New power plant design to expand use of geothermal energy in the U.S
SAN FRANCISCO – Researchers are developing a new kind of geothermal power plant that will lock away unwanted carbon dioxide (CO2) underground – and use it as a tool to boost electric power generation by at least 10 times compared to existing geothermal energy approaches. (more…)
New discovery is rooted in physics and the arts
In creating an entirely new way to compress data, a team of researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has drawn inspiration from physics and the arts. The result is a new data compression method that outperforms existing techniques, such as JPEG for images, and that could eventually be adopted for medical, scientific and video streaming applications.
In data communication, scientific research and medicine, an increasing number of today’s applications require the capture and analysis of massive amounts of data in real time. (more…)
ANN ARBOR — Only about a third of Americans ages 65 and older are fully able to take care of themselves and go about their daily lives completely independently, according to a new study published online in the American Journal of Public Health. (more…)
Michigan State University researchers have uncovered a genetic deficiency in males that can trigger the development of one of the most common types of liver cancer and forms of diabetes.
The research, published in the online issue of Cancer Cell, found that when the NCOA5 gene, present in both men and women, was altered in male mice to a deficient level, a spontaneous reaction occurred producing cells that can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer found to be two-to-four times more prevalent in men than women. (more…)
Zwei Päpste haben sie gefördert, zwei bekämpft: die «Theologie der Befreiung». Jetzt dürfen Lateinamerikas Gläubige wieder hoffen.
«Der Kirche ist erst seit einiger Zeit bewusst geworden, dass sie einen anderen Auftrag hat als nur ‚geistlich’ zu predigen, spirituell oder wie immer man das nennen mag. Sie hat zum Beispiel das Privateigentum verteidigt, als ob es sich dabei um ein absolutes Recht handelte. Mit der Soziallehre ist nun bewusst geworden, dass es kein absolutes Recht auf Eigentum gibt.»
Genau 25 Jahre ist es her, seit der deutschstämmige Kardinal Aloysio Lorscheider mir diesen Satz – auf deutsch – im Rahmen eines Interviews aufs Tonband sagte. Lorscheider war damals, im Jahr 1988, Erzbischof von Fortaleza im nordostbrasilianischen Bundestaat Ceara. Und er war in Basilien und ganz Lateinamerika einer der bekanntesten und einflussreichsten Geistlichen überhaupt, war er doch schon von 1975 bis 1979 Vorsitzender der Lateinamerikanischen Bischofskonferenz «Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano» CELAM gewesen. Lorscheider war also alles andere als nur irgend ein Aussenseiter. (more…)
Most parents will by now wonder how they can protect their children and direct them to child-safe websites. Fortunately a non-profit site, Quib.ly offers a forum where concerned parents, teachers and care-givers can seek out the advice of experts in the field of cyber technology as well as child development psychology. If you visit this site you may well find that your particular concern is shared by others. Experts in their respective fields will be able to steer you in the direction of child-safe websites and you will have the opportunity to share knowledge gained by parents in your position.
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Innovation could lead to faster drug therapies and increased understanding of proteins on the microscopic level
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Membrane proteins are the “gatekeepers” that allow information and molecules to pass into and out of a cell. Until recently, the microscopic study of these complex proteins has been restricted due to limitations of “force microscopes” that are available to researchers and the one-dimensional results these microscopes reveal. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a three-dimensional microscope that will yield unparalleled study of membrane proteins and how they interact on the cellular level. These microscopes could help pharmaceutical companies bring drugs to market faster. (more…)
The coexistence of two opposing phenomena might be the secret to understanding the enduring mystery in physics of how materials heralded as the future of powering our homes and communities actually work, according to Princeton University-led research. Such insight could help spur the further development of high-efficiency electric-power delivery.
Published in the journal Science, the findings provide a substantial clue for unraveling the inner workings of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) based on compounds containing copper and oxygen, or copper oxides. Copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors are prized as a material for making power lines because of their ability to conduct electricity with no resistance. It’s been shown that the material can be used to deliver electrical power like ordinary transmission lines, but with no loss of energy. In addition, typical superconductors need extremely low temperatures of roughly -243 degrees Celsius (-405 degrees Fahrenheit) to exhibit this 100-percent efficiency. A copper oxide HTS, however, can reach this level of efficiency at a comparatively toasty -135 degrees Celsius (-211 degrees Fahrenheit), which is achievable using liquid nitrogen. (more…)
