Biofuels have long been studied and, like many alternative fuels, given corporate subsidies by the government, but they haven't made much progress. And that isn't just because subsidies discourage innovation, it is because of biology. Lignin, which helps cell walls thick in plants, is tough.

Plant geneticists have discovered the gene regulatory networks that control cell wall thickening by the synthesis of the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.  If they can know it, and understand it, they can modify it, and that may mean viable biofuels.

In a new ESO image of LDN 483 and its surroundings, located about 700 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens (The Serpent), some of the stars are missing.

But it's not a portent of doom, it's space pollution - gas and dust are obscuring Lynds Dark Nebula 483. LDN 483 and its dark cloud are intriguing because such clouds are the birthplaces of future stars. 

A 12-year study of two measles-containing vaccines has found that seven main adverse outcomes were unlikely after either vaccine.

The study conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center included children ages 12 to 23 months from January 2000 through June 2012 who received measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) or separately administered, same-day measles-mumps-rubella and varicella (MMR + V) vaccines.

A total of 123,200 MMRV doses and 584,987 MMR + V doses were evaluated.

Splash form tektites are tiny shards of natural glass created from spinning drops of molten rock flung from the earth during an extra-terrestrial impact, such as when the earth is hit by asteroids or comets.

They come in many shapes, from dumbbells to doughnuts, and how the shapes are formed has been the subject of scientific investigation for centuries.  Until now, the shapes of rapidly spinning, highly deformed droplets have been derived entirely from numerical simulations.

Using magnetic levitation to imitate weightlessness, researchers have manufactured solid wax models of these shapes.  It is hoped this new experimental technique can be used to better reproduce and understand tektite formation.

Automated cameras make it possible to broadcast sporting events but the choices lack the creativity of a human camera operator or director. The camera just goes back and forth following the ball.

Disney Research engineers have now made it possible for robotic cameras to learn from human operators how to better frame shots of a basketball game. Instead of tracking a key object, as legacy systems do, the new work is designed to mimic a human camera operator who can

In the Western world - well, outside Italy - people are told to reduce their anger or suffer its ill effects, such as stress, but new research using surveys from the US and Japan suggests that anger may actually be linked with better health. 

Displays of anger are strange to people in the West, especially stoic Americans. You can chop off the arm of an American and in many cases they will tell you to have a nice day. A recent incident on a Korean Air flight bound for Seoul illustrates the distinction. Heather Cho, former vice president of Korean Air and daughter of Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho, went into a rage when she was improperly served a bag of macadamia nuts by the chief flight attendant.