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| Strong feelings - Latest findings on pain sensitivity |
28 August 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The recent discovery of the amplification of even low levels of pain has prompted the organisation of an upcoming symposium in Vienna on 'Risk Assessment in Pain Therapy'. This international expert meeting will aim to optimise pain therapy by taking account of this previously unknown phenomenon. As a result the findings of an Austrian Science Fund FWF project, which were recently published in SCIENCE, may soon be benefiting patients who suffering severe chronic pain. |
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| How red apples mark a cognitive leap forward |
17 July 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Children aged about four suddenly become capable of recognising that an object can be described differently depending on how it is viewed. This apparently simple skill requires cognitive changes that are not far enough advanced until then. A project carried out by the Department of Psychology at the University of Salzburg with support from the FWF (Austrian Science Fund) reached this finding. |
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| No man is an Island |
07 July 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The current issue of SCIENCE features an article on Simron Singh, a human ecologist and anthropologist, and his work on the Nicobar Islands both before and after the massive tsunami hit Southern Asia in December 2004. In the wake of the disaster, Singh was asked by tribal elders to help them rebuild their society. He helped in many ways and the Austrian Science Fund FWF supported some of his activities. |
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| Effects could extend from base of food chain to native hunters |
11 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Physical changes, including rising air and seawater temperatures and decreasing seasonal ice cover, appear to be the cause of a series of biological changes in the northern Bering Sea ecosystem that could have long-range and irreversible effects on the animals that live there and on the people who depend on them for their livelihoods. |
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| New Crystal Sponge triples hydrogen storage |
11 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
In a step toward making cars that can run on hydrogen rather than gasoline a reality, chemists at UCLA and the University of Michigan have announced a new 'crystal sponge' material that can store in its pores nearly three times more hydrogen than any substance known previously. |
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| New study raises questions about sustainability of metal resources |
11 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Researchers studying supplies of copper, zinc and other metals have determined that these finite resources, even if recycled, may not meet the needs of the global population forever. According to the study, if all nations were to use the same services enjoyed in developed nations, even the full extraction of metals from the Earth's crust and extensive recycling programs may not meet future demand. |
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| New devices will enable a deeper and broader understanding of Earth's environment |
10 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Humidity sensors monitor fire danger in remote areas. Nitrate sensors detect agricultural runoff in rivers and streams. Seismic monitors provide early warnings of earthquakes. |
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| New process builds Electronics Into Optical Fiber |
10 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Scientists from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom have demonstrated a new way to combine microelectronics and optical fibers, a development that opens up potential applications in fields as diverse as medicine, computing and remote sensing. |
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| New NSF aircraft to probe hazardous atmospheric whirlwinds |
10 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Today, the nation's most-advanced research aircraft will take flight on its first science mission. Scientists aboard will study a severe type of atmospheric turbulence that forms near mountains and endangers planes flying in the vicinity. |
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| FWF project tackles football wanderers |
10 June 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The creation of the first comprehensive database on foreign players in Austrian professional football has opened the way for academic study of the relationship between migration and football. The project concerned, which is being supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, not only takes a systematic look at 50 years of Austrian football history but is also addressing current debates. |
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| Researchers discover molecular details for maintenance of genetic fitness |
09 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
New data suggest that molecular communication between the plant sexes is more complicated than originally thought. Plants, like animals, avoid inbreeding to maximize genetic diversity and the associated chances for survival. For decades, scientists have sought to fully understand the plant's molecular system for recognizing and rejecting 'self' so that inbreeding does not occur. |
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| Discovery of small, rocky, extrasolar world suggests such planets may be common |
09 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Using a relatively new planet-hunting technique that can spot worlds one-tenth the mass of our own, researchers have discovered a potentially rocky, icy body that may be the smallest planet yet found orbiting a star outside our solar system.
The discovery suggests the technique, gravitational microlensing, may be an exceptional technology for finding distant planets with traits that could support life. |
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| New ultra-fast and ultra-versatile scanner takes chemical analysis to the field |
09 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new, ultra-fast chemical-analysis system, with potential applications that range from sniffing luggage for explosive residues to detecting molecular disease markers in urine samples. |
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| Novel application of MRI leads to new tools for online dissection of preserved fishes |
08 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
The same medical technology used to image brain tumors and torn knee ligaments is now taking the field of marine biology to a new dimension: anyone with Internet access will be able to look at fish as never before. |
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| Researchers sequenced the genomes of ocean microbes living in the Pacific ocean |
08 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Scientists have sequenced and compared the genomes of planktonic microbes living throughout the water column in the Pacific Ocean. The pioneering study yielded insight into the specialization of microbial communities at each depth, ranging from 40 to more than 13,000 feet. |
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| New analytical tools are giving researchers better insight into plant aromatics |
08 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
A trip to the neighborhood florist is proof positive that flowers have an array of scents to pique our senses, but researchers are also investigating the myriad other functions of these aromas--known to scientists as 'plant volatiles.' Typically liquid substances that evaporate easily at average temperatures, plant volatiles play important ecological roles from attracting pollinators to repulsing herbivores and from destroying microorganisms to dispersing seed. |
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| New instruments on Alaska's Augustine Volcano provide new insights into Volcanic processes |
07 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
As Alaska's Augustine Volcano erupts and sends a plume of ash more than 40,000 feet into the air, instruments on the ground are recording rumblings at the volcano's surface. The data collected will provide new insights into the inner workings of volcanoes along the Pacific rim. |
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| Worldwide study reveals nature encourages diversity in tropical forests |
