Applied Physics

Adult Stem Cells Reverse Muscle Atrophy In Elderly Mice

Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley in a new study published in Nature say they have identified two key regulatory pathways that control how well adult stem cells repair and replace damaged tissue. They then tweaked how those stem cells ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 15 2008 - 12:37pm

Old School Sanitation- An Outhouse Is Actually A Pretty Good Idea

We like to think that newer ideas are always better and indoor plumbing may be one newer idea that should be reconsidered in the developing world, according to Michigan researchers. Clean water scarcity is not as critical an issue as often thought say Mich ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 17 2008 - 3:20pm

What Bacteria Can Teach Us About Surviving Global Warming

Bacteria survive everywhere. Under the sea, in the air, even in some of the hottest environments on Earth. How are microbes seemingly so smart? Bacteria don't just react to changes in their surroundings, say Princeton University researchers, they anti ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 18 2008 - 10:18pm

Learning Versus Evolution In Microbes.

One of my pet peeves is the common description in the media of bacteria "learning" to "outsmart" antibiotics. As anyone with a basic comprehension of evolution knows, learning has nothing to do with it. Learning is what happens during ...

Article - T. Ryan Gregory - Jun 20 2008 - 2:10pm

A Hive Solution To Curing Cancer

Want to put your computer to good use while you sleep? Muhammad Zaman, assistant professor in biomedical engineering, recently introduced Cellular Environment in Living Systems @Home or CELS@Home for short. The program already has more than 1,000 computer ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 23 2008 - 8:06pm

Let's Talk About SEX4

Energy from the sun and carbon dioxide fuel photosynthesis in plants and algae, making life on earth possible. Carbon that is fixed by plants is converted to starch and sucrose, which are utilized by plants for energy and to build biomass. Human evolution ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2008 - 1:21am

Science Versus Engineering

A friend wonders what I think about this editorial by Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired. Anderson says “faced with massive data, this approach to science — hypothesize, model, test — is becoming obsolete.” Anderson confuses statistical models with scient ...

Article - Seth Roberts - Jun 30 2008 - 1:07am

Nanotechnology Can Even Boil Water!

If you remember the early days of computers, you saw some marketing claims that seemed to make sense but quickly evaporated when reality hit- you could store all your recipes, for example, until you realized computers were as loud as a turbo jet and used a ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 26 2008 - 11:12pm

Mystery Molecule Leads To Quantum Discovery

The odd behavior of a molecule in an experimental silicon computer chip has led to a discovery that opens the door to quantum computing in semiconductors. In a Nature Physics journal paper currently online, the researchers describe how they have created a ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2008 - 4:30pm

Sol Invictus- Solar-Powered, Student-Built Cross-Country Race Car Almost Ready To Go

Sol Invictus, Iowa State University's student-designed and student-built solar race car, is getting ready to compete in the North American Solar Challenge July 13-22. The challenge will take 24 student-designed and student-built solar race cars from P ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 30 2008 - 7:30am