science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 9 Αυγούστου 2012

Science News SciGuru.com

New Drug Successfully Halts Fibrosis in Animal Model of Liver Disease
DNA code shapes gold nanoparticles
New Phenomenon in Nanodisk Magnetic Vortices
Clemson researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity
NIST Shows New Device Could Improve Fiber-Optic Quantum Data Transmission
People With Allergies May Have Lower Risk of Brain Tumors
First-Ever National Survey on Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Shows Mixed Support
Orbiter Images NASA's Latest Additions to Martian Landscape

New Drug Successfully Halts Fibrosis in Animal Model of Liver Disease

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 03:44 PM PDT

A study published in the online journal Hepatology reports a potential new NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitor therapy for liver fibrosis, a scarring process associated with chronic liver disease that can lead to loss of liver function.

DNA code shapes gold nanoparticles

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 03:39 PM PDT

DNA holds the genetic code for all sorts of biological molecules and traits. But University of Illinois researchers have found that DNA’s code can similarly shape metallic structures.

The team found that DNA segments can direct the shape of gold nanoparticles – tiny gold crystals that have many applications in medicine, electronics and catalysis. Led by Yi Lu, the Schenck Professor of Chemistry at the U. of I., the team published its surprising findings in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

New Phenomenon in Nanodisk Magnetic Vortices

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 03:31 PM PDT

The phenomenon in ferromagnetic nanodisks of magnetic vortices – hurricanes of magnetism only a few atoms across – has generated intense interest in the high-tech community because of the potential application of these vortices in non-volatile Random Access Memory (RAM) data storage systems. New findings from scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) indicate that the road to magnetic vortex RAM might be more difficult to navigate than previously supposed, but there might be unexpected rewards as well.

Clemson researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 10:22 AM PDT

Clemson University researchers are collecting and harvesting enzymes while maintaining the enzyme’s bioactivity. Their work, a new model system that may impact cancer research, is published in the journal Small.

Enzymes are round proteins produced by living organisms that increase the rate of chemical reactions.

NIST Shows New Device Could Improve Fiber-Optic Quantum Data Transmission

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 08:48 AM PDT

Tests performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) show that a new method for splitting photon beams could overcome a fundamental physical hurdle in transmitting electronic data. These results could lead to commercial systems that can help safeguard the transfer of sensitive information.

People With Allergies May Have Lower Risk of Brain Tumors

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:54 AM PDT

New research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that there’s a link between allergies and reduced risk of a serious type of cancer that starts in the brain. This study suggests the reduced risk is stronger among women than men, although men with certain allergy profiles also have a lower tumor risk.

First-Ever National Survey on Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Shows Mixed Support

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:46 AM PDT

Researchers from North Carolina State University have conducted the first nationally representative survey in the United States to gauge public opinion on the use of genetic manipulations to drive down mosquito populations and related diseases. While public support varies, depending on how the mosquitoes are characterized, a plurality opposes the effort when potential risks are explained.

Orbiter Images NASA's Latest Additions to Martian Landscape

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 07:39 AM PDT

Late Monday night, an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover and the components that helped it survive its seven-minute ordeal from space to its present location in Mars' Gale Crater.