Science News

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Bethesda, Md. – May 5, 2016 – The Genetics Society of America (GSA) invites members of the media to attend The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) 2016 and learn about the latest advances in the field of genetics. Complimentary registration packages are available for contacts from qualified print, online and broadcast news media outlets.

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Researchers built extremely small, thermally stable magnetic particles with magnetic properties comparable to some rare earth magnets, the strongest permanent magnets ever created. These tiny magnets are as small as 5 nanometers, a million times smaller than an ant.

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Dr. Phillip Bitzer of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) wants to learn more about long-stroke lightning that makes things sizzle.

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Catalytic nanocages, which are tiny, open structures with reactive surfaces that could boost key chemical processes, are notoriously difficult to synthesize. Scientists recently succeeded in a new approach.

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Use of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete in construction will allow for the use of less and simpler steel reinforcement while maintaining good structural behavior and potentially reducing the amount of post-earthquake repair. Such results will lead to a cheaper way to construct safe buildings with reduced life-cycle costs for the owner.

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The Simons Foundation has awarded $540,000 to University of Arkansas biologist Andrew Alverson to study the evolution of microscopic marine algae in the Baltic Sea.

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Most insects have dedicated sensory systems to detect water vapor in the air, but little has been known about how they work. Now, Northwestern University and Lund University (Sweden) researchers are the first to discover a sensory system that directly detects humidity. The scientists have identified key genes involved in the fruit fly’s ability to detect changes in external humidity, and they also discovered the sensory neurons -- the fly’s humidity receptors -- in a strange, small sac in the insect’s antennae.

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Researchers at the University of Maryland have made a block of linden wood transparent, which they say will be useful in fancy building materials and in light-based electronics systems.

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A new tool developed by Penn Vet researchers is designed to allow scientists to better understand the behavior of cats by tapping into the expertise of those who know them best: their owners.

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A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory detected a feature in a solid electrolyte and experimentally verified its importance to fast ion transport. The work points out a new strategy for design of highly conductive solid electrolytes.

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The primary threat to vultures is the presence of toxins in the carrion they consume. Losses of vultures can allow other scavengers to flourish. Proliferation of such scavengers could bring bacteria and viruses from carcasses into human cities.

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Every process that sustains life is carried out by proteins, but understanding how these complex molecules do their jobs depends on learning the arrangement of their atoms -- and how this structure changes -- as they react. No imaging method for observing molecular movement in such detail and speed had been available, until now.

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A scientific team led by UWM physicists image a never-before-seen molecular reaction as a light-sensitive protein responds to light. The work, using an X-ray laser, is unmasking how proteins carry out the chemistry necessary for life.

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Researchers have made a giant leap forward in taking snapshots of these ultrafast reactions in a bacterial light sensor. Using the world’s most powerful X-ray laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, they were able to see atomic motions as fast as 100 quadrillionths of a second – 1,000 times faster than ever before.

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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center fully supports new rules issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today to extend federal regulatory authority to all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, cigars, hookah and other previously unregulated tobacco products.

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Rice researchers probe light-capturing properties of atomically thin MoS2.

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Diamonds are one of the most coveted gemstones. But while some may want the perfect diamond for its sparkle, physicists covet the right diamonds to perfect their experiments. The gem is a key component in a novel system that enables precision measurements that could lead to the discovery of new physics in the sub-atomic realm — the domain of the particles and forces that build the nucleus of the atom.

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The contents of historic coastal landfill sites could pose a significant environmental threat if they erode, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

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Venus flytraps have fascinated biologists for centuries, however, the molecular underpinnings of their carnivorous lifestyle remain largely unknown. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers characterized gene expression, protein secretion, and ultrastructural changes during stimulation of Venus flytraps and discover that common plant defense systems, which typically protect plants from being eaten, are also used by Venus flytraps for insect feeding.