07 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
An analysis of seven tropical forests around the world has found that nature encourages species diversity by selecting for less common trees as the trees mature. The landmark study, which was conducted by 33 ecologists from 12 countries and published in this week's issue of the journal Science, conclusively demonstrates that diversity matters and has ecological importance to tropical forests. |
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| Computers say the last melting of Greenland's Ice sheet occured under conditions like today's |
07 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Ice sheets covering both the Arctic and Antarctic could melt more quickly than expected this century, according to two studies that blend computer modeling with paleoclimate records. Led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Arizona, the studies show that by 2100, Arctic summers may be as warm as they were nearly 130,000 years ago when sea levels rose to 20 feet (6 meters) higher than they are today. |
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| Finding leads to new conclusions about marine environment |
06 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
New evidence from open-sea experiments shows there's a constant shuffling of genetic material going on among the ocean's tiny plankton. It happens via ocean-dwelling viruses, scientists report this week in the journal Science. |
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| New polymer use may yield cheaper way to separate hydrogen from impurities |
06 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Whether it's used in chemical laboratories or the fuel tanks of advanced automobiles, hydrogen is mostly produced from natural gas and other fossil fuels. However, to isolate the tiny hydrogen molecules, engineers must first remove impurities, and the currently available methods can require substantial equipment or toxic chemicals. |
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| Scientists discover oldest-known and most-primitive Tyrannosaur |
06 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Scientists have discovered a new genus and species of dinosaur, which is also the oldest-known and most-primitive tyrannosaur. Guanlong wucaii, the newly discovered dinosaur, was much smaller, however, than its gigantic and legendary relative, the 15-foot tall, 40-foot long Tyrannosaurus rex. |
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| New nstruments on a tower at NSF's Niwot Ridge LTER site in Colo. measure carbon dioxide |
05 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
A decrease in Rocky Mountain snowfall has slowed the release of heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas from forest soils into the atmosphere during the dead of winter, according to results of a new study. |
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| New model explains sound before sight |
05 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
In most explosions, there's the flash and then the 'bang.' But in the exploding stars known as supernovae, it may be just the opposite. In fact, according to new computer simulations carried out by University of Arizona astronomer Adam Burrows and his colleagues, the bang actually makes the flash. |
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| Virtual virus takes 100 days on supercomputer, 35 years on a desktop |
05 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
For the first time, researchers have visualized the changing atomic structure of a virus by calculating how each of the virus' one million atoms interacted with each other every femtosecond, or one-millionth-of-a-billionth of a second. A better understanding of viral structures and mechanisms may one day allow researchers to design improved strategies to combat viral infections in plants, animals and even humans. |
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| New waterproof superglue may be strongest in nature |
04 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
The glue one species of water-loving bacteria uses to grip its surroundings may be the strongest natural adhesive known to science. If engineers can find a way to mass-produce the material, it could have uses in medicine, marine technology and a range of other applications. |
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| Discovery could have fundamental implications for chemistry |
04 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
By using ultra-short laser pulses to spin a cyanide molecule like a propeller, chemists at the University of Southern California and Brown University have achieved the first known demonstration of near-frictionless motion in water. Although the discovery has no immediate practical use, says USC chemist Stephen Bradforth, 'it impacts how we think about the vast majority of chemical reactions', 90 percent of which take place in liquid solutions. |
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| Using lasers to clear silicon surfaces could make for cheaper, better computer chips and solar cells |
04 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Researchers have demonstrated a new laser-based technique for stripping hydrogen atoms from the surface of silicon, an advance that could significantly reduce the cost and improve the quality of computer chips, solar cells and a wide variety of other semiconductor devices. |
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| A gold nanoparticle coated with antisense DNA can disrupt protein production quite effectively |
03 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
By attaching strands of 'antisense' DNA to nanometer-scale particles made of gold, scientists at Northwestern University have significantly enhanced the strands' ability to suppress the production of dangerous proteins, such as those that cause cancer. |
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| New key fits old lock |
03 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Looking back in time some 450 million years, researchers at the University of Oregon have reconstructed the evolution of two hormone molecules and their 'receptors': the precisely shaped protein molecules that allow the body's cells to respond to the hormones. |
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| U.S.-Taiwan Constellation of Satellites Launched |
03 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
A globe-spanning constellation of six satellites expected to improve weather forecasts, monitor climate change, and enhance space weather research will head into orbit on Fri. April 14, 2006. Barring delays, a Minotaur rocket is scheduled to launch the array at 5:10 p.m. Pacific time from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central Calif. coast. |
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| Stunted plants may not soak up excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere |
02 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Earth's plant life will not be able to 'store' excess carbon from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as well as scientists once thought because plants likely cannot get enough nutrients, such as nitrogen, when there are higher levels of carbon dioxide, according to scientists publishing in this week's issue of the journal Nature. |
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| New fossils fill the evolutionary gap between fish and land animals |
02 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Working in rocks more than 375 million years old far above the Arctic Circle, paleontologists have discovered a remarkable new fossil species that represents the most compelling evidence yet of an intermediate stage between fish and early limbed animals. |
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| Ancient plant provides clues to evolutionary mystery |
02 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
The plant species, Amborella trichopoda, which first appeared on Earth 130 million years ago, has a unique reproductive structure, evidence this so-called 'living fossil' may represent a crucial link between modern flowering plants and their predecessors. |
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| The new algorithm analysizes gene chips to detect certain cancer genes |
01 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences have developed a new algorithm that makes it much easier to detect certain cancer genes, and as a test, have applied it to map a set of tumor-suppressor genes involved in lung cancer. |
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| New research aims to plug holes in Voice over Internet Protocol before they happen |
