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. (PhysOrg.com) -- Electronic devices could create significant environmental and health problems after they are thrown away. UC Irvine researchers are working with engineers, manufacturers and public health officials to find solutions. http://www.physorg.com/news178305162.html Space & Earth Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:30:01 EST news178305162 Agricultural soils accumulate trace metals, particularly copper and zinc, as a result of their presence in wastes (sewage biosolids and manures) and fungicides that are applied over long periods of time. Regulations and guidelines for tolerable concentrations of these potentially plant-toxic elements in soils are based on the assumption that the toxic effects of the metals are substantially independent and not additive. However, additivity would imply that soil tolerance limits for each metal must be adjusted to compensate for the presence of another metal. There has been very little experimental work to date to provide a basis for determining the degree to which copper-zinc interaction in soils is additive as defined by the toxicity response in crops. http://www.physorg.com/news177076138.html Space & Earth Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:10:01 EST news177076138 College students looking to stay healthy during flu and exam season need to focus on three very important factors, says a nutritionist at Washington University in St. Louis. http://www.physorg.com/news176662848.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:17 EST news176662848 One of the many mysteries of Alzheimer's disease is how protein-like snippets called amyloid-beta peptides, which clump together to form plaques in the brain, may cause cell death, leading to the disease's devastating symptoms of memory loss and other mental difficulties. http://www.physorg.com/news176551843.html Chemistry Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:21:54 EST news176551843 Converting sunlight to electricity might no longer mean large panels of photovoltaic cells atop flat surfaces like roofs. http://www.physorg.com/news176389079.html Nanotechnology Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:59:21 EST news176389079 (PhysOrg.com) -- CSIRO has developed a novel coating technology, "Quench Coat", to protect galvanised products from 'white rust' ? the form of zinc oxide that tarnishes freshly galvanised coatings, making them look dull. http://www.physorg.com/news176106672.html Chemistry Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:50:01 EST news176106672 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new breed of rechargeable zinc-air batteries is soon to be available, and may replace lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops and other consumer items. Lithium-ion batteries store only a third of the energy and cost around twice as much as the new batteries. http://www.physorg.com/news176034001.html Technology Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:21:57 EST news176034001 (PhysOrg.com) -- To power a very small device like a pacemaker or a transistor, you need an even smaller generator. The components that operate the generator are smaller yet, and the efficiency of those foundational components is critical to the performance of the overall device. http://www.physorg.com/news175444804.html Nanotechnology Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:52:12 EST news175444804 Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a gram negative bacterium which infects about 50% of the world population. H pylori colonization causes a strong systemic immune response. Various tools have been employed to identify the relationship between H pylori and gastric cancer, including c-DNA microarrays. However, most of these methods did not consider the systematic interaction of biological components. http://www.physorg.com/news174914486.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:00:01 EST news174914486 Despite evidence that low-cost diarrhea treatments such as lower osmolarity oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc supplements could drastically reduce the number of deaths among children, little progress has been made in implementing these life-saving techniques, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the implementation of current treatment guidelines and found that few countries are equipped to quickly adapt policies, and many struggle to develop and maintain the recommended supplies. The analysis is featured in the October issue of Bulletin of the World Health Organization. http://www.physorg.com/news174244874.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:21:29 EST news174244874 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) -- A NASA team is developing a transparent coating that mimics the self-cleaning properties of the lotus plant to prevent dirt from sticking to the surfaces of spaceflight gear and bacteria from growing inside astronaut living quarters. http://www.physorg.com/news172925702.html Chemistry Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:55:57 EST news172925702 (PhysOrg.com) -- How much difference can a tenth of a nanometer make? When it comes to figuring out how proteins work, an improvement in resolution of that miniscule amount can mean the difference between seeing where atoms are and understanding how they interact. http://www.physorg.com/news172072491.html Biology Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:55:27 EST news172072491 The Miller-Urey experiment, conducted by chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey in 1953, is the classic experiment on the origin of life. It established that the early Earth atmosphere, as they pictured it, was capable of producing amino