http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important -especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. But new research makes it possible to scrutinize activities that occur over hours or even days inside cells, potentially solving many of the mysteries associated with molecular-scale events occurring in these tiny living things. http://www.physorg.com/news177763702.html Nanotechnology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:03 EST news177763702 Like other users of microfluidic systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology researcher Javier Atencia was faced with an annoying engineering problem: how to simply, reliably and most of all, tightly, connect his tiny devices to the external pumps and reservoirs delivering liquids into the system. While pondering this one day, he randomly picked up two magnets and began playing with them. As the magnets pulled apart and then snapped back together, Atencia realized that he had his solution. http://www.physorg.com/news177761689.html Physics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:02 EST news177761689 The goal of an integrated, miniaturized laboratory analysis system, also known as a "lab-on-a-chip," is simple: sample in, answer out. However, researchers wanting to use these microfluidic devices to analyze complex solutions containing particulates or other contaminating materials often find that the first part of the process isn't so easy. Effective sample preparation from these solutions can be laborious, expensive and time-consuming, involving complicated laboratory methods that must be performed by skilled technicians. This can significantly diminish the benefits associated with using miniaturized analytical techniques. Recent work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology could help change that. http://www.physorg.com/news177763391.html Chemistry Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:01 EST news177763391 To exploit the quantum world to the fullest, a key commodity is entanglement -the spooky, distance-defying link that can form between objects such as atoms even when they are completely shielded from one another. Now, physicists at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), a collaborative organization of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland, have developed a promising new source of entangled photons using quantum dots tweaked with a laser. The JQI technique may someday enable more compact and convenient sources of entangled photon pairs than presently available for quantum information applications such as the distribution of "quantum keys" for encrypting sensitive messages. http://www.physorg.com/news177763808.html Physics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:50:39 EST news177763808 Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum informationprocessor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing the submicroscopic world -- using two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be a module in a future quantum computer, which theoretically could solve some important problems that are intractable today. http://www.physorg.com/news177515046.html Physics Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:45:25 EST news177515046 A theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed a method for calculating the motions and forces of thousands of atoms simultaneously over a wider range of time scales than previously possible. The method overcomes a longstanding timing gap in modeling nanometer-scale materials and many other physical, chemical and biological systems at atomic and molecular levels. http://www.physorg.com/news176555152.html Physics Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:09:16 EST news176555152 Searching for a needle in a haystack may seem futile, but it's worth it if the needle is a hard-to-detect protein that may identify a person at high risk of a heart attack circulating within a haystack of human serum (liquid component of blood). http://www.physorg.com/news176550623.html Chemistry Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:10:02 EST news176550623 The eyes may be the mirror to the soul, but the iris reveals a person's true identity -its intricate structure constitutes a powerful biometric. A new report by computer scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrates that iris recognition algorithms can maintain their accuracy and interoperability with compact images, affirming their potential for large-scale identity management applications such as the federal Personal Identity Verification program, cyber security and counterterrorism. http://www.physorg.com/news176550111.html Technology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:43:00 EST news176550111 (PhysOrg.com) -- Finally, an optical frequency comb that visibly lives up to its name. Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. have built the first optical frequency comb -- a tool for precisely measuring different frequencies of visible light -- that actually looks like a comb. http://www.physorg.com/news176046009.html Physics Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:41:00 EST news176046009 Researchers from SEMATECH's Front End Processes (FEP) program have developed a comprehensive transistor noise model capable of extracting defect characteristics from low frequency noise data in advanced gate stack transistors using both conventional and novel dielectrics. The proposed model is a key step towards identifying and minimizing defects to support aggressive device scaling. SEMATECH`s results were presented at the IEEE Integrated Reliability Workshop (IRW) on Thursday, October 22, in Lake Tahoe, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news175882600.html Technology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:40:01 EST news175882600 Technology developed by the University of Warwick that can identify partial, distorted, scratched, smudged, or otherwise warped fingerprints in just a few seconds has just scored top marks in the world's two toughest technical fingerprint tests. The technology is also being rapidly taken up by the UK building trade who are delighted to have fingerprint technology which can cope with the often worn and ravaged builders' thumbprints. http://www.physorg.com/news175767970.html Technology Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:40:01 EST news175767970 (PhysOrg.com) -- The scientists and engineers who introduced the world to tiny robots demonstrating soccer skills are creating the next level of friendly competition designed to advance microrobotics -- the field devoted to the construction and operations of useful robots whose dimensions are measured in micrometers. http://www.physorg.com/news175282176.html Technology Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:00:01 EST news175282176 (PhysOrg.com) -- With technology similar to that used by physicians to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, researchers from six institutions -- including the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- working at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) in Charleston, S.C., are studying the metabolic activity of a pathogen shown to cause coral bleaching, a serious threat to undersea reef ecosystems worldwide. http://www.physorg.com/news175281650.html Space & Earth Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:50:18 EST news175281650 (PhysOrg.com) -- Drugs based on engineered proteins represent a new frontier for pharmaceutical makers. Even after they discover a protein that may form the basis of the next wonder drug, however, they have to confront a long-standing problem: how to produce large quantities of the protein in a highly pure state. Now, a multi-institutional research team including a biochemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology may have found a new solution in an enzymatic "food processor" they can activate at will. http://www.physorg.com/news175282014.html Chemistry Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:50:12 EST news175282014 (PhysOrg.com) -- Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland and their collaborators have found that properly tuned radio-frequency waves can influence how much the atoms attract or repel one another, opening up new ways to control their interactions. http://www.physorg.com/news175281818.html Physics Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:24:24 EST news175281818