SciTechDaily

May 15, 2012

Animals Can Detect Pathogens by Monitoring the Disruption of Cellular Pathways

A newly published study details how animals detect pathogens by monitoring the disruption of cellular pathways. The data suggests that animals can detect disruptions in important cellular processes that occur before the cell itself dies, which allows an earlier immune response that can potentially rescue the cell. Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) say [...]

May 15, 2012

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Quantum Theorists State That Wavefunctions Are Real States Not Just Statistical Tools

The mathematics behind the claims of a group of quantum theorists state that the wavefunction, a probability amplitude used to in quantum mechanics to describe a particle’s state, isn’t just a statistical tool but rather a real, objective state of a quantum system. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Physics. This view [...]

May 15, 2012

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Calculating the Total Capacity of a Data Network

In a two-part paper, a team of scientists from MIT, Caltech and University of Technology in Munich examined network coding and ways to both minimize error and maximize capacity. In its early years, information theory — which grew out of a landmark 1948 paper by MIT alumnus and future professor Claude Shannon — was dominated [...]

May 15, 2012

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PRKCA Gene Links to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Emotional Memory Formation

Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland were able to analyze the genetic sequences of the PRKCA gene over 700 healthy young volunteers. This gene is one of many that have been known to be involved in the formation of emotional memories. It encodes an enzyme called protein kinase C-α. They were able to [...]

May 15, 2012

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Generator Produces Electricity by Harnessing the Piezoelectric Properties of Biological Material

Scientists Generate Electricity From Viruses

Scientists at the Berkeley Lab have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. Their generator is the first of its kind to produce electricity by harnessing the piezoelectric properties of a biological material and could lead to devices that harness electrical energy from the vibrations of everyday [...]

May 15, 2012

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Physicists in China Break Quantum Teleportation Record

Chinese physicists have just broken the previous record for quantum teleportation with the creation of a pair of entangled protons over a distance of almost 100 km (62 miles). The researchers published their findings through arXiv. Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon when two particles become intertwined and behave as one single system independent of if [...]

May 15, 2012

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MIT Study Measures the Effects of Low Doses of Radiation on DNA

new look at prolonged radiation exposure

While exposure to low-dose-rate radiation from cosmic radiation and natural radioactive isotopes in the environment is part of everyday life, a new study from MIT measures the genetic damage of low doses of radiation delivered over a long period of time. A new study from MIT scientists suggests that the guidelines governments use to determine [...]

May 14, 2012

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Floating “Power Buoy” Creates Electricity from Ocean Waves

In an effort to harness the power of ocean waves, engineers designed and built a floating “power buoy” that measures 8 feet across, 10 feet wide and 18 feet long. The buoy uses the upward and downward motion of waves, combined with the weight of a metal plate, to move a hydraulic piston, resulting in [...]

May 14, 2012

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Spider Fangs May Lead to the Development of New Specialized Materials

Looking to nature for technological inspiration is nothing new and now a team of scientists are hoping that new insights into spider fangs and the composition and structure of their materials may provide inspiration for the optimization of similar technical materials and devices. Although their armor consists of the same material as their predator’s fangs, [...]

May 14, 2012

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NASA Prepares for Mars with Desert Rover Tests

In preparation for Curiosity’s exploration of Mount Sharp on Mars, NASA engineers took a test rover out to the desert for last minute training in the sand dunes. Team members of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission took a test rover to Dumont Dunes in California’s Mojave Desert this week to improve knowledge of the best [...]

May 14, 2012

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Ancient Murals in Guatemala Offer Glimpse of Mayan Astronomy

Archaeologists have discovered the earliest evidence of the sophisticated astronomy and the time-keeping rituals of the ancient Mayan people, deep under the earth in the Guatemalan rain forest. The researchers led by David Stuart, anthropologist at the University of Texas in Austin, published their findings in the journal Science. Dates, tables, and depictions of lunar [...]

May 14, 2012

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NDCX-II, A Special-Purpose Particle Accelerator

Accelerator to Study Steps on the Path to Fusion

A team of engineers and scientists just completed work on NDCX-II, a special-purpose particle accelerator designed to produce a high-quality, dense beam that can rapidly deliver a powerful punch to a solid target. The just-completed NDCX-II, the second generation Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), [...]