The jet engine of the future could be made of materials that are more like plastics than steel, if studies at the University of Missouri-Rolla find that these new materials can hold up under extreme changes in temperatures and other conditions.
Did it melt or not? Antarctic scientists, including a team in UMaine's Institute for Quaternary Studies and Dept. of Geological Sciences, have been debating that question for more than a decade when they look at the history of the south pole ice sheet as far back as three to four million years ago. The answer is important for predicting how Antarctica and the world's ocean levels might behave in a warmer global climate.
Scientists using computers to simulate the general circulation of the earth's climate have predicted that rising global temperatures will increase the potential transmission of the dengue fever virus. Dengue fever is now considered the most widespread viral infection transmitted in man by insects, whether measured in terms of the number of human infections or the number of deaths.
The possibility of human cloning and other advancements in assisted reporductive technology have made headlines and introduce new medical ethics issues. In an effort to better organize expertise in this arena, Virginia Tech has established Center for Reproductive Excellence Using Advanced TEchnology and Endocrinology (CREATE).
Sea Grant Research Story Ideas: 1) Hybridization Studies May Help Conserve Salmon Biodiversity; 2) Researchers Identify New Methods to Eliminate Zebra Mussels; 3) Silver May Be Answer To Tracking Nutrient Sources
Northwestern University students have helped design a handy device to help surgeons keep their surgical sites neat and tidy -- a cordless medical vacuum that runs on batteries and can hold a pint of fluid.
AMHERST, Mass. -- Larry Williams helps make modern, high-tech research possible at the University of Massachusetts by practicing a centuries-old craft: glassblowing. He and an assistant custom-craft one-of-a-kind glassware needed by scientists and engineers at the University.
By tracing the abundance and distribution of bacteria in an abandoned California mine, scientists may have found a better way to predict the potential environmental consequences of mining metal ores.
Those of us who are jolted awake by the sound of an alarm clock will appreciate the efforts of the college students from around the country competing in the 10th annual National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on April 4 at Purdue University. This year's everyday task is to turn off the alarm ã while leaving the clock intact ã in 20 or more steps.
Daybook listing for Congressional event marking the 30th anniversary of the National Sea Grant College Program.
Tip Sheet from New Scientist for 3-4-98
Fans of hot, spicy cuisine can thank the nasty bacteria and other food-borne pathogens for the recipes that come -- not so coincidentally -- from countries with hot climates. Humans' use of antimicrobial spices developed in parallel with food-spoilage microorganisms, Cornell University biologists have demonstrated in a international survey of spice use in cooking.
1) Graduate Enrollments in Science and Engineering Continue Downward Move, 2) MIT Engineers May Have Found Way to Create Crack Resistant Surfaces, 3) Science Board Approves Utah Graphics/Visualization Center
In a move that researchers hope will usher in a new era of wireless communication, a multi-university team led by the University of California, San Diego has received an award worth up to $4.5 million from the Department of Defense's Army Research Office to build a communications system based on the principles of "chaos."
The famous Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), forever changed our world-view by arguing that the Earth is not, in fact, the center of the universe. Today, Qaisar Shafi of the Bartol Research Institute at the University of Delaware is taking that argument one step further. "We are not even made out of the same material that makes up the bulk of the universe," says Prof. Shafi.
A computer program developed at Ohio State University has enabled the U.S. Navy to design a new system of antennas that reduces radio interference and makes its destroyers less visible to enemy radar.
The U.S. Air Force is making a multimillion-dollar grant to a program headed by a psychologist at the University of Georgia to develop an Internet-based system that can help AWACS crews make better decisions.
Ten high school students are spending alternate Saturday mornings conducting scientific experiments on polymers at the University of Massachusetts.
Story Ideas from Savannah River Ecology Laboratory: 1) The endangered woodstork, 2) Where have all the flowers gone?, 3) Small spills, large problem, 4) Global amphibian declines, 5) Discovery of a new species points to how little we know about our environment. If you want to add depth to your coverage of ecology or Earth Day we invite you to contact us.
Bell Labs researchers have demonstrated transmission of a terabit (trillion bits) of information per second -- 10 gigabits (billion bits) over each of 100 wavelengths, or colors, of light -- over 400 kilometers, or nearly 250 miles. Their experiment uses an experimental Bell Labs ultra-wideband opitcal-fiber amplifier, which was itself demonstrated less than a year ago.
Those who forget to set their clocks forward April 5 for Daylight Savings Time can be confident that their internal clock is running on schedule - regulating things such as sleep, body temperature and hormone production. Even simple organisms such as single-celled algae have internal clocks, says Vanderbilt University biologist Carl Johnson.
Engineers have long tried to rid their designs of any disorderly or chaotic signals in favor of regular, simple motions on which to build computers and communication systems. This traditional approach may soon be challenged by a newly-discovered capability to communicate using chaotic signals from one laser to another.
