New insights on fusion power
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (114) |
56
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research carried out at MIT’s Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor may have brought the promise of fusion as a future power source a bit closer to reality, though scientists caution that a practical ...
Breakthrough Made in Metamaterial Optics
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (57) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have solved one of the significant remaining challenges with photonic “metamaterials,” discovering a way to prevent the loss of light as it passes through these materials, and opening the door ...
Scientists film inner workings of the immune system
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (44) |
5
Forget what's number one at the box office this week. The most exciting new film features the intricate workings of the body, filmed by scientists using ground-breaking technology.
Why an Hourglass Figure isn't Always Perfect for Women
Biology /
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (29) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Having an imperfect body may come with some substantial benefits, according to a new article in the December issue of Current Anthropology.
Dogs chase efficiently, but cats skulk counterintuitively
Biology /
Dec 03, 2008 |
4 / 5 (31) |
10
A Duke University study suggests that evolution can behave as differently as dogs and cats. While the dogs depend on an energy-efficient style of four-footed running over long distances to catch their prey, cats seem to have ...
Brown Dwarfs Do Form Like Stars
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (24) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronomers have uncovered strong evidence that brown dwarfs form like stars. Using the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array (SMA), they detected molecules of carbon monoxide shooting outward ...
Broccoli compound targets key enzyme in late-stage cancer
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (23) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- An anti-cancer compound found in broccoli and cabbage works by lowering the activity of an enzyme associated with rapidly advancing breast cancer, according to a University of California, ...
Venus comes to life at wavelengths invisible to human eyes
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.1 / 5 (22) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A pale yellow-green dot to the human eye, Earth's twin planet comes to life in the ultraviolet and the infrared. New images taken by instruments on board ESA's Venus Express provide insight ...
'Intelligent' materials to revolutionize surgical implants
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (19) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A brand new process that could revolutionise the reliability and durability of surgical implants, such as hip and knee replacements, has today, 2 December 08, received recognition for its ...
How to destroy an asteroid
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (20) |
9
In the hit 1998 movie Armageddon, Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck blew up an asteroid to save the world. While the film was science fiction, the chances of an asteroid hitting the Earth one day are very real ...
Stress-related disorders affect brain's processing of memory
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (15) |
0
Researchers using functional MRI (fMRI) have determined that the circuitry in the area of the brain responsible for suppressing memory is dysfunctional in patients suffering from stress-related psychiatric disorders. Results ...
Scientists probe limits of 'cancer stem-cell model'; Melanoma does not fit the model
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (13) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the most promising new ideas about the causes of cancer, known as the cancer stem-cell model, must be reassessed because it is based largely on evidence from a laboratory test that ...
Twin study defines shared features of human gut microbial communities: Variations linked to obesity
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (11) |
1
Trillions of microbes make their home in the gut, where they help to break down and extract energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Yet, scientists have understood little about how this distinctive mix of microbes varies ...
Potential for large earthquake off coast of Sumatra remains large
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (10) |
0
The subduction zone that brought us the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami is ripe for yet another large event, despite a sequence of quakes that occurred in the Mentawai Islands area in 2007, according to a group ...
Rooted plants move mysteriously down greenways, scientists say
Biology /
Dec 03, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (10) |
6
The wild pea pod is big and heavy, with seemingly little prayer of escaping the shade of its parent plant. And yet, like a grounded teenager who knows where the car keys are hidden, it manages – if it has a reasonable chance ...