01 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation has issued four awards totaling $600,000 to the University of North Texas to lead a multi-university collaboration to develop a geographically distributed, secure test bed to analyze vulnerabilities in Voice over Internet Protocol, an increasingly popular technology that turns audio signals into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet |
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| New fossils link Ape-men to more primitive ancestors |
01 June 2006 - National Science Foundation
A team of scientists working in an eastern Ethiopian desert has discovered fossil bones and teeth from individuals they believe link the genus Australopithecus precursors of humans to a decidedly more ape-like animal of the genus Ardipithicus. Because the fossils were found in areas known to contain evidence of both older and younger specimens, the scientists say evidence of when the three hominid types existed will provide valuable information about human evolution. |
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| Single-molecule diode may change Moore's law of microchip memory |
31 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
Using the power of modern computing combined with innovative theoretical tools, an international team of researchers has determined how a one-way electrical valve, or diode, made of only a single molecule does its job. |
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| Breakthrough study shows genetics underlie altruistic behavior in some lizards |
31 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
Scientists have reported the first direct evidence that cooperative behavior in side-blotched male lizards arises from their genes. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by University of California, Santa Cruz's Barry Sinervo and colleagues, represent some 20 years of research into the altruistic or 'self-sacrificing' behavior. |
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| Devices convert simple motion into electricity |
31 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have crafted tiny nanowires that generate electricity when they vibrate. Just like the quartz crystal in a watch, the zinc-oxide nanowires are piezoelectric, which means bending causes them to produce an electrical charge. |
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| Expedition achieves milestone in analyzing atmospheric chemistry |
30 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
A research consortium funded by the National Science Foundation and led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has successfully sent a fleet of aerial drones through the pollution-filled skies over the Indian Ocean, thereby achieving an important milestone in the tracking of pollutants responsible for dimming Earth's atmosphere. |
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| First result from new experiment confirms neutrino sscillation |
30 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
By sending a high-intensity beam of subatomic particles known as neutrinos from a laboratory in Batavia, Ill., to a particle detector located deep in a mine in Soudan, Minn., scientists have confirmed the neutrinos really do 'oscillate,' changing from one kind to another as they fly along. |
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| New species can form within a few generations |
29 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
A common and widespread species of freshwater plankton, called a copepod, forms new species at an uncommonly high rate, scientists have discovered. Indeed, a new study has revealed that what was once believed to be a single copepod species is really a collection of many species. |
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| CARMA will produce millimeter-wave images almost as sharp as Hubble's optical images |
29 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
The Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-Wave Astronomy, a joint venture of the California Institute of Technology, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Maryland and the University of Illinois, was created by moving the six 10-meter telescopes at Caltech's Owens Valley Radio Observatory, along with nine 6-meter telescopes at the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association array, to a new location at Cedar Flat in the Inyo Mountains near Bishop, Calif. |
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| International collaboration brings up first samples of hard rock called gabbro in intact ocean crust |
29 May 2006 - National Science Foundation
Scientists aboard the research drilling ship JOIDES Resolution have, for the first time, drilled into a fossil magma chamber under intact ocean crust. There, 1.4 kilometers beneath the sea floor, they have recovered samples of gabbro: a hard, black rock that forms when molten magma is trapped beneath Earth's surface and cools slowly. |
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| Philosophy On Stage, new approaches to knowledge at Tanzquartier Wien |
15 May 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
An international cast is bringing fresh momentum to the current debate on education at the Tanzquartier Wien contemporary dance centre. A season of lectures and performances at special 'dance labs', entitled 'Education acts. Kunst macht Bildung', is putting the spotlight on the usefulness of education. |
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| Aircraft, ground instruments to track carbon dioxide uptake along Colorado's drought-plagued front range |
30 April 2006 - National Science Foundation
As spring turns into summer, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., and other institutions will fly a C-130 research aircraft over Colorado's Front Range this May and again in July to measure how much carbon dioxide mountain forests remove from the air. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation. The researchers are developing new methods for assessing carbon uptake over complex terrain on regional scales. Accurate assessments could help show to what extent carbon dioxide storage in Western mountain forests, a potentially important 'sink' for the greenhouse gas, may be slowing down as the ongoing drought affects tree growth. |
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| Mixed mortars of calcium and cement in the restoration of buildings |
20 April 2006 - Elhuyar Fundazioa
The chemist Mikel Arandigoyen Vidaurre, of the Department of Chemistry and Soil Sciences of the University of Navarra, has proved the effectiveness of new formulas for the restoration of buildings. In his thesis, defended at the School of Sciences, he proposes a combination of calcium and cement, which is able to strengthen the qualities of both materials. |
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| Is THREE more than three? Brain research is looking for answers |
10 April 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
How do we process numbers? A new project from the Austrian Science Fund, FWF hopes to find the complex answer to this seemingly simple question by building on the recent findings of a team from Innsbruck. These show that while children and adults are equally good at processing numbers, they actually use different regions of the brain to do so. |
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| When repulsive particles stick together, A new angle on clustering |
13 March 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Even when they mutually repel each other, material particles in a solution can still form clusters. Details on the conditions necessary for this seemingly contradictory phenomenon have now been published, following a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Though they come from the realm of theoretical physics these findings may be very important for understanding of the ordering of polymer-like entities, and increase the standing of the fledgling field of soft matter physics in Austria. |
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| Aid for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, how social ecology can help |
13 February 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
A year after the tsunami devastated the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, wide-ranging field studies are helping to preserve the last remaining indigenous cultures. The tidal wave not only deprived the tribes of their livelihood, it also threatens to dispossess them of their cultural identity. Now a new Austrian Science Fund project is using scientific methods to assist the islanders in opting for a culturally appropriate sustainable future. |
