Science News SciGuru.com

Standoff sensing enters new realm with dual-laser technique
New Supercomputers at Brookhaven will Advance Nanomaterial Design
Drug makes leukemia more vulnerable to chemo
Electricity from trees
Big Bang on Earth
Gene Expression Abnormalities in Autism Identified
New Study Reveals One Size Does Not Fit All When Evaluating Entrepreneurial Potential Country-by-Country
Experts Identify Inhibitor Causing Male Pattern Baldness and Target for Hair Loss Treatments
UN hits water target, but 1.8 billion people still drinking unsafe water, study shows
Smart building exteriors for reduced energy costs and a cleaner environment

Standoff sensing enters new realm with dual-laser technique

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 05:35 PM PDT

Identifying chemicals from a distance could take a step forward with the introduction of a two-laser system being developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In a paper published in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Ali Passian and colleagues present a technique that uses a quantum cascade laser to "pump," or strike, a target, and another laser to monitor the material's response as a result of temperature-induced changes. That information allows for the rapid identification of chemicals and biological agents.

New Supercomputers at Brookhaven will Advance Nanomaterial Design

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 05:23 PM PDT

Heavy construction projects demand precision and planning, particularly if the end products need to perform a specific function. The degree of complexity increases as the raw materials become smaller and more specific: Just consider the difference between constructing a house, a car, or the tiny circuitry within a computer. The challenges and opportunities of ground-up design are rarely more pronounced than on the nanoscale — the scale of billionths of a meter — where atoms and molecules are the basic building blocks.

Drug makes leukemia more vulnerable to chemo

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 05:00 PM PDT

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that a new drug makes chemotherapy more effective in treating acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. Instead of attacking these cells directly, the drug helps drive them out of the bone marrow and into the bloodstream, where they are more vulnerable to chemotherapy.

Electricity from trees

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 04:31 PM PDT

Plants have long been known as the lungs of the earth, but a new finding has found they may also play a role in electrifying the atmosphere.

Scientists have long-suspected an association between trees and electricity but researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) think they may have finally discovered the link.

Big Bang on Earth

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 01:43 PM PDT

Astronomers have begun to blast 3 million cubic feet of rock from a mountaintop in the Chilean Andes to make room for what will be the world’s largest optical telescope when completed near the end of the decade. Australia, through The Australian National University and Australian Astronomy Ltd, is a founding partner in the project, and the Australian Government has invested $88.4 million in the $700 million project.

Gene Expression Abnormalities in Autism Identified

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 01:27 PM PDT

A study led by Eric Courchesne, PhD, director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has, for the first time, identified in young autism patients genetic mechanisms involved in abnormal early brain development and overgrowth that occurs in the disorder. The findings suggest novel genetic and molecular targets that could lead to discoveries of new prevention strategies and treatment for the disorder.

New Study Reveals One Size Does Not Fit All When Evaluating Entrepreneurial Potential Country-by-Country

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 01:21 PM PDT

Understanding the interplay of cultures, private and public institutions and local economic conditions is critical to incubating the entrepreneurial spirit in developing countries. That’s the conclusion of a new study “Exploring Country-level Institutional Arrangements on the Rate and Type of Entrepreneurial Activity” by Dr. Robert Wuebker, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.

Experts Identify Inhibitor Causing Male Pattern Baldness and Target for Hair Loss Treatments

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 01:05 PM PDT

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified an abnormal amount a protein called Prostaglandin D2 in the bald scalp of men with male pattern baldness, a discovery that may lead directly to new treatments for the most common cause of hair loss in men. In both human and animal models, researchers found that a prostaglandin known as PGD2 and its derivative, 15-dPGJ2, inhibit hair growth.

UN hits water target, but 1.8 billion people still drinking unsafe water, study shows

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 12:55 PM PDT

Recent widespread news coverage heralded the success of a United Nations’ goal of greatly improving access to safe drinking water around the world.

But while major progress has been made, a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicates that far greater challenges persist than headline statistics suggested.

Smart building exteriors for reduced energy costs and a cleaner environment

Posted: 24 Mar 2012 12:49 PM PDT

Within the "envelopes" of commercial and residential buildings rests the promise of major, new energy efficiencies in the built-environment, according to University of Michigan researchers.