Made of polymers, instead of stone, PEBBLEs (Probes Encapsulated By BioListic Embedding) are designed to work inside mammalian cells where they can detect subtle changes in concentrations of ions and small molecules. Research could lead to antidotes for neurotoxins used in biological warfare.
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a fast new method to identify potential defects that may form in die-cast metal parts for cars, major appliances, toys and electrical components.
Fungal organisms living at a 286-acre biodiversity preserve in upstate New York will be surveyed for potential new drugs as the result of a bioprospecting agreement announced today Feb. 27 by Schering-Plough Corp., the Cornell Research Foundation the Cornell Institute for Research in Chemical Ecology and the Finger Lakes Land Trust. It is he first survey of its kind in a temperate zone habitat.
Myrtle, a 500-pound, 50ish green sea turtle and long-time New England Aquarium Giant Ocean Tank resident, is playing an instrumental role in an exciting hearing study.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today that 29 additional institutions will be connected to the very high performance Backbone Network Service (vBNS), allowing scientists and engineers across the country to collaborate and share powerful computing and information resources. This latest round of connections brings the total number of institutions approved for connections to 92.
A University of Connecticut scientist who works with NASA and the JPL has been tapped by the National Institute of Justice to help integrate NASA's miniaturized technology for use on crime scences by national and local law enforcement. He is currently working at one of only two alpha sites -- the CT State Police Crime Lab, which is run by Dr. Henry Lee of the O.J. Simpson trial fame.
Michigan State University researchers have come up with a new method for assessing the chemical health of tissue which could lead to more effective cancer treatments and earlier diagnoses of a number of diseases.
A cracked fencing foil. A fractured garlic press. A broken diaper pin. Those damaged objects and others are part of a burgeoning collection that testifies to a Purdue University professor's scholarly passion: material corrosion, fatigue and cracking.
The following research articles will appear on February 28 in the Web edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. Microwave cooking reduces PCB levels in Atlantic Bluefish taking a cold look at the chemistry of stale beer.
Tip Sheet from New Scientist for 2-26-98
A Johns Hopkins computer scientist has developed software that dramatically increases the speed at which 3-D computer models can be put in motion on-screen. A preliminary version of the software is available free on the World WWide Web.
The Faculty Senate at the University of Massachusetts has approved the establishment of a Center for Neuroendocrine Studies. Neuroendocinologists are interested in how the body chemicals called hormones act in the brain, and how the brain influences hormones.
Materials science engineers have built an instrument to help them observe the process of sputtering---a method of "spray painting" films of atoms onto another surface. While sputtering is a common way of coating materials, it was not possible to monitor the process as it happened until now.
Wake Forest University biologist David Anderson normally studies seabirds in the wild without much company, but thousands of schoolkids are tagging along this time via a Web site and e-mail. The Albatross Project is tracking Hawaiian albatrosses by satellite to find ways to reverse losses to longline fishing and answer evolutionary questions raised by their flights.
1) Museum display sets millions a-quaking 2) Unexpected links found among acorns, gypsy moths and lyme disease 3) Knowledge and distributed intelligence initiative gets increased NSF support
February science tips from Iowa State University include: 1) Scientist will study polar climates and global climate change; 2) New tool can detect the beginning of cancer; and 3) Iowa State Science and Technology Fair is March 27-28.
The National Science Board (NSB) will meet on Wednesday, February 25 through Friday, February 27, 1998 at the National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. Sessions are open to the public on Thursday and Friday.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University have taken an important step toward determining how the body comes to be identified as part of the self. The results of their unusual experiment appear in the scientific journal Nature today.
Many people who claim to be lactose intolerant really aren't, says Dennis Savaiano, dean of Purdue University's School of Consumer and Family Sciences. The problem, Savaiano says, is that dairy foods can be difficult to digest, and people who don't eat these foods often enough haven't acclimated themselves to the foods.
Research led by Rice University geologists estimates that within 400,000 years a new volcano could erupt in northern California, relatively soon in geologic terms.
DALLAS -- Monitoring cancer therapy and the global warming debate are among topics that will be discussed here March 29 through April 2 at the 215th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas believe newly discovered hormones produced in the brain may influence development of obesity and diabetes.
Tip Sheet from New Scientist for 2-18-98
Bell Labs scientists have combined free-space optics and microscopic mirrors to route and switch individual wavelengths, or colors, of light on optical fiber.
A ceremony in Christchurch, New Zealand on February 20, 1998 marks a significant milestone in the U.S. Navy's withdrawal from the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) after 42 years.
Scientists from several research institutes will aim new detectors at the sun's corona during the February 26 solar eclipse, searching for structures they've never before observed. The scientists will use NSF's C-130 Hercules aircraft to conduct many of their studies.
A controlled burn near Kennedy Space Center in Florida is providing scientists with data for improving a computer model that aims to predict the course of wildfires in realtime, providing a tool for fire fighters and fire prevention efforts.
Departing Punta Arenas, Chile, in mid-February, 26 scientists representing 10 countries will sail aboard the ocean drilling ship JOIDES Resolution to collect core samples from the continental rise and shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula.
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