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| Cyberinfrastructure poised to revolutionize environmental sciences |
13 February 2006 - National Science Foundation
The convergence of information and communication technologies into a national 'cyberinfrastructure' is poised to revolutionize the environmental sciences and many other disciplines in the coming years, according to researchers presenting at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. The two Feb. 13 sessions on cyberinfrastructure were organized by the heads of two National Science Foundation directorates. |
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| Genetic fingerprint unmasks microbial vandals |
16 January 2006 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
For the first time DNA analysis can identify paper-degrading microorganisms. This is made possible by a molecular process developed for fungal infected documents at the University of Vienna with support from the Austrian Science Fund FWF. Fungal species can now be clearly identified by means of a DNA region known as ITS1, making it easier to choose effective countermeasures for conserving historic documents. |
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| A new family of self-assembling nanolattices |
16 January 2006 - National Science Foundation
Inspired by the way most solids form in nature, with free-floating molecules spontaneously assembling themselves into a rigid, highly uniform array, researchers from Columbia University and IBM have learned how to create a whole new family of intricate structures out of artificial nanoscale crystals. |
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| The most resilient nanosprings in nature |
15 January 2006 - National Science Foundation
In a discovery that could lead to potent new 'shock absorbers' and 'gate-opening springs' for molecular-scale nanomachines, as well as a new understanding of mechanical processes within living cells, researchers from Duke University have shown that a component of many natural proteins can act as one of the most powerful and resilient molecular springs in nature. |
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| Scientists use deep ocean historical records to find an abrupt ocean circulation reversal |
04 January 2006 - National Science Foundation
Newly published research results provide evidence that global climate change may have quickly disrupted ocean processes and lead to drastic shifts in environments around the world. |
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| New report tells which doctorate holders work the most |
03 January 2006 - National Science Foundation
Computer scientists and engineers work more than mathematicians or psychologists do, and biologists and agricultural scientists work more than everyone, says an NSF survey of the average work weeks of doctoral scientists and engineers. |
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| Modified microscope proves critical to uncovering cell-growth secret |
27 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers using a customized atomic force microscope have discovered new evidence for how the fibrous scaffolding within our cells, which is made of the protein actin, responds to obstacles in its environment. |
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| New techique provides first clear picture of the center of the Milky Way |
23 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
Using a new laser 'virtual star' at the W.M. Keck observatory in Hawaii, astronomers have taken the first clear picture of the center of our Milky Way galaxy, including the environs of a supermassive black hole at its very center. |
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| Scientists sink their teeth into lamprey immune system to probe alternate pathogen protection mechanism |
23 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers recently discovered that the sea lamprey, a modern representative of ancient jawless vertebrates, fights invading pathogens by generating up to 100 trillion unique receptors. These receptors, referred to as VLRs, are proteins and function like antibodies and T-cell receptors, sentinels of the immune system in all jawed vertebrates, including humans. |
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| Researchers combine molecular biology and math models to investigate variation in gene activity |
22 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
A population of genetically identical cells can exhibit random differences or 'noise' in gene activity that may ultimately contribute to differences in the physical characteristics of the so-called 'identical' cells. Such noise, which chimes in when cellular activity is out of sync among a population of cells, has been a nuisance to scientists studying the role genes play in a number of processes. |
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| Researchers discover gene linked to fish and human pigmentation |
15 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
Until now, the genetics underlying human skin pigmentation have remained a mystery. But while studying the zebrafish, a fish common to household aquariums and research laboratories, a team of interdisciplinary scientists found a gene that plays a major role in human coloration. |
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| New jets are made of powder and air, yet behave like an ultra-cold fluid |
15 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
Using nothing more than a container of loosely packed sand and a falling marble, a research team led by University of Chicago physicist Heinrich Jaeger has discovered a new state of fluid matter. |
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| Model predicts colder winter temperatures in the East, warmer in the West |
15 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
According to a model developed by atmospheric scientist Judah Cohen of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc., temperatures during Dec., Jan., and Feb. will be cold in the eastern United States and warm west of the Mississippi River. |
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| Sparking hearts: SPARC promotes heart muscle formation from stem cells |
12 December 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The protein SPARC plays a key role in the development of heart muscle in the embryo. An Austrian Science Fund project has discovered this previously unknown role of SPARC. The protein has a significant effect on the activity of the genes that are responsible for the emergence of heart cells from initially undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. |
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| New web tool may help doctors make better decisions |
06 December 2005 - National Science Foundation
According to a new study in the Nov.-Dec. issue of Annals of Family Medicine, primary care physicians were able to answer more clinical questions when they used a new online resource, the Dynamic Medical Information System, or DynaMed, than if they relied solely upon other resources. |
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| Researchers use imaging technique to visualize effects of stress on human brain |
22 November 2005 - National Science Foundation
The holiday season is notorious for the emotional stress it evokes. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have come up with a non-invasive way to see the effects of psychological stress in an area of the brain linked to anxiety and depression. This research has important implications for how practitioners treat the numerous long-term health consequences of chronic stress. |
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| 3-D structure of light-sensing protein controls processes from seed sprouting to leaf dropping |
17 November 2005 - National Science Foundation
Plants use light not only for energy during photosynthesis, light also helps govern basic processes such as seed germination, growth, flowering, and, in autumn, dropping of leaves. Now, in the Nov. 17 issue of the journal Nature, scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reveal the 3-D structure of the light-detecting protein, phytochrome. |
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| New DNA studies show microevolution in penguins |
16 November 2005 - National Science Foundation
