ScienceDaily: Top Science News

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• New way of probing exoplanet atmospheres
• Scientists measure soot particles in flight
• Ancient human ancestors had unique diet
• Easier way to make new drug compounds
• A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body
• First 3-D nanoscale optical cavities from metamaterials: Hold promise for nanolasers, LEDs, optical sensors
• Significant cardiovascular risk with low carbohydrate-high protein diets, experts warn
• Half of inhaled soot particles from diesel exhaust, fires gets stuck in the lungs

New way of probing exoplanet atmospheres Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:20 AM PDT For the first time a new technique has allowed astronomers to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet in detail -- even though it does not pass in front of its parent star. Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to directly catch the faint glow from the planet Tau Boötis b, solving a 15-year-old problem. The team also finds that the planet's atmosphere seems to be cooler higher up, differently from the expected.

Scientists measure soot particles in flight Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:20 AM PDT For the first time, air-polluting soot particles have been imaged in flight down to nanometer resolution. Pioneering a new technique scientists snapped the most detailed images yet of airborne aerosols.

Ancient human ancestors had unique diet Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:20 AM PDT When it came to eating, an upright, 2-million-year-old African hominid had a diet unlike virtually all other known human ancestors, says a new study.

Easier way to make new drug compounds Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:19 AM PDT Scientists have developed a powerful new technique for manipulating the building-block molecules of organic chemistry. The technique enables chemists to add new functional molecules to previously hard-to-reach positions on existing compounds—making it easier for them to generate new drugs and other organic chemicals.

A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:33 AM PDT Scientists are reporting an advance toward treating disease with minute capsules containing not drugs -- but the DNA and other biological machinery for making the drug. They describe engineering micro- and nano-sized capsules that contain the genetically coded instructions, plus the read-out gear and assembly line for protein synthesis that can be switched on with an external signal.

First 3-D nanoscale optical cavities from metamaterials: Hold promise for nanolasers, LEDs, optical sensors Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:29 AM PDT Researchers have created the world's smallest three-dimensional optical cavities with the potential to generate the world's most intense nanolaser beams. In addition to nanolasers, these unique optical cavities should be applicable to a broad range of other technologies, including LEDs, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and photonic integrated circuits.

Significant cardiovascular risk with low carbohydrate-high protein diets, experts warn Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:22 AM PDT Women who regularly eat a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease and stroke) than those who do not, a new study suggests.

Half of inhaled soot particles from diesel exhaust, fires gets stuck in the lungs Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:20 AM PDT The exhaust from diesel-fueled vehicles, wood fires and coal-driven power stations contains small particles of soot that flow out into the atmosphere. The soot is a scourge for the climate but also for human health. Now for the first time, researchers have studied in detail how diesel soot gets stuck in the lungs. The results show that more than half of all inhaled soot particles remain in the body.

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