Nanotechnology exploits the properties of materials on a nanometric scale, (a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter). The ultimate limit for such miniaturization is the development of devices formed by atomic structures created artificially to fulfil a determined purpose. 

The tools that permit the visualization and manipulation of atoms are called proximity microscopes. This includes the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), whose development in 1986 earned G. Binning and H. Rohrer the Novel prize for physics, and more recently the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). 

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to society and culture, with strong emphasis on education, public participation, and the involvement of young people, and with events at national, regional, and global levels. Many thousands of individuals in over 135 countries around the world are already involved, forming the world's largest ever astronomy network.

IYA2009 portrays astronomy as a peaceful global scientific endeavour that unites astronomers in an international, multicultural family of scientists, working together to find answers to some of the most fundamental questions that humankind has ever asked.

South America is the world’s most species-rich area and there have been many theories as to why, ranging from animals and plants accompanying the continent when it broke loose from Africa to variations in the extent of the rainforests over millions of years creating new species.

A thesis from a Gothenburg University doctoral student proposes a different theory: that the formation of the Andes was a 'species pump' which spread animals and plants across the continent.

When Charles Darwin published his landmark book On the Origin of Species(*) in 1859, his theories on evolution were quickly accepted by the vast majority of scientists. The general public, however, was not as eager to accept Darwin’s ideas, due largely to the fact that they challenged established religious beliefs.

Today, 150 years after the publication of Darwin’s book, science and religion remain as conflicted as ever when it comes to the subject of evolution.

“There is a real disconnect between what science says and what the public believes, at least in the United States,” says Ben Pierce, holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair in Biology at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. 

SAN FRANCISCO, January 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- Kenshoo Announces an iPhone Interface for KENSHOO SEARCH

Kenshoo Inc. is excited to announce that KENSHOO SEARCH, the next generation Search Engine Marketing campaign management solution, is now accessible from iPhone. Kenshoo clients who are also iPhone users will now be able to view campaign statistics and reports on their iPhone browser.

Einstein and Bohr – No names loom larger in the history of twentieth-century physics, and rightly so, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr being the figures most prominently associated with the relativity and quantum revolutions.(1)

Kawasaki Disease, recently in the news due to the death of Hollywood film star John Travolta's son Jett, has had some genetic variations identified in a genome-wide association study published in PLoS Genetics.

DULUTH, Georgia, January 8 /PRNewswire/ --

- Expanded service offering combines vaccines with latest delivery technology - an added value for customers

MERIAL Limited has grown its avian business by becoming the exclusive distributor and technical service provider of the innovative in ovo injection systems of AviTech, LLC. As a result, Merial can now offer world-wide poultry customers its portfolio of avian vaccines together with the latest in ovo technology.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, and AMSTERDAM, January 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, today announced the appointment of Kurt Schmidt, CPA, MBA, as the company's new Chief Financial Officer.

Kurt is an exceptional addition to our team and an invaluable asset, said Bernhard Sixt, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer. With his extensive financial management experience in the high tech and healthcare industries, he will be instrumental in driving Agendia's next phase of growth.

TORONTO, January 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers') is urging boards and compensation committees not to change stock option plans and other forms of equity-based compensation in response to slumping markets.

Executives should be rewarded for long-term sustainable returns, said Wayne Kozun, Teachers' Senior Vice-President, Public Equities, expressing concern that boards might make exceptions to re-pricing rules or other executive compensation practices in a period of lower markets.