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. A fortuitous discovery that grew out of a collaboration between UCLA engineers and physicians could potentially offer hope to the nearly 10 million Americans who suffer from peripheral arterial disease. http://www.physorg.com/news178392202.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:39:48 EST news178392202 Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news177608158.html Nanotechnology Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:36:25 EST news177608158 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have refined a technique to manufacture solar cells by creating tubes of semiconducting material and then "growing" polymers directly inside them. The method has the potential to be significantly cheaper than the process used to make today`s commercial solar cells. http://www.physorg.com/news177092235.html Nanotechnology Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:17:54 EST news177092235 (PhysOrg.com) -- Porphyrins are most commonly thought of as the pigment in red blood cells, but now scientists have found that porphyrins can also be used to increase the efficiency of an inexpensive type of solar cell. In a recent study, researchers have found that a variety of porphyrin arrays can improve the solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and could potentially be used to construct larger 3-D light harvesting arrays. http://www.physorg.com/news176112834.html Chemistry Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:01 EST news176112834 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the biggest hindrances to the development of fuel cell technology is its cost. In order to work properly, polymer electrolyte fuel cells require a catalyst. So far, though, the most efficient catalyst for use with these fuel cells is platinum. And, as you probably know, platinum is one of the most expensive materials out there. The high cost of platinum is stunting the further development of fuel cells for use on a broader basis. Help may be coming, however, in the form of niobium and titanium. http://www.physorg.com/news175269673.html Chemistry Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:02:21 EST news175269673 A Japanese menswear company has begun selling an "anti-swine flu" business suit that it says can reduce the risk of catching the virus. http://www.physorg.com/news174290645.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:04:24 EST news174290645 (PhysOrg.com) -- New generation thin-faced titanium golf clubs can produce sound levels nearly twice as loud as traditional steel clubs when they hit a ball, according to new research. http://www.physorg.com/news173551630.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:00:01 EST news173551630 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today outlined a new research strategy to better understand how manufactured nanomaterials may harm human health and the environment. Nanomaterials are materials that are between approximately one and 100 nanometers. These materials are currently used in hundreds of consumer products, including sunscreen, cosmetics and sports equipment. http://www.physorg.com/news173453869.html Nanotechnology Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:50:01 EST news173453869 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy`s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Medical Center`s Brain Tumor Center have developed a way to target brain cancer cells using inorganic titanium dioxide nanoparticles bonded to antibodies. Thousands of people die from malignant brain tumors every year, and the tumors are often resistant to conventional therapies. These composite nanoparticles eventually may provide an alternative form of therapy that targets only cancer cells and does not affect normal living tissue. http://www.physorg.com/news172951692.html Nanotechnology Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:10:01 EST news172951692 (PhysOrg.com) -- To successfully compete in a global marketplace, manufacturers continually search for better materials: faster drying and less hazardous paint, longer-lasting sunscreen, and faster computers. Transition metal and complex oxide materials exhibit a range of properties unparalleled by any other class of materials. http://www.physorg.com/news172422021.html Chemistry Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:03:32 EST news172422021 Researchers are developing technologies that use lasers to create arterial stents and longer-lasting medical implants that could be manufactured 10 times faster and also less expensively than is now possible. http://www.physorg.com/news172230934.html Technology Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:56:49 EST news172230934 In an advance toward better treatments for the most serious form of brain cancer, scientists in Illinois are reporting development of the first nanoparticles that seek out and destroy brain cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells. The study is scheduled for the Sept. 9 issue of ACS' Nano Letters. http://www.physorg.com/news171745889.html Nanotechnology Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:12:29 EST news171745889 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mention of nanotubes usually means carbon nanotubes. But not all tiny tubes are made of carbon. For example, layers made of nanoscopic titanium dioxide have proven to be useful materials for biotechnology, catalytic converters, and solar cell technology. Although the semiconducting properties of these nanotubes are critical for many of these applications, their limited conductivity represents a hindrance for other areas of application. http://www.physorg.com/news171613970.html Nanotechnology Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:33:31 EST news171613970 Bacteria that manufacture hydroxyapatite (HA) could be used to make stronger, more durable bone implants. Professor Lynne Macaskie from the University of Birmingham this week (7-10 September) presented work to the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. http://www.physorg.com/news171519042.html Biology Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:40:01 EST news171519042 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago's Brain Tumor Center have developed a way to target brain cancer cells using inorganic titanium dioxide nanoparticles bonded to soft biological material. http://www.physorg.com/news169904314.html Nanotechnology Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:39:03 EST news169904314 Doctors in Germany have successfully implanted the world's smallest artificial heart pump, billed as more effective and unobtrusive than earlier devices, a hospital said Monday. http://www.physorg.com/news169734607.