ScienceDaily: Top Science News

---

• Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles
• Quantum computing, no cooling required: Room-temperature quantum bits store data for nearly two seconds
• Bees can 'turn back time,' reverse brain aging
• First photo of shadow of single atom
• Bugs inspire better X-rays: Nanostructures modeled like moth eyes may boost medical imaging
• New insights into power-generating windows
• Young rapidly spinning star flaunts its X-ray spots in McNeil's Nebula
• Strength in numbers: Physicists identify new quantum state allowing three -- but not two -- atoms to stick together
• Cosmic skyrocket: Geyser of hot gas flowing from a newborn star
• Fish learn to cope in a high carbon dioxide world, new study suggests
• Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease: Study determines which bats are headed for extinction
• Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells

Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:05 PM PDT Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Researchers have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into vesicles and other useful structures.

Quantum computing, no cooling required: Room-temperature quantum bits store data for nearly two seconds Posted: 03 Jul 2012 03:19 PM PDT Using a pair of impurities in ultra-pure, laboratory-grown diamonds, researchers have created room-temperature quantum bits, and store information in them for nearly two seconds -- an increase of nearly six orders of magnitude over the lifespan of earlier systems. The work is a critical first step in the eventual construction of a functional quantum computer, as well as a host of other potential applications.

Bees can 'turn back time,' reverse brain aging Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take on nest responsibilities typically handled by much younger bees. While current research on human age-related dementia focuses on potential new drug treatments, researchers say these findings suggest that social interventions may be used to slow or treat age-related dementia.

First photo of shadow of single atom Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Scientists have captured the first image of the shadow of a single atom. They trapped single atomic ions of the element ytterbium and exposed them to a specific frequency of light. Under this light the atom's shadow was cast onto a detector, and a digital camera was then able to capture the image.

Bugs inspire better X-rays: Nanostructures modeled like moth eyes may boost medical imaging Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Using the compound eyes of the humble moth as their inspiration, physicists have developed new nanoscale materials that could someday reduce the radiation dosages received by patients getting X-rayed, while improving the resolution of the resulting images.

New insights into power-generating windows Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT Researchers have calculated how much electricity can be generated using power-generating windows, so-called luminescent solar concentrators. These are windows which have been fitted with a thin film of material that absorbs sunlight and directs it to narrow solar cells at the perimeter of the window. New research shows the relationship between the color of the material used and the maximum amount of power that can be generated. Such power-generating windows offer potential as a cheap source of solar energy.

Young rapidly spinning star flaunts its X-ray spots in McNeil's Nebula Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT X-ray observations have revealed something curious about the young star that illuminates McNeil's Nebula, a glowing jewel of cosmic dust in the Orion constellation: The object is a protostar rotating once a day, or 30 times faster than the sun. The stellar baby also has distinct birthmarks -- two X-ray-emitting spots, where gas flows from a surrounding disk, fueling the infant star.

Strength in numbers: Physicists identify new quantum state allowing three -- but not two -- atoms to stick together Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:25 AM PDT A recent quantum mechanics study has discovered a new bound state in atoms that may help scientists better understand matter and its composition. The yet-unnamed bound state, which the physicists simply refer to as "our state" in their study, applies to three identical atoms loosely bound together -- a behavior called three-body bound states in quantum mechanics. In this state, three atoms can stick together in a group but two cannot. Additionally, in some cases, the three atoms can stick together even when any two are trying to repel each other and break the connection.

Cosmic skyrocket: Geyser of hot gas flowing from a newborn star Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:25 AM PDT Resembling a Fourth of July skyrocket, Herbig-Haro 110 is a geyser of hot gas from a newborn star that splashes up against and ricochets from the dense core of a cloud of molecular hydrogen.

Fish learn to cope in a high carbon dioxide world, new study suggests Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:41 AM PDT Some coral reef fish may be better prepared to cope with rising carbon dioxide in the world's oceans -- thanks to their parents. Encouraging new findings show that some fish may be less vulnerable to high CO2 and an acidifying ocean than previously feared.

Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease: Study determines which bats are headed for extinction Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:40 AM PDT The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation. Species that hibernate in dense clusters even as their populations get smaller will continue to transmit the disease at a high rate, dooming them to continued decline, according to a new study.

Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a new study. Scientists have succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes. The findings raise the possibility that stem cells derived from donated amniotic fluid could be stored in banks and used for therapies and in research, providing a viable alternative to the limited embryonic stem cells currently available.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610