SciTech Daily

March 7, 2012

More Data of Elusive Higgs Boson from Defunct US Tevatron Collider

The elusive Higgs boson might have been spotted in the data collected by the Tevatron, a now shuttered collider at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. The existence of the Higgs boson is predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. The results aren’t statistically significant, but it was announced on March 7th at the Moriond conference [...]

March 7, 2012

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Targeting Dkk1 for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

antibodies halt Alzheimer’s disease in mice

Neurologists just took another step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. While study mice, they discovered that the antibodies that block the function of Dkk1, are also able to completely suppress the toxic effect of Amyloid-ß on synapses. Antibodies that block the process of synapse disintegration in Alzheimer’s disease have been identified, raising hopes [...]

March 6, 2012

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The Most Distant Cluster of Red Galaxies Ever Observed

Missed by previous surveys, astronomers using FourStar find 30 red galaxies, which form the earliest known “galaxy city” in the universe, located 10.5 billion light years away in the direction of the constellation Leo. Pasadena, California — A team of astronomers has discovered the most distant cluster of red galaxies ever observed using FourStar, a [...]

March 6, 2012

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Ticks, Lyme Disease and Public Health

Durand Fish, a professor in the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health, discusses ticks and the associated health issues of Lyme disease with Yale news reporter Michael Greenwood. Durland Fish has researched ticks and their associated diseases for decades. A professor in the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial [...]

March 6, 2012

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Antarctic Ecosystems Threatened by Invasive Alien Species and Climate Change

Antarctica’s pristine environment is being threatened

According to the first ever continent-wide risk assessment, climate change and the increasing number of visitors are putting the Antarctic ecosystems at risk. The research team is focusing on the invasive alien species that find their way here, searching to find out which seeds are being brought in, where they originate from and where they [...]

March 6, 2012

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New Software Simplifies 3D Animations

New software for creating advanced 3D characters like those seen in blockbuster films will allow inexperienced users a chance to create their own movie magic. Developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, this software significantly shortens and simplifies the creation process of 3D movie characters. 3D movies like “Toy Story” or “Transformers” [...]

March 6, 2012

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NASA Set to Launch 5 Rockets to Study High-Altitude Jet Stream

NASA is set to launch five rockets to study the high speed winds and electrical turbulence of the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles above the surface of the Earth, which can adversely affect satellite and radio communications. Launch madness will hit the east coast in March as NASA launches five rockets in [...]

March 6, 2012

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“Cheetah” Sets Legged Robot Land Speed Record

DARPA’s newest “Cheetah” robot set a new land speed record for legged robots when it galloped at speeds of 18 miles per hour, besting the old record by almost 5 mph. The use of ground robots in military explosive-ordinance-disposal missions already saves many lives and prevents thousands of other casualties. If the current limitations on [...]

March 6, 2012

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Pikaia Gracilens Revealed as Possible Genetic Ancestors to All Vertebrates

The Middle Cambrian Pikaia gracilens, from 505 million years ago, was a fish-like worm, which has the possible dubious distinction of being one of humanity’s earliest genetic ancestors. These fish-like worms had the beginning of spines, including a notochord and a nerve chord, which wasn’t obvious to distinguish initially. The researchers published their findings in [...]

March 6, 2012

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Central American Bats Harbor a New Subtype of Influenza

It’s been reported that fruit bats in Guatemala are hosting a new type of the influenza A virus, according to a new study published in the journal PNAS. The novel subtype has been designated H17 and has diverged from known influenza viruses long ago. This has allowed researchers to shed some light on their evolution [...]

March 6, 2012

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Atomtronics May Provide Access to New Quantum Phases of Matter

A new study in the field of atomtronics shows how magnetic atoms sort themselves into numerous phases depending on the magnetic joystick controlling the strength and orientation of the applied magnetic field. Atomtronics is a relatively new science devoted to creating artificial tailored materials consisting of neutral atoms held in an array with laser beams, [...]

March 6, 2012

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Italian Volcano Etna Has Its Third Eruption of 2012

The Italian volcano Etna, located in on the eastern coast of Sicily, has had its third paroxysm of 2012 on March 4th, its first since early February. The new eruption was a relatively short event, which was preceded by 18 days worth of smaller strombolian activity, which are relatively lower level volcanic eruptions. Mount Etna [...]