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:30:40 EST news169734607 A Queen's University Belfast academic is working on research that could help protect the lives of military based in Afghanistan. http://www.physorg.com/news168096991.html Chemistry Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:37:11 EST news168096991 Maternal exposure to nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) affects the expression of genes related to the central nervous system in developing mice. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that mice whose mothers were injected with the nanoparticles while pregnant showed alteration in gene expression related to neurological dysfunction. http://www.physorg.com/news168029907.html Nanotechnology Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:58:51 EST news168029907 Without knowing how much of an industrial chemical is being produced, it is almost impossible for scientists to determine if it poses any threat to the environment or human health. http://www.physorg.com/news162041135.html Nanotechnology Wed, 20 May 2009 12:25:56 EST news162041135 (PhysOrg.com) -- A material just six atoms thick in which electrons appear to be guided by conflicting laws of physics depending on their direction of travel has been discovered by a team of physicists at the University of California, Davis. Working with computational models, the team has found that the electrons in a thin layer of vanadium dioxide sandwiched between insulating sheets of titanium dioxide exhibit one set of properties when moving in forward-backward directions, and another set when moving left to right. http://www.physorg.com/news160670034.html Nanotechnology Mon, 04 May 2009 15:34:40 EST news160670034 (PhysOrg.com) -- A research team from Northeastern University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology has discovered, serendipitously, that a residue of a process used to build arrays of titania nanotubes -a residue that wasn`t even noticed before this - plays an important role in improving the performance of the nanotubes in solar cells that produce hydrogen gas from water. Their results, published online on March 27, 2009 in the Journal of Materials Chemistry, indicate that by controlling the deposition of potassium on the surface of the nanotubes, engineers can achieve significant energy savings in a promising new alternate energy system. http://www.physorg.com/news159638959.html Nanotechnology Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:10:00 EST news159638959 A new hard coating with antibacterial properties that has been tested by researchers at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute has been shown to kill 99.9% of Escherichia coli bacteria when a white hospital light was shone on its surface to activate it. http://www.physorg.com/news157732910.html Biology Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:42:18 EST news157732910 Using aquatic microbes as their "canary-in-a-cage," scientists from Ohio today reported that nanoparticles now being added to cosmetics, sunscreens, and hundreds of other personal care products may be harmful to the environment. http://www.physorg.com/news157302502.html Nanotechnology Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:08:51 EST news157302502 Single oxygen atoms dancing on a metal oxide slab, glowing brighter here and dimmer there, have helped chemists better understand how water splits into oxygen and hydrogen. In the process, the scientists have visualized a chemical reaction that had previously only been talked about. The new work improves our understanding of the chemistry needed to generate hydrogen fuel from water or to clean contaminated water. http://www.physorg.com/news156433818.html Physics Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:51:05 EST news156433818 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University have determined a way to use arrays of nanotubes in a solar-based process to convert carbon dioxide and water into methane and other hydrocarbon fuels. Their method may provide a new way to reduce carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere -rising due to our planet's heavy use of fossil fuels -as well as produce alternative fuels. http://www.physorg.com/news154007555.html Nanotechnology Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:53:07 EST news154007555 Engineers at the University of California at San Diego have come up with a way to help accelerate bone growth through the use of nanotubes and stem cells. This new finding could lead to quicker and better recovery, for example, for patients who undergo orthopedic surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news152540774.html Nanotechnology Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:28:29 EST news152540774 (PhysOrg.com) -- You never know where basic research may lead. For decades materials scientists have been experimenting with a corkscrew-like polymer structure called a gyroid. Now an international team of researchers has shown that the gyroid structure can be used to "self-assemble" a low-cost photovoltaic cell. http://www.physorg.com/news146849259.html Nanotechnology Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:27:39 EST news146849259 New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists heard today at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. http://www.physorg.com/news140205656.html Nanotechnology Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:00:56 EST news140205656 (PhysOrg.com) -- Infections following treatment in clinics, retirement homes, and long-term care facilities are a grave problem for patients, and resistant germs can be particularly devastating. http://www.physorg.com/news136793753.html Chemistry Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:15:53 EST news136793753 (PhysOrg.com) -- Titanium, a protean element with applications from pigments to aerospace alloys, could get a new role as an environmentally friendly additive for automotive oil, thanks to work by materials scientists from Afton Chemical Corporation (Richmond, Va.) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. http://www.physorg.com/news136041817.html Chemistry Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:23:37 EST news136041817