Tag: physical sciences
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Oregon State Opens Wave Energy Test Facility
Oregon State University began operations this week of one of the first public wave energy testing systems in the U.S. The Ocean Sentinel, as the system is called, is a $1.5 million mooring platform located two miles off Yaquina Head on the central Oregon coast, and available to academic and industry researchers working in wave…
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Microbe Genetically Engineered to Produce Biofuel
A research team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineered the genes of a soil bacterium so the organism can produce isobutanol, a “drop-in” biofuel. The team led by biologist Anthony Sinskey, including chemists and engineers from MIT, published its findings online in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (paid subscription required). Sinskey and colleagues investigated…
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Effects Assessed of Manufactured Nanoparticles on Soybeans
Researchers from University of California in Santa Barbara found manufactured nanoparticles disposed after manufacturing or customer use can end up in agricultural soil and eventually affect soybean crops. Findings of the team that includes academic, government, and corporate researchers from elsewhere in California, Texas, Iowa, New York, and Korea appear online today in the Proceedings…
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European Businesses Expect 4 Percent Annual R&D Growth
A survey of executives from larger companies in Europe shows the executives anticipate spending four percent more per year on research and development in the years 2012 to 2014. The report is based on responses from 187 executives conducted in January through April 2012 in companies that spent €56 billion, which makes up about 40…
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New Methods Developed to Combat Drug Counterfeiting
Two presentations at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia highlight new methods for combating counterfeit drugs, particularly in developing countries. Toni Barstis of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana (pictured right) discussed a paper-strip test for Panadol, a pain killer based on acetaminophen, and Facundo Fernández at Georgia Tech in…
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University Prof. Develops Lightweight Pipeline Material
A University of Arizona engineering professor designed a new, lightweight underground pipe material, with a company he founded taking the invention, as well as the innovative manufacturing methods, to market. Mo Ehsani, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Arizona (pictured left), will discuss the new pipe material next week at American Society of Civil Engineers…
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Propulsion Systems Created for Micro Space Satellites
A research group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed propulsion systems for miniature space satellites that can help prevent these research devices becoming harmful space clutter. Aeronautics and astronautics professor Paulo Lozano and colleagues from MIT’s Space Propulsion Lab discussed their work at the recent Joint Propulsion Conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and…
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Breakout Labs Backs Tissue Engineering, Diagnostic Start-Ups
Breakout Labs, an early-stage revolving fund for life sciences start-ups, revealed three new grant recipients planning to develop solutions with advanced technologies. Breakout Labs is a program of the Thiel Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel — co-founder of PayPal and early venture backer of Facebook — in October 2011. The new recipients…
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Consortium Launched for Industrial Robotic Operating System
Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio unveiled a research consortium to speed development of an operating system for robots meeting the needs of industrial users. The ROS-Industrial Consortium aims to build an extension of the Robot Operating System (ROS), an open-source common framework of software libraries and tools, currently for service and research robotics applications.…
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Nanotech Materials Solution Devised for Hydrogen Storage
Chemical engineers at University of New South Wales in Australia synthesized and demonstrated a material that absorbs, releases, and reabsorbs hydrogen, a key step in advancing hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. The team from the university’s Materials Energy Research Laboratory in nanoscale (MERLin) published its findings last week in the journal ACS Nano; paid…