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NASA Twin Spacecraft on Final Approach for Moon Orbit

By Guest PostDecember 29, 2011Scienceevolution of moon, grail mission, grail spacecraft, long duration trajectory, lunar orbit, moon orbit, twin spacecraft

PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit. (more…)

Cockroach Hookup Signal Could Benefit Endangered Woodpecker

By Guest PostDecember 29, 2011Naturecockroach hookup signal, cockroach signal, hook up, sex pheromone, synthetic pheromone, wood cockroaches

A North Carolina State University discovery of the unique chemical composition of a cockroach signal – a “Let’s hook up” sex pheromone emitted by certain female wood cockroaches to entice potential mates – could have far-ranging benefits, including improved conservation of an endangered woodpecker. (more…)

“Painless” Plasma Brush is Becoming Reality in Dentistry, MU Engineers Say

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2011Healthcavity filling, dental instrument, dentists, filling material, painless plasma brush, plasma brush

*Hi-tech dental instrument uses “cool flame” for sturdier and longer-lasting fillings*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri engineers and their research collaborators at Nanova, Inc. are one step closer to a painless way to replace fillings. After favorable results in the lab, human clinical trials are underway on the “plasma brush.” (more…)

First Independent Review of Provincial-Level Environmental Data in China

By Guest PostDecember 28, 2011Environmentchina index, chinese policymakers, environmental data, environmental metrics, subnational index

A team of researchers jointly led by Yale University and Columbia University has released a report that introduces a framework for assessing China’s environmental management and performance. This analysis offers the first independent review of Chinese provincial-level environmental performance by international researchers. (more…)

Microneedle Sensors May Allow Real-Time Monitoring of Body Chemistry

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2011Sciencebiomedical engineering, diabetic patient, electrochemical sensors, glucose, lactate, microneedle sensor, microneedles, molecules, monitor glucose levels, north carolina state university, one dimension, ph levels, philip miller, roger narayan, shelby skoog, Technology, types of sensors, university of california, variety of chemicals

Researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body – and to continuously do so for an extended period of time.

“We’ve loaded the hollow channels within microneedles with electrochemical sensors that can be used to detect specific molecules or pH levels,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, co-author of a paper describing the research, and a professor in the joint biomedical engineering department of NC State’s College of Engineering and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (more…)

Sea Cucumbers: Dissolving Coral Reefs?

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2011Environmentacidification, australia, biodiversity, caco3, calcium carbonate, carbon dioxide, coral reefs, digestive process, dissolution, dk13, ecosystem, emissions, erika woolsey, great barrier reef, jacob silverman, ken caldeira, kenneth schneider, maria byrne, marine environment, marine organisms, ocean acidification, one tree island, one tree reef, recycling of nutrients, reef environment, sea cucumbers, sea life

Washington, D.C. — Coral reefs are extremely diverse ecosystems that support enormous biodiversity. But they are at risk. Carbon dioxide emissions are acidifying the ocean, threatening reefs and other marine organisms. New research led by Carnegie’s Kenneth Schneider analyzed the role of sea cucumbers in portions of the Great Barrier Reef and determined that their dietary process of dissolving calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from the surrounding reef accounts for about half of at the total nighttime dissolution for the reef. The work is published December 23 by the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Reefs are formed through the biological deposition of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Many of the marine organisms living on and around a reef contribute to either its destruction or construction. Therefore it is crucial that the amount of calcium carbonate remain in balance. When this delicate balance is disrupted, the reef ceases to grow and its foundations can be weakened. (more…)

Flipping an Egg Carton of Light Traps Giant Atoms

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2011Scienceoptical lattice, rydberg atoms, trapping efficiency, trapping rydberg atoms

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— In an egg carton of laser light, University of Michigan physicists can trap giant Rydberg atoms with up to 90 percent efficiency, an achievement that could advance quantum computing and terahertz imaging, among other applications. (more…)

CAD for RNA

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2011Scienceaptazyme, biodegradable plastics, biofuels, biological systems, cad, cad platforms, cad type models, cells, computer assisted design, control systems, darmawi juminaga, diabetes, e coli, escherichia coli bacterium, genetic circuits, genetic expression, james carothers, jay keasling, jbei, jonathan goler, lignocellulosic biomass, microbes, microbial fuel production, molecules, parkinson, petrochemicals, ribozyme, rna devices, rna functions, rna molecules, simulations, synberc, synthetic biology, tools, university of california

*Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Develop CAD-Type Tools for Engineering RNA Control Systems*

The computer assisted design (CAD) tools that made it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with millions of transistors may soon be coming to the biological sciences. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed CAD-type models and simulations for RNA molecules that make it possible to engineer biological components or “RNA devices” for controlling genetic expression in microbes. This holds enormous potential for microbial-based sustainable production of advanced biofuels, biodegradable plastics, therapeutic drugs and a host of other goods now derived from petrochemicals. (more…)

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