The Latest -- March 2002
Astronomers may see beginning of time
Promising new research tools soon may allow astronomers their closest glimpse yet of the oldest, farthest and most mysterious phenomenon in science: the precise moment the universe exploded into existence with the Big Bang. "We might, in a technical sense, soon observe the beginning of time," University of Washington cosmologist Craig Hogan wrote in the March 22 edition of the journal Science.
Chemists trick Alzheimer's enzyme
Chemists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla said Friday they have tricked an enzyme essential in Alzheimer's disease into blocking its own debilitating action. A team led by Nobel laureate K. Barry Sharpless developed the chemical trick, called "click chemistry," to make a molecule that blocks neurotransmitter destruction caused by the brain enzyme acetylcholinesterase. The destructive enzyme catalyzes the so-called "click reaction" that creates its own worst enemy -- its most potent inhibitor.
Ultra small carbon pores may store energy
Nanometer-size pores in carbon may solve a dilemma that has plagued alternative fuel advocates for years -- how to safely store natural gas at low pressures that reduce the risk of explosion.
Computer pings may measure light speed
Measuring the speed of light -- a centuries-old endeavor -- has leapt into the computer age with a novel new method proposed by physics educators at Youngstown State University. "The approach is simply to reflect small data packets -- ping signals -- between two computers that are connected with Ethernet cards and cables, and record the round trip time," method author and physics professor Michael Crescimanno explained in his recent paper on the topic.
Scientist unearths lost Galileo lectures
Obscure lectures on the size and shape of Hell may have led legendary Italian astronomer Galileo to one of the most important discoveries in the history of science -- the principle of scale invariance, or the idea that in nature, size matters.
Scientists find new way to spot hackers
A data mining method long overlooked by the computer security industry may be the best way to detect clever hackers, according to a team of researchers from universities in Pennsylvania and Iowa.
Ancient shock waves may reveal Creation
Ancient echoes from the birth of the Universe -- gravitational shock waves left over from the Big Bang -- may help astronomers determine what happened at the moment of Creation. Studying gravity waves could allow them a glimpse of the Universe when it was only ten to the minus thirty-two years old.
Scientists study black holes made in lab
Lab-created dumb holes -- the acoustic, or sound wave analogs of black holes -- may provide important experimental evidence for quantum gravity, a theory that unifies atomic and gravitational forces.
For permanent archives and the rest of the story, visit the UNscience Source -- Mike Martin's website at www.sciencenewsweek.com -- news about science that's often UNpublished, frequently UNusual, and always UNique.
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