By comparing the genetic code retrieved from 6,000-year-old remains of Adelie penguins in Antarctica with that of modern Adelies living at the same site as their ancestors, an international team of researchers has shown that microevolution, the process of evolutionary change at or below the species level, has taken place in the population. They also speculate that the remarkable lack of genetic differentiation among Adelie populations from around Antarctica may have been prompted by changes in migration patterns caused by giant icebergs. |
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| Discovery alters view of coastal organic matter recycling |
14 November 2005 - National Science Foundation
Marine scientists from the University of Georgia have shown for the first time that temperature affects the biological activity of microbes that degrade organic carbon in marine sediments. Warming global temperatures could therefore cause shifts in the balance of organic carbon that is recycled into the atmosphere or buried in sediments that serve as reservoirs for the substance. |
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| Brown bears: The guile and wile of reproduction |
02 November 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Female brown bears are driven to having many partners, not because of lust but as part of a sophisticated strategy for protecting future offspring. This surprising discovery is the result of a large-scale project by the Austrian Science Fund FWF in which the bear population in Scandinavia was closely observed in the wild. The data, that goes back for over 20 years, is published today and is contributing to a better understanding of this species which is once again becoming native to Europe. |
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| NSF announces first cyber-enabled chemistry awards |
01 November 2005 - National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation has announced the first round of grants in 'cyber-enabled chemistry,' a program developed by its chemistry division to explore how researchers and educators in that field can fully exploit the potential of cyberinfrastructure. |
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| Discovery hinges on presence of tiny crystals called zircons |
28 October 2005 - National Science Foundation
A newly developed method that detects tiny bits of zircon in rock reliably predicts the age of ocean crust more than 99 percent of the time, making the technique the most accurate so far. |
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| Specialized muscles generate heat and swimming power |
27 October 2005 - National Science Foundation
Scientists now have direct evidence that the north Pacific salmon shark maintains its red muscle at 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit, much warmer than the 47 F water in which it lives. The elevated muscle temperature presumably helps the salmon shark survive the cold waters of the north Pacific and take advantage of the abundant food supply there. The heat also appears to factor into the fish's impressive swimming ability. |
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| Lack of gene expression associated with ovarian cancer |
24 October 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The expression of two specific genes is almost completely downregulated in ovarian cancer tumours. An extensive analysis of gene expression in ovarian cancer tumour cells has revealed this important finding, which should be an aid to early diagnosis. The insights gained by the research at the Medical University of Vienna with the support of the Austrian Science Fund FWF are also central to a recently launched EU project aimed at optimising ovarian cancer diagnosis. |
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| Bird-like Dinosaur is oldest Raptor Discovered in South America |
12 October 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers have discovered the 90-million-year-old fossil remains of a previously unknown dinosaur species in Patagonia. Buitreraptor (pronounced bwee-tree-rap-tor) gonzalezorum, the oldest member ever found in South America of the group of dinosaurs that includes the carnivorous Velociraptor,was about the size of a very large rooster, but with a long head and very long tail. |
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| Solar telescope yields striking new sunspot images |
06 October 2005 - National Science Foundation
Advanced technologies now available at the National Science Foundation's Dunn Solar Telescope at Sunspot, NM, are revealing striking details on the surface of the Sun. |
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| Gulf warm-water eddies intensify hurricane changes |
03 October 2005 - National Science Foundation
Scientists monitoring ocean heat and circulation in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have a new understanding of how these tropical storms can gain intensity so quickly: The Gulf of Mexico's 'Loop Current' is likely intensifying hurricanes that pass over eddies of warm water that spin off the main current. |
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| Remains of photosynthesizing microbes in prehistoric rocks suggest Earth was not ice-bound. |
27 September 2005 - National Science Foundation
'Snowball Earth' proponents, who say that Earth's oceans were long ago covered by thick ice, explain the survival of life by hypothesizing the existence of small warm spots, or refugia. On the other side, supporters of a 'Slushball Earth' say the planet included large areas of thin ice or open ocean, particularly around the equator. |
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| NSF Centers will use Nano-Interface Control and Bioengineering for Materials by Design |
27 September 2005 - National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation has established two new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers at Yale University and the University of Washington, with a combined NSF investment of up to $14 million over the next six years. The centers will also receive substantial support from the participating academic institutions, state governments and industry. |
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| White blood cells may be cause of dementia in people with AIDS |
27 September 2005 - National Science Foundation
Publishing in the Sept. 2005 issue of the Journal of Virology, the researchers show that HIV in the temporal lobe mutates at a rate 100 times faster than in other parts of the body, triggering white blood cells to continually swarm to attack the infection. The associated overcrowding and inflammation appear to cause the dementia. |
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| Scienitsts prepare the high-definition TV camera for loading onto a remotely operated vehicle |
23 September 2005 - National Science Foundation
Ocean scientists are planning for the first time to use a high-definition television camera for live views of an area of the sea floor that has been twisted by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and is dotted with eerie spires and chimneys venting water as hot as 700 degrees Fahrenheit. |
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| Wood: simplified method shows complex structure |
19 September 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Mechanically-isolated wood fibres show several different properties in comparison to chemically-isolated fibres. This is one of the most recent results of a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna. The project yields significant findings on the structural changes in wood fibres after exposure to moisture and tension. |
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| RNA research reveals new responsibilities |
01 September 2005 - National Science Foundation
For decades, the 'other' genetic material, ribonucleic acid, was thought to play a supporting role to its more famous counterpart, DNA. After all, protein production requires DNA-based genetic information to be converted to transient RNA molecules, which cells use as blueprints to build the proteins, in a process that relegates RNA to its subsidiary reputation. |
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| Researchers study hurricane rainbands and eyewall |
30 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
Real-time radar data and high-tech communications were the keystones to success this past weekend as the Rainband and Intensity Change Experiment project began its research with Hurricane Katrina. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation. |
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| Pilot project helps scientists give their research expertise broader impact |
26 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation has named a second round of fellows to its Discovery Corps: a pilot program that is exploring innovative ways for scientists to combine their research expertise with service to society as a whole. |
