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News | Archive (10 December 2008)
Novel technique for fluorescence tomography of tumours in living animals
— 12:19 GMT | HealthFluorescent molecules - i.e. substances which can be stimulated to emit light - are extremely valuable tools in biological research and medical diagnosis. Fluorescence can be used for instance to analyse the regulation and expression of genes, to locate proteins in cells and tissues, to follow metabolic pathways and to study the location and migration of cells…
Quality mark provides better protection for fish stocks than does the WTO
— 12:19 GMT | EnvironmentThe Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a foundation dedicated to maintaining the health and viability of our oceans, has more of an impact in the area of overfishing than all the agreements entered into by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), concludes dr. Peter Oosterveer of the Environmental Policy group at Wageningen University in the December issue of Ocean and Coastal Management…
Elephants like a familiar face
— 12:19 GMT | BiologyEveryone knows it's a bad idea to talk to strangers, and it seems elephants feel the same way, according to new research in the Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Researchers from the University of California studied elephants when they arrived in an ecologically unfamiliar environment, and were surprised to find they formed immigrant enclaves, rather than forming new acquaintances…
Sugar can be addictive
— 12:19 GMT | HealthA Princeton University scientist will present new evidence today demonstrating that sugar can be an addictive substance, wielding its power over the brains of lab animals in a manner similar to many drugs of abuse…
Researcher nabs doubly magic tin isotope, a North American first
— 11:48 GMT | PhysicsWith help from newly developed equipment designed and built at Michigan State University, MSU researchers have been able to make first-of-its-kind measurements of several rare nuclei, one of which has been termed a 'holy grail' of experimental nuclear physics. The discoveries, made at MSU's National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using an isotope purification device, will help to refine theoretical models about how elements are created in the cosmos. Until now, this was beyond the technical reach of nearly all of the world's nuclear science facilities…
Team led by Purdue professor first to record key event that breaks continents apart
— 11:48 GMT | Geology and palaeontologyResearchers have captured for the first time a geological event considered key in shaping the Earth's landscape. An international research team led by Eric Calais, a Purdue University professor of geophysics, was able to measure ground displacements as two tectonic plates in Africa moved apart and molten rock pushed its way toward the surface during the first so-called 'dyking event' ever recorded within the planet's continental crust…
Sevenfold accuracy improvement for 3-D 'virtual reality' labs
— 11:48 GMT | TechnologyScientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed software that improves the accuracy of the tracking devices in its immersive, or virtual, research environment by at least 700 percent. The software can be used by scientists in other immersive environments with slight modifications for their individual laboratories. This advance is a step forward in transforming immersive technology that has traditionally been a qualitative tool into a scientific instrument with which precision measurements can be made…
Local seed not the best for revegetation
— 11:48 GMT | BiologyThe answer to successful revegetation of native flora is in sourcing genetically diverse seed, not necessarily relying on seed sourced from remnant local native vegetation. 'A common belief is that local native plants are the best source of seed for revegetation projects,' says CSIRO Plant Industry scientist, Dr Linda Broadhurst, 'It has been presumed that local seed is adapted to local conditions and therefore provides the best results for restoration projects…
Carbon nanofibres cut flammability of upholstered furniture
— 11:48 GMT | TechnologyCarbon, the active ingredient in charcoal, is normally not considered a fire retardant, but researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have determined that adding a small amount of carbon nanofibres to the polyurethane foams used in some upholstered furniture can reduce flammability by about 35 percent when compared to foam infused with conventional fire retardants…
Researchers focus on building telescope at South Pole
— 11:48 GMT | AstronomyIt's 40 degrees F below zero (with the wind chill) at the South Pole today. Yet a research team from the University of Delaware is taking it all in stride. The physicists, engineers and technicians from the University of Delaware's Bartol Research Institute are part of an international team working to build the world's largest neutrino telescope in the Antarctic ice, far beneath the continent's snow-covered surface…
NASA launches lunar impactor
Gobi Desert yield new species of nut-cracking dinosaur