Tag: physical sciences
-
Research on Insects Leads to Forestry Biochemical Start-Up
Biochemical researchers at University of Nevada in Reno started a company making compounds to control forest pests, based on their research in insect enzymes. Rubi Figueroa-Teran and Claus Tittiger, in Reno’s College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, started the company EscaZyme Biochemicals and were invited to join National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) to get the…
-
Nanoscale Technique Welds Polymer Materials with Light
Physicists and materials scientists at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed a technique to attach portions of polymers by melting aligned nanoparticles with light waves. The researchers describe their process in a recent online issue of the journal Particle & Particle Systems Characterization (paid subscription required). The team led by physicists Jason Bochinski and…
-
Robotic Bat Wing Developed to Simulate Flight Dynamics
Biologists and engineers at Brown University in Providence created a robotic bat wing that simulates the aerodynamics of bats, but can also be applied to the design of small pilotless aircraft. The team from the labs of Brown engineer Kenneth Breuer and biologist Sharon Swartz published results from early experiments with the device in the…
-
Informatics Tools Underused to Fight Hospital Infections
Researchers at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis report relatively few professionals responsible for controlling hospital-based infections are engaged in or even aware of automated systems designed to share data about these infections. The findings of the survey led by Regenstrief’s Brian Dixon, with colleagues from Indiana University medical school (affiliated with Regenstrief Institute), and the…
-
Lockheed Martin, Nanyang Univ. to Partner on Nanotech Copper
Lockheed Martin Corp. in Bethesda, Maryland and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will collaborate on research involving a new type of copper based on nanotechnology. The laboratory established under the agreement signed today will have initial funding of $10 million over four years. The NTU-Lockheed Martin Joint Laboratory at the university’s Yunnan campus will employ…
-
Process Replaces Platinum with Iron as Fuel Cell Catalyst
Chemists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington designed a process that makes it possible for iron to replace expensive platinum as a catalyst to make electricity in hydrogen fuel cells. The team led by PNNL’s Morris Bullock published its findings online in yesterday’s issue of the journal Nature Chemistry (paid subscription required). Bullock,…
-
FDA Approves Electronic Artificial Retina Implant Device
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first implant device to restore some visual perception for adults with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that damages the retina. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is made by Second Sight Medical Products Inc. in Sylmar, California. Retinitis pigmentosa is an eye disease caused by genetic defects…
-
Smart Wall Panel Designed to Give Seniors Day-to-Day Help
University and company researchers in Germany are designing systems to be built into the walls of older peoples’ homes to help with simple day-to-day tasks as well as monitor their health. A team from Technical University Munich (Technische Universität München, TUM) will demonstrate the Living Independently in Südtirol/Alto Adige or LISA prototype on 20 February…
-
Feasibility Shown of Spintronic Enabling Organic Materials
Engineers at University of Utah in Salt Lake City developed a process to create organic materials with the ability to conduct electricity on their edges, while the inside acts as an insulator. The team led by Utah professor Feng Liu published its findings in yesterday’s issue of the journal Nature Communications (paid subscription required). Materials…
-
GE, Vanderbilt to Partner on Colon Cancer Research
GE Global Research, a division of General Electric Company, and Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville are collaborating on research to better understand the formation of colon cancer tumors at the level of individual cells. The study is funded by a five-year, $3.75 million grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH). Better cancer diagnosis…