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NSF Funding Organic Crystals Research for Electronics
A physics professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina received a $400,000 National Science Foundation grant for research on the physical structure and electronic properties of organic semiconductor crystals. The five-year award to Wake Forest’s Oana Jurchescu was made under NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. Organic semiconductors are hydrocarbon substances like…
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Third Rock Closes $516M Health Care Venture Fund
Third Rock Ventures in Boston and San Francisco raised $516 million for its Fund III to invest in new health care enterprises. Wth the fund, the company plans to support up to 16 health and medicine start-ups. Third Rock aims to finance new companies offering products or services in health care with high potential impact.…
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ARPA-E to Fund Vehicle Metals, Bio Gas Conversion Research
The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) in the U.S. Department of Energy is making $40 million available for two new research programs involving transportation. Half of the $40 million will go for research to make lighter metals in cars and trucks more feasible, while the remaining $20 million will support biological conversion of…
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Review: Energy Drinks Pose Hypertension, Heart Rhythm Risks
A review of recent studies indicates consuming energy drinks with added caffeine can lead to heart rhythm disturbances and higher blood pressure. The team led by University of the Pacific pharmacologist Sachin Shah, presented its findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans. Shah, with colleagues from David Grant Medical…
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New International Food Allergy Management Study Underway
An international study of food allergy is underway, headed by University of Manchester in the U.K., that aims to develop an evidence-based management process for food manufacturers, as well as guidelines for pregnant women, infants, and allergy sufferers. The four-year €9 million ($US 11.6 million) Integrated Approaches to Food Allergen and Allergy Risk Management or…
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Alternative Quantum Computing Data Storage Process Found
Physicists at Technical University Munich (Technische Universitaet Muenchen, TUM) in Germany found an alternative method for storing data as quantum bits for quantum computers using carbon nanotubes. The findings of TUM’s Simon Rips and Michael Hartmann appear online today in the journal Physical Review Letters (paid subscription required). Quantum computing is a more powerful method…
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AstraZeneca Licenses Messenger RNA Therapy Technology
The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca based in London is licensing genomic technology from Moderna Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts to develop treatments for heart disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer. The five-year deal has potential payout to Moderna of $420 million. Moderna Therapeutics harnesses messenger RNA, nucleic acids related to DNA that leave the cell…
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Virginia Tech Offering Class for Student Entrepreneurs
Virginia Tech is offering a course on starting a new business for student teams at its campuses in Blacksburg and Arlington to accelerate the business development process. The Startup Class, says the university, offers a way for graduate or undergraduate students with ideas for a new product or service to take those ideas to the…
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Tests Show Many Laser Pointers Giving Off Excessive Power
In tests by researchers at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland, many laser pointers on the market, including most pointers with a green beam, emitted more power than allowed by federal regulations. The team led by Joshua Hadler, NIST’s laser safety officer, reported on the tests today at the International Laser…
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Investment Fund to Support Canadian Quantum Technologies
Quantum Valley Investments, a new venture fund in Waterloo, Ontario, plans to invest $100 million to develop and commercialize quantum computing technologies in its region. The fund, started by Blackberry co-founders Michael Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, aims to make stimulate development of Waterloo and vicinity into a Quantum Valley technology hub, similar to Silicon Valley…