Science Daily News - Matter and Energy

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Title: Matter and Energy

Nano-architectured aluminum has steely strength

Scientists have figured out a way to make an aluminum alloy, or a mixture of aluminum and other elements, just as strong as steel.

Scientists create new process to 'program' cancer cell death

Researchers have engineered a fundamentally new approach to killing cancer cells. The process uses small RNA molecules that can be programmed to attack only specific cancer cells; then, by changing shape, those molecules cause the cancer cells to self-destruct.

Golf: Evidence of how 'loading the hips' improves golf drives

It’s all in the hips. New research provides concrete evidence of how loading the hips improves the power and length of a golf drive.

New robotic head and neck cancer surgery preserves speech, without scarring, study shows

An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat. Unlike traditional surgical approaches to head and neck cancer, TORS patients can return to their normal lives a few days after surgery without significant pain and disfigurement.

Satellite navigation steers unmanned micro-planes

An unmanned aircraft system guided by satnav has been developed within ESA's Business Incubation Centre to provide rapid monitoring of land areas and disaster zones. The planes have already helped Spanish farmers in Andalusia to fight land erosion.

Researchers hear puzzling new physics from graphene quartet's quantum harmonies

Using a one-of-a-kind instrument, researchers have discovered an unexpected and tantalizing set of energy levels in graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon with potentially revolutionary electronic properties, when the material is exposed to extremely low temperatures and extremely high magnetic fields.

Structure for three intrinsically disordered proteins determined

A research team has determined the structure for three proteins in a class known as intrinsically disordered proteins. The findings are important because they show how these proteins fold with the regulator protein phosphatase-1, which must happen for biological instructions to be passed along.

Ship evacuation experiment: More than 2,300 passengers take part in 'live' assembly drill at sea

Researchers in Europe have carried out an innovative experiment in ship evacuation and safety procedures that could set the benchmark for future maritime law.

'Slow light' on a chip holds promise for optical communications

A tiny optical device built into a silicon chip has achieved the slowest light propagation on a chip to date, reducing the speed of light by a factor of 1,200.

Synthetic eye prosthesis: Plastic artificial cornea implants may offer hope for blind patients

Donor corneas are a rarity, but a newly developed implant made of plastic may soon offer patients the chance to see again.

Scientists develop device to enable improved global data transmission

Researchers have developed a new data transmission system that could substantially improve the transmission capacity and energy efficiency of the world's optical communication networks.

New method for infrared remote sensing to analyze traffic pollution

Scientists in Spain are testing infrared remote sensing technology to evaluate the pollutant emissions associated with motor vehicle traffic which allows for analysis of all the gases of environmental interest with one sole instrument in a sole measurement.

Breaking up phosphorus with ultraviolet light may offer a safer, simpler way to build many industrial and household chemicals

Phosphorus, a mineral element found in rocks and bone, is a critical ingredient in fertilizers, pesticides, detergents and other industrial and household chemicals. Now chemists have developed a new way to attach phosphorus to organic compounds by first splitting the phosphorus with ultraviolet light. Their method eliminates the need for chlorine, which is usually required for such reactions and poses health risks to workers handling the chemicals.

New self-assembling photovoltaic technology repairs itself

Scientists have created a novel set of self-assembling molecules that can turn sunlight into electricity; the molecules can be repeatedly broken down and then reassembled quickly, just by adding or removing an additional solution.

Listening to ancient colors: New technique may help restorers identify decades-old pigments

A team of chemists has discovered that a technique known as photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy could be used to identify the composition of pigments used in art work that is decades or even centuries old. Pigments give artist's materials color, and they emit sounds when light is shone on them.

Scientist offers better ways to engineer Earth's climate to prevent dangerous global warming

There may be better ways to engineer the planet's climate to prevent dangerous global warming than mimicking volcanoes, a climate scientist in Canada says in two new studies.

How long does selenium radiate in nuclear waste?

In order to estimate the safety of final storage for nuclear wastes, it is important to know the half-lives of the radioactive elements of the nuclear waste as accurately as possible. The half-life indicates the period of time in which the amount of a radioactive element decreases by half and breaks down into other atoms. This period of time can, depending on the composition of the nuclear waste, amount to decades or even millions of years.

Water purification: Is colloidal silver necessary for bacteria removal?

Scientists traveled to Guatemala twice in the past year to conduct research on ceramic pot filters that are used locally to remove bacteria from water. They found that silver may not be necessary to effectively remove bacteria from source water.

Carbon mapping breakthrough

By integrating satellite mapping, airborne-laser technology, and ground-based plot surveys, scientists have revealed the first high-resolution maps of carbon locked up in tropical forest vegetation and emitted by land-use practices.

How physical environment influences stem cell development

Recent research reveals how physical qualities -- and not only chemical ones – may have an influence in determining how adult stem cells from the bone marrow develop into differentiated ones. The finding represents an important step in understanding the mechanisms that direct and regulate the specialization of stem cells from their undefined state.