Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany believe they can achieve a significant increase in the accuracy of one of the fundamental constants of nature by boosting an electron to an orbit as far as possible from the atomic nucleus that binds it. The experiment could put the modern theory of the atom to the most stringent tests yet.

It could also mean more accurate identifications of elements in everything from stars to environmental pollutants.

The physicists’ quarry is the Rydberg constant, the quantity that specifies the precise color of light that is emitted when an electron jumps from one energy level to another in an atom. The current value of the Rydberg constant comes from comparing theory and experiment for 23 different kinds of energy jumps in hydrogen and deuterium atoms.

CSIRO researchers have discovered a new class of fatty acids -- alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids -- that they say could be used as sensors for detecting changes in temperature and mechanical stress loads.

CSIRO Entomology business manager, Cameron Begley, said researchers believed the discovery opened up an entirely new class of chemistry. “Some of these alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids act as indicators for a range of different conditions, such as mechanical stress or heat, and display self-assembling properties. Others display anti-microbial properties,” he said.

New findings suggest that the ancient human “cousin” known as the “Nutcracker Man” wasn’t regularly eating anything like nuts after all.

A University of Arkansas professor and his colleagues used a combination of microscopy and fractal analysis to examine marks on the teeth of members of an ancient human ancestor species and found that what it actually ate does not correspond with the size and shape of its teeth. This finding suggests that structure alone is not enough to predict dietary preferences and that evolutionary adaptation for eating may have been based on scarcity rather than on an animal’s regular diet.

The ability to regenerate lost body parts is unevenly distributed among higher organisms. Among vertebrates, some amphibians are able to replace lost limbs completely, while mammals are unable to regenerate complex appendages.

The only exception to this rule is the annual replacement of deer antlers.

The annual regrowth of these structures is the only example of regeneration of a complete, anatomically complex appendage in a mammal, and antlers are therefore of high interest to regeneration biologists.

The epimorphic regeneration of appendages may involve progenitor cells created through reprogramming of differentiated cells or through the activation of resident stem cells. Hans J.

BUFFALO GROVE, Illinois, April 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Net Revenue of US$33.1 million; Net Income of US$0.26 per Diluted Common Share

Eagle Test Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGLT), a provider of automated test equipment solutions for high-performance analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency (RF) semiconductors, announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2008.

Operating Results

POMPANO BEACH, Florida, April 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Moniker.com (http://www.moniker.com ), an Oversee.net company and provider of Domain Asset Management(TM) services, today announced an initial list of premium contenders for a live and online domain name auction at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Orlando. The exclusive live auction will take place Friday, May 23 at 3:30-6:30 p.m. EDT (12:30-3:30 p.m. PDT) at The Grand Floridian Hotel.

Degas, van Gogh and Picasso swore it enhanced their creativity but thujone, the compound widely believed responsible for absinthe’s mind-altering effects, is not really a factor, according to a new study.

In the most comprehensive analysis of old bottles of original absinthe, a team of scientists from Europe and the United States have concluded the culprit was plain and simple: Alcohol.

Although consumed diluted with water, absinthe contained about 70 percent alcohol, giving it a 140-proof wallop. Most gin, vodka, and whiskey are 80 – 100-proof and contain 40-50 percent alcohol or ethanol.

SHANGHAI, China, April 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Iloho, the online tool for travelers, today launches its new flight search and comparison function -- www.iloho.com/flight-search -- a service which is set to transform the way in which consumers access and review airline and flight information.

The flights function is the latest development from iloho as it continues its drive to expand and improve its services. It is an innovative and unique online database of the world's airlines, the routes they fly, the services they offer and how they rank with travelers in the know.

LONDON, April 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- ATT'N: Energy, industrial and political newsdesks and all Scottish media

"A meeting was held in London today between Jim Ratcliffe and Tom Crotty of Ineos and the Joint General Secretaries of Unite, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley.

"It was a constructive and meaningful discussion and ended in a proposal that will be considered by the company and the union in the coming days with a view to finding a resolution to the pensions dispute."

Contact: Catherine Bithell on +44-7958-473-224, Catherine.Bithell@unitetheunion.com

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, April 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Biomarkers to Open the Door to Personalized Medicine and Represents a Seismic Shift for the Pharma Industry

The Scientific business of Thomson Reuters today announced the launch of a new biomarkers report, "Establishing the Standards in Biomarker Research" which gives a detailed introduction to the world of biomarkers, an overview of the regulatory context surrounding them, and highlights ongoing biomarker research in some of the world's leading Pharma companies.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080424/NYTH069LOGO )