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| Scientists acquire geologic data from beneath the ocean floor |
25 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
'This new way of studying the ocean crust is the equivalent of a new telescope in astronomy,' said Bruce Malfait, head of the National Science Foundation marine geosciences section, which funded the research. 'It allows us to look at Earth processes and composition at a remarkable new level of detail.' |
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| New databases give researchers a look into processes inside the Earth's mantle |
25 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
While some geochemists have argued that parts of the deep mantle have remained unchanged since the formation of the Earth, some geophysicists and others have believed that the entire mantle has been moving throughout geologic time. The question of whether the deep-Earth changes is central to scientists' understanding of the process of heat loss from deep beneath the surface. |
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| A new technique for high-precision nano manufacturing |
25 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have demonstrated a new technique for nano-manufacturing that could make it significantly easier to create high-precision components for nanoscale electronics, sensing devices and the like. |
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| Health Care: Women from ethnic minorities often neglected |
22 August 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Women from ethnic minorities who live in Western societies are exposed to substantial health risks. The reason is that modern health care does not always take cultural values into account. These are the findings of a continent-spanning project by the Austrian Science Fund and identifies the lack of cultural and gender-sensitive health care and its consequences, based on the example of New Zealand and Austria. |
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| Process yield miniscule molecular detection devices, semiconducting connectors & molecular sieves |
17 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
By applying electric current through a thin film of oil molecules, engineers have developed a new method to precisely carve arrays of tiny holes only 10 nanometers wide into sheets of gold. The new system, called Electric Pen Lithography, uses a scanning-tunneling microscope, fitted with a tip sharpened to the size of a single atom, to deliver the charge through the dielectric oil to the target surface. |
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| Carbon Nanotubes made to stick like a Gecko's Foot |
15 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
Renowned for their ability to walk up walls like miniature Spider-Men, or even to hang from the ceiling by one toe, the colorful lizards of the gecko family owe their wall-crawling prowess to their remarkable footpads. Each five-toed foot is covered with microscopic elastic hairs called setae, which are themselves split at the ends to form a forest of nanoscale fibers known as spatulas. So when a gecko steps on almost anything, these nano-hairs make such extremely close contact with the surface that they form intermolecular bonds, thus holding the foot in place. |
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| New Inka Textile Devices served as business ledgers |
11 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
While most ancient cultures recorded civil matters and business transactions by inscribing characters on 2-dimensional sheets, new evidence shows Peru's original inhabitants used a 3-dimensional system of knotted strings to keep track of things. |
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| Worm studies give researchers new perspective on Embryo Formation |
10 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
How does a multi-cellular organism with specialized organs and tissues develop from a single cell? A team of genomics researchers has moved closer to answering this question by creating the first comprehensive diagram of the molecular interactions that orchestrate early embryo development. |
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| New novel structure made from cell components could deliver drugs, genes on command |
09 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
By combining one natural component of a cell with the synthetic analog of another component, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have created a nanoscale hybrid they call the 'smart bio-nanotube': a novel structure that could one day become a vehicle for ultra-precise drug or therapeutic gene delivery. |
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| Research project to improve forecasting |
08 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
Scientists will soon begin one of the largest research projects ever undertaken to better understand dramatic, rapid changes in hurricane intensity. These changes have baffled forecasters for decades. |
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| First drill hole into San Andreas Fault will aid earthquake studies |
03 August 2005 - National Science Foundation
Geologists affiliated with the EarthScope Project have successfully drilled a hole 2 miles deep into the San Andreas Fault, an 800-mile-long rift. The entire borehole will be lined with steel and concrete so sensitive instruments can be installed underground. |
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| New CEOSE report stresses importance of science and engineering opportunities for all citizens |
21 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation programs and policies have helped increase the participation of women, minorities and people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a new report prepared by the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering. Yet despite measurable gains, the report, Broadening Participation in America's Science and Engineering Workforce, notes that progress has been slow and uneven across underrepresented groups and the various science and engineering fields. |
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| New high-tech tool maneuvers microscopic particles |
20 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers have invented so-called optoelectronic tweezers that can maneuver microscopic particles as small as living cells without damaging them. The tool uses optical energy from a low-intensity laser beam to create an electric field on a photoconductive glass slide. Similar to magnets sticking together or pushing apart according to their orientation, a particle inside the charged electric field is attracted or repelled depending on its own charge. Moving the laser beam moves the electric field, taking the object along with it. |
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| Pittsburgh Center unveils a bigger, faster supercomputer called Big Ben |
20 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center now has it own 'Big Ben', only this technological bellwether rings out in teraflops. PSC acquired Big Ben, the first XT3 system to be shipped from Cray, Inc., with a $9.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation. |
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| Novel system uses polarized light pulses to reveal crop health |
19 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
By firing rapid pulses of polarized light at corn, spinach and other crops, researchers have uncovered a picture of plant health that is invisible to the naked eye. Using a portable light source and detector technology, the researchers can differentiate minute differences in leaf colors, indicators of over- or under-fertilization, crop-nutrient levels and perhaps even disease. |
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| New nano-valve can start and stop a molecular flow repeatedly |
19 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
Chemists at UCLA have created the first reversible nano-valve: a molecular machine that they can open and close like a faucet whenever they want. Among the many potential applications are nanoscale drug delivery systems that could release pharmaceuticals at very precise points within the body, or even within a single cell. |
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| Multi-cultural aspects breathe new life into faith in Brazil |
