2015년 3월 13일 금요일

ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:41 PM PDT
Unique proteins newly discovered in heat-loving bacteria are more than capable of attaching themselves to plant cellulose, possibly paving the way for more efficient methods of converting plant matter into biofuels.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT
Researchers have developed a method to stimulate brain tissue using external magnetic fields and injected magnetic nanoparticles -- a technique allowing direct stimulation of neurons, which could be an effective treatment for a variety of neurological diseases, without the need for implants or external connections.Magnetic nanoparticles could allow brain stimulation without wires.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT
Scientists have demonstrated for the first time Coulomb crystallization of highly charged ions (HCIs). The new method opens the field of laser spectroscopy of HCIs providing the basis for novel atomic clocks and high-precision tests of the variability of natural constants.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT
A new molecule-making machine could do for chemistry what 3-D printing did for engineering: Make it fast, flexible and accessible to anyone. Chemists built the machine to assemble complex small molecules at the click of a mouse, like a 3-D printer at the molecular level. The automated process has the potential to greatly speed up and enable new drug development and other technologies that rely on small molecules.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT
In 1953 Watson and Crick first published the discovery of the double helix structure of the DNA. They were able to visualize the DNA structure by means of X-Ray diffraction. Techniques, such as electron microscopy, allowed scientists to identify nucleosomes, the first and most basic level of chromosome organization. Until now it was known that our DNA is packaged by regular repeating units of those nucleosomes throughout the genome giving rise to chromatin. However, due to the lack of suitable techniques and instruments, the chromatin organization inside a cell nucleus could not be observed in a non-invasive way with the sufficient resolution.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:27 AM PDT
In nacre, layer lattices of inorganic calcium carbonate alternate with layers of organic material. Chitin, collagen and various proteins ensure that the calcium carbonate grows in these defined layers. What role the proteins play during growth had not previously been explained, but the assumption was that several proteins acted together to control the structure of the calcium carbonate lattice as well as themselves forming part of the nacreous layers. However, now researchers have now shown that the crystal lattice of calcium carbonate can be altered using just a single protein species.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:25 AM PDT
Light can be used to activate normal, non-genetically modified neurons through the use of targeted gold nanoparticles. This new method represents a significant technological advance with potential advantages over current optogenetic methods, including possible use in the development of therapeutics.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT
Simulations of impressive landscapes and alien creatures have become commonplace, especially in fantasy and science fiction films. But simulations are also appearing in ever more medical and engineering applications. However, the road to a perfect illusion is complex and time-intensive. Scientists have now developed a methodology that could accelerate these calculations.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT
Borrowing a trick from nature, engineers have created an incredibly thin, chameleon-like material that can be made to change color -- on demand -- by simply applying a minute amount of force.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:04 AM PDT
Scientists have analyzed how fast order can appear in a quantum-mechanical system. During the freezing of water, the initially unordered molecules start to form an ordered crystal, namely ice. During this phase transition, they rearrange from an unordered into a more ordered state. This setting naturally poses one important question: How long does this phase transition take, i.e. how long does it take for each molecule to find its place in the crystal?
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:23 AM PDT
Harvesting fire-killed trees is an effective way to reduce woody fuels for up to four decades following wildfire in dry coniferous forests, a study has found. "Large wildfires can leave behind thousands of acres of fire-killed trees that eventually become fuel for future fires. In the past, post-fire logging has been conducted primarily to recover economic value from those fire-killed trees," said the study's leader.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:22 AM PDT
Materials resulting from chemical bonding of glucosamine, a type of sugar, with fullerenes, kind of nanoparticles known as buckyballs, might help to reduce cell damage and inflammation occurring after stroke. A team has tested this on mice, opening the door to potential new drugs for the cerebrovascular accident.
Posted: 12 Mar 2015 05:28 AM PDT
A system for using sound waves to spot potentially dangerous cracks in pipes, aircraft engines and nuclear power plants has been developed.
Posted: 09 Mar 2015 11:58 AM PDT
A new MRI technique for more precise and effective treatment for prostate cancer has been developed by researchers. The sharper MRI image can provide more accurate biopsies, enable better treatment planning, and help surgeons pinpoint the tumor while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.

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