science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τετάρτη 30 Απριλίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Researchers find a two-dimensional, self-assembling material that might produce solar cells or transistors
Graphene only as strong as weakest link
Discovery of anti-appetite molecule released by fiber Inulin could help tackle obesity

Researchers find a two-dimensional, self-assembling material that might produce solar cells or transistors

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 07:12 AM PDT

Researchers around the world have been working to harness the unusual properties of graphene, a two-dimensional sheet of carbon atoms. But graphene lacks one important characteristic that would make it even more useful: a property called a bandgap, which is essential for making devices such as computer chips and solar cells.

Now, researchers at MIT and Harvard University have found a two-dimensional material whose properties are very similar to graphene, but with some distinct advantages — including the fact that this material naturally has a usable bandgap.

Graphene only as strong as weakest link

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 01:12 PM PDT

There is no disputing graphene is strong. But new research by Rice University and the Georgia Institute of Technology should prompt manufacturers to look a little deeper as they consider the miracle material for applications.

Discovery of anti-appetite molecule released by fiber Inulin could help tackle obesity

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 08:38 AM PDT

New research has helped unpick a long-standing mystery about how dietary fiber supresses appetite. In a study led by Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC), an international team of researchers identified an anti-appetite molecule called acetate that is naturally released when we digest fiber in the gut. Once released, the acetate is transported to the brain where it produces a signal to tell us to stop eating.