19 July 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Believers in Brazil can choose from a wide variety of religions. The main reason for this rich selection lies in the country's colonial history and its current socio-economic development. This is the key message of a project recently concluded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF in order to analyze why Brazil of all countries experiences such a big run on faith. |
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| Nanowires in blood vessels may help monitor, stimulate neurons in the brain |
07 July 2005 - National Science Foundation
Working with platinum nanowires 100 times thinner than a human hair, and using blood vessels as conduits to guide the wires, a team of U.S. and Japanese researchers has demonstrated a technique that may one day allow doctors to monitor individual brain cells and perhaps provide new treatments for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's. |
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| Findings may lead to new nano-devices and understanding of infection |
30 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers have reported new information about how certain bacteria propel themselves from one place to another. Insight into bacterial micro-movement will benefit scientists and engineers developing nano-scale mechanical devices that may one day push fluids and transport molecules without the aid of pumps or electrical charges. |
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| New map of gene control regions provides tool for understanding cells' different roles |
29 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
In another step to decipher information in the human genome, scientists have discovered the location and sequence of over 10,000 DNA regions that function as genetic on-off switches, or 'promoters' in human fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are relatively generic, easily maintained, human cells that form connective tissues throughout the body. By knowing the specific sequences of DNA that control the nearly 8,000 active genes in fibroblasts, scientists can tease apart the biochemical regulation system these cells use to turn genes on and off during normal growth. |
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| Scientists reveal aerodynamics of the tiny bird's flight |
22 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
Hummingbirds are masters of the air, unique among birds for their ability to hover for long periods of time. Using a sophisticated digital imaging technique, scientists have now determined the aerodynamics of hummingbird flight. These latest data disprove conclusions from numerous earlier studies that hummingbirds hovered like insects despite their profound muscle and skeletal differences. |
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| Linguistics meets Veterinary Medicine, 13th Century Armenian Medical Book on horses has been translated |
20 June 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
An Armenian manual about horse medicine from the 13th century has been translated into German for the first time. The compendium is Armenia's oldest preserved veterinary medical work and offers an overall view of expert knowledge about horses during the late 13th century in the Near East. The Austrian Science Fund FWF supported this project and it was made possible thanks to an Austrian Armenologist, her excellent knowledge about the country and its language as well as her close cooperation with veterinarians in Vienna. |
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| Missing receptor molecule causes tumor growth |
15 June 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
A missing receptor molecule contributes to the growth of tumors in human ovaries. This surprisingly evident connection has now been proven by a team at the Medical University of Vienna, who published their data in the science journal Molecular Cancer Research. The team, who is supported by funding from the Austrian Science Fund FWF, also discovered the possible genetic reason why the receptor molecule, which is an important factor in regulating cell growth, is missing. |
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| Astronomers announce the most earth-like planet yet found outside the solar system |
13 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
Taking a major step forward in the search for Earth-like planets beyond our own solar system, a team of astronomers has announced the discovery of the smallest extrasolar planet yet detected. About seven-and-a-half times as massive as Earth, with about twice the radius, it may be the first rocky planet ever found orbiting a normal star not much different from our Sun. |
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| New finding may provide insight on Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease |
08 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
After years of intense work, researchers have discovered the 3-dimensional structure of a miniscule, yet mighty, region of a protein that forms deleterious rope-like structures in the brain. Known as amyloid fibrils, the proteins are associated with the degenerative brain disorders Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, and so-called prion diseases like mad cow. This particular region of the protein catalyzes the formation of a 'molecular zipper,' which pulls proteins together to form the stubbornly stable clumps. |
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| Automated sampling and ship-to-shore communication will aid response |
03 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
With shellfish beds from Maine to Cape Cod closed from the largest outbreak of red tide in 12 years in Massachusetts Bay, scientists are studying the algae that causes these 'red tides' and providing information to coastal managers using new molecular techniques and oceanographic models. |
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| Geologists find first clue to T. rex gender in bone tissue |
02 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
In a report published in the June 3, 2005, issue of the journal Science, Mary Schweitzer, a paleontologist at NCSU and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and her colleagues state that the presence of this particular tissue provides evidence of the dinosaur's gender, and a connection between dinosaurs and living birds. |
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| The new directed self-assembly process can yield near-perfect nano-arrays |
02 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have taken another big step toward complex, nanoscale electronic devices that can be directed to assemble themselves automatically, a development that would allow manufacturers to mass-produce 'nanochips' having circuit elements only a few molecules across, roughly 10 times smaller than the features in current-generation chips. |
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| Updated instrument promises a better look at how tornadoes form |
01 June 2005 - National Science Foundation
A new Doppler radar instrument that can scan tornadoes every five to 10 seconds is prowling the Great Plains this spring in search of its first close-up twister. Newly enhanced for season-long thunderstorm tracking, the radar promises the most complete picture to date of tornado evolution, allowing for better tornado prediction in the future. |
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| Researchers discover underwater Volcano-within-a-Volcano |
27 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
A team of scientists led by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has discovered an active underwater volcano near the Samoan Island chain. During a research cruise to study the Samoan hot spot, scientists uncovered a submarine volcano growing within the summit crater of another larger underwater volcano called Vailulu'u. Researchers exploring a unique biological community surrounding the site were amazed to find an 'Eel City' , a community of hundreds of slithering eels. |
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| Finding may help scientists better predict storms' effects on Earth |
26 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
New research links a particular magnetic structure on the Sun with the genesis of powerful solar storms that can buffet Earth's atmosphere. The research may enable scientists to create more accurate computer models of the solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections, and could eventually point the way to forecasting the storms days before they occur. |
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| Five centuries of Austria's blooming cultural heritage recorded |
