Tag: physical sciences
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Green Rust Can Protect Groundwater Against Radioactive Waste
Researchers in Denmark have found a naturally occurring substance called green rust can help protect groundwater against radioactive contamination from stored reactor waste. Bo Christiansen’s findings are published in the March issue of the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (paid subscription required). Christiansen (pictured left) is a geochemist at the University of Copenhagen who has…
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Companies to Develop Renewable Chemistry Demo Facility
Genomatica, a developer of chemicals from renewable feedstocks, and Tate & Lyle, a provider of ingredients to the food and beverage industries signed an agreement for the demonstration-scale production of Genomatica’s Bio-BDO. The facility will be part of a Tate & Lyle plant in Decatur, Illinois expected to begin fermentations in the second quarter of…
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Solar/Thermal Power Alternative Being Developed for Soldiers
A new type of personal power pack in development by six universities in the U.K. could reduce the weight troops carry when engaged on the battlefield. The solar and thermoelectric-powered system aims to weigh up to fifty per cent less than conventional chemical battery packs used by British infantry. The two-year project is being developed…
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National Lab Develops Material for Safe Hydrogen Storage
Scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California have designed a new composite material that allows hydrogen to be stored safely and at high densities, while still making it easily accessible.
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Finance Friday: 11 March 2011
Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy, Fierce Biotech, and Venture Capital Reporter. Biomedical/Life Sciences Kite Pharma, a start up biotech in Los Angeles, California developing new cancer vaccine therapies, took in $15 million in Series A venture funding, from TPG Capital and other investors.…
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U.K. Company Licenses Harvard Graphene DNA Technology
Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. in Oxford, U.K. said today it signed a licensing agreement with Harvard University to commercialize graphene technology from Harvard’s labs for DNA sequencing. The company already has a deal with Harvard’s technology transfer office to develop basic sensing methods through solid-state nanopores. Graphene is a robust, single-atom thick lattice of carbon…
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Nanotubes Reduce Energy Drain in Digital Memory
University of Illinois engineers have developed a form of ultra-low-power digital memory that is faster and uses 100 times less energy than similar available memory. The student-faculty team at the school’s Champaign campus published its findings online in this week’s Science Express (paid subscription required). Flash memory in mobile devices today stores bits — 0/1…
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Agencies Use Robotics to Test Chemicals for Toxicity
National Institutes of Health (NIH) today unveiled a new robotic screening system that will test 10,000 different chemicals for potential toxicity. The system is a result of a collaboration among several federal agencies known as Tox21. The system is located at NIH’s Chemical Genomics Center in Rockville, Maryland. Tox21 is a joint effort started in…
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Springy Properties Discovered in Nanotech Metal Alloys
Researchers from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey have identified a class of high-strength metal alloys that show potential to make springs, sensors, and switches smaller and more responsive. Their findings will appear on 11 March in the journal Physical Review Letters. The Rutgers team discovered new elasticity properties in nanostructured metal alloys currently…
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Laser Technology Can Cut Solar Cell Costs, Raise Efficiency
Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana are developing a manufacturing technology based on fast, pulsing lasers that aims to make solar cells more affordable and efficient. The technology creates small microchannels needed to connect solar panels into an array that generates usable amounts of power. Yung Shin, engineering professor and director of Purdue’s…