Tag: physical sciences
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Microemulsion Shows Promise for Extending Vaccine Shelf Life
A U.S. Army medical researcher has devised a new process for mixing vaccine ingredients with the potential for extending the shelf life of vaccines. Maj. Jean Muderhwa (pictured left) , a deputy laboratory director at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, presented his findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Society for…
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Computer Model to Predict Hip Fracture Risk
Researchers at University of Arizona in Tucson are developing a computer model to predict which people are most at risk of a hip fracture. The study, led by engineering professor Samy Missoum and epidemiology and biostatistics professor Zhao Chen (pictured left), is funded by a two year, $357,982 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis…
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Nanoscale Film Coating Strengthens Joint Implants
Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an ultra-thin film that can strengthen the bond of knee or hip implants and promote bone growth. The findings are described in a recent issue of the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Knee and hip replacements are becoming more common, with some 773,000 Americans having…
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University Start-Up to Generate Power with Stored CO2
A spin-off company from University of Minnesota is commercializing a process for generating electricity with geothermal energy from stored carbon dioxide captured at coal-fired power plants. Heat Mining Company LLC, in Rapid City, South Dakota, is based on a technology invented by Minnesota faculty Martin Saar (earth science) and Thomas Kuehn (engineering), and earth science…
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Australian Science Agency, Biotech Partner on Insect Silks
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the global biotechnology company Lonza have agreed to develop new insect silks for medical and industrial applications. Financial and intellectual property terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Insect silk is a potential component in a range of new products and applications because of properties such…
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Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases
An analysis by researchers in Europe and the U.S. indicate that large-scale biofuel production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. The findings appear online in the journal Global Change Biology/Bioenergy. The report, an invited analysis by the journal, was led by the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany, Oregon State…
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Breakout Labs Makes First Early-Stage Science Company Grants
Breakout Labs, a revolving investment fund in San Francisco that aims to support early-stage enterprises developing radical new technologies, announced its first six grants yesterday. The fund is backed by the Thiel Foundation, established by entrepreneur Peter Thiel, a founder of online payments service PayPal and an early investor in Facebook. All of the recipient…
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Boron Added to Carbon Nanotubes Produce Super Oil Sponge
Materials scientists at Rice University in Houston have devised a material that can absorb large quantities of oil by adding the element boron to carbon nanotubes. The Rice researchers, joined by colleagues in the U.S., Belgium, Japan, Spain, and Mexico published their findings Friday in the journal Scientific Reports. Rice graduate student Daniel Hashim (pictured…
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Challenge Seeks Atmospheric Benzene, Butadiene Monitors
A new challenge on InnoCentive seeks a process or technology that can quickly detect benzene and 1,3 butadiene gases in low concentrations in the air. The challenge has an award of $30,000 and a deadline of 4 June 2012. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a company the conducts open-innovation, crowd-sourcing competitions for corporate and organization…
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Engineers to Conduct Seismic Tests on Fire, Medical Systems
Structural engineers at University of California in San Diego will begin two weeks of tests on a full-size building to gauge the impact of severe earthquakes on non-structural components, such as fire and elevator systems, as well as on medical facilities. The tests will involve a five-story building (pictured left) constructed on what the university…