23 May 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Over 1,700 Austrian parks and gardens from five centuries were documented in a work spanning 20 years. With the publication of the last of the three-volume series, this enormous survey of Austria's historic gardens has now been concluded. With aid from the Austrian Science Fund, the Institute of Landscape Architecture and Garden Design of the Vienna University of Technology has thus succeeded not only in creating a consolidated basis for further scientific work, but also in delighting the hearts of Austria's garden lovers. |
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| New primate discovered in mountain forests of Tanzania |
19 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Two research teams working independently in Tanzania have discovered a monkey that had eluded scientists despite decades of research in the region. The 'highland mangabey' is the first monkey species to be described in Africa since 1984. The entire known range for the highland mangabey totals a mere 28 square miles (73 square kilometers). Due to the combined threats of logging, charcoal-making, poaching and excessive removal of forest resources, this rare animal is at great risk of extinction, and the researchers estimate only a few hundred of the monkeys remain. |
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| New technique produces 10-carat diamond |
16 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C. have produced 10-carat, half-inch thick single-crystal diamonds at rapid growth rates (100 micrometers per hour) using a chemical vapor deposition process. The size is approximately five times that of commercially available diamonds produced by the standard high-pressure/high-temperature method and other CVD techniques. |
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| Modified microtubules serve as traffic signals |
13 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Complex cells, from single-celled fungi to those in humans, are equipped with a sophisticated transportation infrastructure. Motor proteins haul molecular cargo to and from different locations inside cells by traveling along a network of protein fibers called microtubules. Enzymes inside cells frequently add or remove different molecules from the surfaces of microtubules. And although scientists have known of such modifications for many years, figuring out what these molecular tags do and how they are formed has been difficult, until now. |
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| New devices may provide power for decades |
10 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Using some of the same manufacturing techniques that produce microchips, researchers have created a porous-silicon diode that may lead to improved betavoltaics. Such devices convert low levels of radiation into electricity and can have useful lives spanning several decades. While producing as little as one-thousandth of the power of conventional chemical batteries, the new 'BetaBattery' concept is more efficient and potentially less expensive than similar designs and should be easier to manufacture. If the new diode proves successful when incorporated into a finished battery, it could help power such hard-to-service, long-life systems as structural sensors on bridges, climate monitoring equipment and satellites. |
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| Bacterial genome sheds light on synthesizing cancer-fighting compounds
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09 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Sea squirts around the world are breathing a sigh of relief, as they no longer run the risk of being harvested for their natural disease-fighting substances. Scientists recently discovered that the bacterium Prochloron didemnii, which lives symbiotically inside the sea squirt, actually produces the desired patellamides, compounds that may one day be used in cancer treatment. |
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| New thermometer confirms wet conditions on earliest Earth |
05 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Using a newly developed thermometer made of zircon, researchers have found evidence that environmental conditions on early Earth, within 200 million years of the solar system's formation, were characterized by liquid-water oceans and continental crust similar to those of the present day. |
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| Nanotechnology combined with superconductivity could pave the way for spintronics |
04 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
As the ever-increasing power of computer chips brings us closer and closer to the limits of silicon technology, many researchers are betting that the future will belong to 'spintronics': a nanoscale technology in which information is carried not by the electron's charge, as it is in conventional microchips, but by the electron's intrinsic spin. If a reliable way can be found to control and manipulate the spins, these researchers argue, spintronic devices could offer higher data processing speeds, lower electric consumption, and many other advantages over conventional chips, including, perhaps, the ability to carry out radically new quantum computations. |
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| New lab simulator packs teaching power of electron microscope at the expense of a textbook |
02 May 2005 - National Science Foundation
Kids have always had a fascination with the other-worldly images produced by a scanning electron microscope: ants sitting on microchip picnic tables, salt crystals in gritty detail, the scales of a butterfly wing. Now, a team of researchers and educators has created a CD-ROM and Web-based software to generate some of the capabilities, and teaching potential, of an SEM using personal computers in a classroom. 'Our goal is to develop next-generation virtual laboratory technology to provide educators access to advanced analytical instruments rarely found in a high school, or even a college,' says Gary Casuccio of the RJ Lee Group, principal investigator on the iSEM Project. 'The iSEM represents our first step in this direction.' |
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| Scientists develop new profile for Lake Tahoe Earthquake Risk |
27 April 2005 - National Science Foundation
The deep, cobalt-blue waters of Lake Tahoe can mean different things to different people. For residents and tourists of the popular resort destination in the western United States, the lake's waters are a primary component of the area's serenity and beauty. For scientists, the lake's depth and rich color are an impediment to studying several important geological characteristics beneath the lake's basin. |
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| Careers take an unexpected course |
25 April 2005 - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Careers are influenced by manifold factors, and in other ways than we think. This has been demonstrated by a study now-published by the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. The extensive project traced numerous job histories over an extended time period and analysed critical influencing factors. The project funded by the Austrian Science Fund thereby questions some popular beliefs. The most important results will now be published as a book. |
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| Method helps decode molecular chat inside cells |
21 April 2005 - National Science Foundation
For decades, scientists have been studying how external information gets transmitted from outside of cells to the control centers inside them that trigger particular responses. But cell signaling networks are so complex that mapping them has been a slow, arduous process. |
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| Studies link climate with mountain building |
20 April 2005 - National Science Foundation
A research team has discovered a new active 'thrust fault' at the base of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. The new fault likely accommodates some of the subterranean pressure caused by the continuing collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. The fault's discovery has led scientists to study how the speed of mountain-building in the Himalayas may be related to the counter-forces of erosion. |
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| Yellowstone discovery bodes well for finding evidence of life on Mars |
20 April 2005 - National Science Foundation
Researchers say a bizarre group of microbes found living inside rocks in an inhospitable geothermal environment at Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park could provide tantalizing new clues about ancient life on Earth and hel |
