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Imagine: Material That If Scratched, You Can Quickly and Easily Fix Yourself, With Light Not Heat

By Guest PostApril 21, 2011Scienceabrasive environments, andrew lovinger, automobiles, christoph weder, mechanical properties, metallo supramolecular polymers, microstructure, molecular glue, napoleon complex, polymer, scientific concepts, self corrective healing process, stuart rowan, supramolecular, switzerland, united states, weak molecular interactions

*Discovery of self-corrective healing process for polymer detailed this week in the journal Nature*

Imagine you’re driving your own new car–or a rental car–and you need to park in a commercial garage. Maybe you’re going to work, visiting a mall or attending an event at a sports stadium, and you’re in a rush. Limited and small available spots and concrete pillars make parking a challenge. And it happens that day: you slightly misjudge a corner and you can hear the squeal as you scratch the side of your car–small scratches, but large anticipated repair costs.

Now imagine that that you can repair these unsightly scratches yourself–quickly, easily and inexpensively–or that you can go through a car wash that can detect these and other more minor scratches and fix them as the car goes through the washing garage. Fantasy. Not exactly. Not anymore. Not according to a new discovery detailed in the April 21 issue of the journal Nature, and depicted in a short video interview and simulation. (more…)

Berkeley Lab Scientists Find That Normal Breast Cells Help Kill Cancer Cells

By Guest PostApril 20, 20111 commentHealth, Scienceberkeley lab, breast cancer cells, cytostatic, cytotoxic, dna mutations, extracellular matrix culture, healthy cells, human body, il25, immune system, inflammation, interleukin 25, malignant phenotype, mammary epithelial cells, microenvironmental factors, mina bissell, natural defense mechanism against cancer, pathogens, protein, saori furuta, treatment of breast cancer, tumor cells, tumor surveillance system

It is well known that the human body has a highly developed immune system to detect and destroy invading pathogens and tumor cells. Now, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown that the body has a second line of defense against cancer – healthy cells. A new study shows that normal mammary epithelial cells, as they are developing, secrete interleukin 25, a protein known for its role in the immune system’s response to inflammation, for the express purpose of killing nearby breast cancer cells.

“We found that normal breast cells provide an innate defense mechanism against cancer by producing interleukin 25 (IL25) to actively and specifically kill breast cancer cells,” says breast cancer authority Mina Bissell, of Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division, who led this research. “This suggests that IL25 receptor signaling may provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.” (more…)

Ceramic Coatings May Protect Jet Engines From Volcanic Ash

By Guest PostApril 17, 2011Scienceaircraft engines, ceramic coatings, jet engines, sand resistant coatings, silicate ash, thermal barrier coating, volcanic ash

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Last year’s $2 billion shutdown of European airspace following a volcanic eruption in Iceland alerted everyone to the danger that ash clouds can pose to aircraft engines. (more…)

WISE Delivers Millions of Galaxies, Stars, Asteroids

By Guest PostApril 17, 2011Scienceastronomers, blue star, celestial objects, colorful images of the cosmos, earth, edward wright, entire sky, fengchuan liu, galaxies, infrared wavelengths, nasa. wide field infrared survey explorer, polar orbit, roc cutri, solar system, star forming complexes, universe, wise, zeta ophiuchi

Astronomers across the globe can now sift through hundreds of millions of galaxies, stars and asteroids collected in the first bundle of data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission.

“Starting today thousands of new eyes will be looking at WISE data, and I expect many surprises,” said Edward (Ned) Wright of UCLA, the mission’s principal investigator. (more…)

Search for Dark Matter Narrowed by New Data From XENON100

By Guest PostApril 16, 2011Sciencedark matter, dark matter experiment, detector, ordinary matter

Collaboration reveals results from 100-day experiment

Today, scientists from the XENON collaboration announced the result from their search for the elusive component of our universe known as dark matter. After analyzing one hundred days of data taken with the XENON100 experiment, they see no evidence for the existence of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), the leading candidates for the mysterious dark matter. The XENON100 experiment is operated deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the Italian National Institute for Physics (INFN). (more…)

Circadian Rhythms Spark Plants’ Ability to Survive Freezing Weather

By Guest PostApril 14, 2011Scienceability to survive, abiotic stress, circadian clock, circadian rhythms, crops, designer plants, freezing weather, stress tolerance

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Just as monarch butterflies depend on circadian cues to begin their annual migration, so do plants to survive freezing temperatures. (more…)

Report Provides NASA with Direction for Next 10 Years of Space Research

By Guest PostApril 13, 2011Sciencecomplex fluids, einstein, global positioning systems, gps, moon, NASA, paul chaikin, quantum gases, rob duncan, rockets, soft condensed matter physics, Space, space exploration, superconductors, Technology, telescopes, theory of relativity

*MU vice chancellor led committee that focused on fundamental physics research projects*

COLUMBIA, Mo. — During the past 60 years, humans have built rockets, walked on the moon and explored the outer reaches of space with probes and telescopes. During these trips in space, research has been conducted to learn more about life and space. Recently, a group of prominent researchers from across the country published a report through the National Academy of Sciences that is intended as a guide as NASA plans the next 10 years of research in space. Rob Duncan, the University of Missouri Vice Chancellor for Research, led the team that developed a blueprint for fundamental physics research in space for the next 10 years. (more…)

Study Finds Public Relatively Unconcerned About Nanotechnology Risks

By Guest PostApril 12, 20111 commentHealth, Sciencealcohol, andrew binder, blood transfusions, cell phone use, commercial air travel, david berube, environmental and health safety risks, general public, hazardous, medical x-rays, nanoparticle, Nanotechnology, nuclear energy, obesity, public health risk, smoking, suntan

A new study finds that the general public thinks getting a suntan poses a greater public health risk than nanotechnology or other nanoparticle applications. The study, from North Carolina State University, compared survey respondents’ perceived risk of nanoparticles with 23 other public-health risks.

The study is the first to compare the public’s perception of the risks associated with nanoparticles to other environmental and health safety risks. Researchers found that nanoparticles are perceived as being a relatively low risk. (more…)

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