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. (AP) -- On a mountaintop clearing in the Sierra Nevada stands a tall metal platform holding a crude furnace and a box of silver iodide solution that some scientists believe could help offer relief from searing droughts. http://www.physorg.com/news179691518.html Space & Earth Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:19:33 EST news179691518 Dana Filoti of the University of New Hampshire will present thin films of silver and copper she has developed that can kill bacteria and may one day help to cut down on hospital infections. The antimicrobial properties of silver and copper have been known for centuries -- last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially registered copper alloys, allowing them to be marketed with the label "kills 99.9% of bacteria within two hours." Copper ions are known to penetrate bacteria and disrupt molecular pathways important for their survival. http://www.physorg.com/news176997558.html Chemistry Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:02 EST news176997558 In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it. http://www.physorg.com/news176306859.html Nanotechnology Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:08:21 EST news176306859 The so-called "silver spoon" effect -- in which wealth is passed down from one generation to another -- is well established in some of the world's most ancient economies, according to an international study coordinated by a UC Davis anthropologist. http://www.physorg.com/news176046539.html Other Sciences Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:50:54 EST news176046539 Scientists in Switzerland are reporting results of one of the first studies on the release of silver nanoparticles from laundering those anti-odor, anti-bacterial socks now on the market. Their findings, scheduled for the Nov. 1 issue of ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, may suggest ways that manufacturers and consumers can minimize the release of these particles to the environment, where they could harm fish and other wildlife. http://www.physorg.com/news175948672.html Nanotechnology Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:38:30 EST news175948672 (PhysOrg.com) -- Xerox has developed an ink which can be used to print circuits onto plastics, films, and textiles. Although circuits printed on flexible materials aren't new, Xerox's method may be cheap and easy enough to open the doors to many new possibilities for flexible electronics. http://www.physorg.com/news175870685.html Technology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:58:38 EST news175870685 Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are developing new sensors to detect chemical agents and illegal drugs which will help in the fight against the threat of terrorist attacks. http://www.physorg.com/news173989813.html Chemistry Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:10:01 EST news173989813 In a presentation today (Aug. 19) to the American Chemical Society meeting, Ankit Agarwal, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described an experimental approach to wound healing that could take advantage of silver's anti-bacterial properties, while sidestepping the damage silver can cause to cells needed for healing. http://www.physorg.com/news169890511.html Chemistry Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:10 EST news169890511 (AP) -- The government declared Tuesday that silver dental fillings contain too little mercury to harm the millions who've had cavities filled with them - including young children - and that only people allergic to mercury need to avoid them. http://www.physorg.com/news168018975.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:20:01 EST news168018975 Scientists at Penn State University, in collaboration with institutes in the US, Finland, Germany and the UK, have figured out the long-sought structure of a layer of C60 - carbon buckyballs - on a silver surface. The results, which could help in the design of carbon nanostructure-based electronics are reported in Physical Review Letters and highlighted in the July 27th issue of APS's on-line journal Physics. http://www.physorg.com/news167912764.html Nanotechnology Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:30:02 EST news167912764 Scientists in India are reporting successful laboratory tests of a new and potentially safer alternative to silver-based gels applied to the skin of burn patients to treat infections. With names like silver sulfadiazine and silver nitrate, these germ-fighters save lives and speed healing. The researchers describe gel composed of silver nanoparticles - each 1/50,000th the width of a human hair - that appears more effective than these traditional gels. Their study is scheduled for the Aug. 3 issue of ACS' Molecular Pharmaceutics. http://www.physorg.com/news167477979.html Nanotechnology Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:40:25 EST news167477979 Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Their study, scheduled for the June 23 issue of ACS Nano, a monthly journal, involves particles of silver -- 1/50,000th the diameter of a human hair -- that are injected into the bloodstream. http://www.physorg.com/news162666750.html Nanotechnology Wed, 27 May 2009 18:12:56 EST news162666750 The phenomenon of light emission by living organisms, bioluminescence, is quite common, especially in marine species. It is known that light is generated by chemical reactions in which oxygen molecules play an important part. In the animal world, these chemical reactions take place in special luminescent cells called photocytes. These are aggregated into complex light organs, in which the intensity of light is regulated by nerve impulses, and in which light can be modulated with the help of reflectors, lenses and filters. By these means, organisms can adjust the wavelength, diffusion and intensity of light according to need. But the exact mechanisms behind these processes remain shrouded in mystery. http://www.physorg.com/news154618501.html Biology Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:35:34 EST news154618501 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new ink developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows them to write their own silver linings. http://www.physorg.com/news153671928.html Nanotechnology Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:39:19 EST news153671928 (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Utah physicists and chemists developed a new method that uses a mirror of tiny silver "nanoparticles" so microscopes can reveal the internal structure of nearly opaque biological materials like bone, tumor cells and the iridescent green scales of the so-called "photonic beetle." http://www.physorg.com/news153045563.html Nanotechnology Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:39:58 EST news153045563 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a mimic of one of "nature's antibiotics" that can be used to coat medical devices to prevent infection and rejection. http://www.physorg.com/news152466952.html Chemistry Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:56:45 EST news152466952 Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). http://www.physorg.com/news140162895.html Nanotechnology Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:08:15 EST news140162895 Researchers at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands have developed a technique for generating atom clusters made from silver and other metals. Surprisingly enough, these so-called super atoms (clusters of 13 silver atoms, for example) behave in the same way as individual atoms and have opened up a whole new branch of chemistry. http://www.physorg.com/news134129791.html Chemistry Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:16:31 EST news134129791