any stored energy: all necessary power is drawn from the smartphone.

Cheap and abundant chemical outperforms precious metals as a catalyst Posted: 04 Feb 2015 10:41 AM PST Chemists have discovered that a cheap, safe, and abundant potassium compound can be used instead of rare precious metals as a catalyst in the production of chemicals important for drug discovery, agricultural science, medical imaging, and the creation of new materials.

Catalyst uses light to convert nitrogen to ammonia: Potential for environmentally friendly fertilizer Posted: 04 Feb 2015 08:20 AM PST Scientists have developed a catalyst that can perform a remarkable feat found only in nature: take nitrogen from the air and turn it into ammonia under natural conditions. No high temperatures or pressure required. Driven by light, the new method offers promise for a more environmentally friendly fertilizer. Ammonia is the critical component in fertilizer.

Programming safety into self-driving cars: Better AI algorithms for semi-autonomous vehicles Posted: 04 Feb 2015 08:19 AM PST For decades, researchers in artificial intelligence, or AI, worked on specialized problems, developing theoretical concepts and workable algorithms for various aspects of the field. Computer vision, planning and reasoning experts all struggled independently in areas that many thought would be easy to solve, but which proved incredibly difficult.

Groundbreaking technique developed to measure oxygen in deep-sited tumor, brain Posted: 04 Feb 2015 07:25 AM PST A novel Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) oximetry technique will help clinicians directly measure oxygen and schedule treatments at times of high oxygen levels in cancer and stroke patients to improve outcomes, researchers have found.

New nanoparticle gene therapy strategy effectively treats deadly brain cancer in rats Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:01 AM PST Nanoparticles have been used to successfully deliver a new therapy to cancer cells in the brains of rats, prolonging their lives, scientists report. Previous research on mice found that nanoparticles carrying genes can be taken up by brain cancer cells, and the genes can then be turned on. However, this is the first time these biodegradable nanoparticles have effectively killed brain cancer cells and extended survival in animals.

Structurally reinforced hydrogel material developed using electrostatic repulsive force between nanosheets Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:01 AM PST A newly created material withstands vertical loads applied in the direction perpendicular to its layers while distorting in the horizontal direction. It is promising as a vibration-damping material.

Noble metal nanoparticles coated with silica by a simple process that does not employ alcohol Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:01 AM PST Noble metal nanoparticles can be coated with silica by a simple, environmentally friendly process that does not employ alcohol.

Security: Protecting customers charging electric vehicles on smart electricity grids Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:01 AM PST As electricity grids become more sophisticated, grid administrators can collect instantaneous data on consumer and supplier behavior. The 'smart grid' then learns to improve the reliability, costs and sustainability of electricity distribution. However, smart grids present new security challenges, especially for mobile systems such as electric vehicles (EVs), which can be attacked both electronically and physically.

Full-color moving holograms in high resolution Posted: 04 Feb 2015 06:01 AM PST Three-dimensional (3D) movies, which require viewers to wear stereoscopic (i.e. Related to the technique of creating an impression of depth by showing two slightly offset flat images to each eye) glasses, have become very popular in recent years. However, the 3D effect produced by the glasses cannot provide perfect depth cues. Furthermore, it is not possible to move one's head and observe that objects appear different from different angles -- a real-life effect known as motion parallax. Now, researchers have developed a new way of generating high-resolution, full-color, 3D videos that uses holographic technology.

Inhospitable climate fosters gold ore formation Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:52 AM PST The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa holds the world’s largest gold deposits across a 200-km long swathe. Individual ore deposits are spread out in thin layers over areas up to 10 by 10 km and contain more gold than any other gold deposit in the world. Some 40% of the precious metal that has been found up to the present day comes from this area, and hundreds of tons of gold deposits still lie beneath the earth. The manner in which these giant deposits formed is still debated among geologists. Geologists are now trying to reconcile the contradictions of two previously published theories.

Artificially intelligent robot scientist 'Eve' could boost search for new drugs Posted: 03 Feb 2015 05:44 PM PST Eve, an artificially intelligent 'robot scientist' could make drug discovery faster and much cheaper, say researchers writing in the Royal Society journal Interface. The team has demonstrated the success of the approach as Eve discovered that a compound shown to have anti-cancer properties might also be used in the fight against malaria.

Handheld sensor to sniff out fish fraud Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:34 AM PST Researchers have developed a handheld sensor capable of debunking fraudulent seafood species claims, helping to ensure that consumers are get what they pay for.

Worms lead way to test nanoparticle toxicity Posted: 02 Feb 2015 11:48 AM PST Scientists use roundworm populations in low-cost, high-throughput toxicity tests for a range of nanoparticles. The tests could cut the cost of determining which nanoparticles should be studied further for applications and for their effects on the environment.