acids, the building blocks of life, from inorganic substances. http://www.physorg.com/news171263002.html Space & Earth Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:04:31 EST news171263002 Scientists have developed a new molecular sensor that can reveal the amount of zinc in cells, which could tell us more about a number of diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The research, published today in Nature Methods, opens the door to the hidden world of zinc biology by giving scientists an accurate way of measuring the concentration of zinc and its location in cells for the first time. http://www.physorg.com/news170860634.html Medicine & Health Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:18:01 EST news170860634 A non-toxic and environmentally friendly way to make tiny nanorods of zinc oxide has been developed for the first time by researchers in Saudi Arabia. The approach, described in the current issue of the International Journal of Nanoparticles, could allow the nanorods to be used safely in medical and for other applications. http://www.physorg.com/news169901230.html Nanotechnology Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:49:13 EST news169901230 Antioxidant supplements do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of melanoma, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Dermatology. http://www.physorg.com/news169749557.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:40:02 EST news169749557 A novel technique allows researchers to efficiently and precisely modify or introduce genes into the genomes of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, according to Whitehead scientists. The method uses proteins called zinc finger nucleases and is described in the August 13 issue of Nature Biotechnology. http://www.physorg.com/news169385219.html Biology Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:27:56 EST news169385219 (PhysOrg.com) -- Growing - and precisely aligning - microscopic, spear-shaped zinc oxide crystals on a surface of single-crystal silicon, researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology may have developed a method to make more efficient solar cells. http://www.physorg.com/news169223267.html Nanotechnology Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:28:04 EST news169223267 Everyone knows that vitamins "from A to zinc" are important for good health. Now, a new research study in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc may be pointing the way to new therapeutic targets for fighting infections. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria. http://www.physorg.com/news168182641.html Biology Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:24:21 EST news168182641 Scientists from The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Sangamo Biosciences, Inc., Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc. (OMT) and INSERM today announced the creation of the first genetically modified mammals developed using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology. http://www.physorg.com/news167579299.html Biology Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:40:05 EST news167579299 For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process. http://www.physorg.com/news165748959.html Technology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:23:18 EST news165748959 Abnormal levels of trace elements may explain dialysis morbidity. A systematic review published in the open access journal BMC Medicine has shown that, compared to healthy controls, dialysis patients have significantly different blood concentrations of trace elements. http://www.physorg.com/news161933908.html Medicine & Health Tue, 19 May 2009 06:39:10 EST news161933908 Canada has unveiled the first comprehensive Arctic atlas, detailing geological features that point to where oil and gas, gold and diamond deposits are likely hidden beneath snow and ice. http://www.physorg.com/news161612529.html Space & Earth Fri, 15 May 2009 13:22:43 EST news161612529 Zinc supplementation can be ineffective in the treatment of diarrhea. A randomised controlled trial published in the open access journal BMC Medicine has shown that supplementation with either zinc or zinc and copper is no more effective than placebo. http://www.physorg.com/news160724065.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 May 2009 06:34:57 EST news160724065 Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Massachusetts General Hospital have used a genome engineering tool they developed to make a model crop plant herbicide-resistant without significant changes to its DNA. http://www.physorg.com/news160229922.html Chemistry Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:19:03 EST news160229922 (PhysOrg.com) -- Certain fish species blend with their environment by changing color. Sandia National Laboratories researchers have demonstrated that, in theory, they could cause synthetic materials to change color like fish do. http://www.physorg.com/news159198454.html Nanotechnology Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:47:58 EST news159198454 Imagine if all you had to do to charge your iPod or your BlackBerry was to wave your hand, or stretch your arm, or take a walk? You could say goodbye to batteries and never have to plug those devices into a power source again. http://www.physorg.com/news157287591.html Nanotechnology Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:36 EST news157287591 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a method for coating metal surfaces with an ultrathin film containing nanoparticles - particles measuring billionths of a meter - which renders the metal resistant to corrosion and eliminates the use of toxic chromium for this purpose. The scientists have been awarded U.S. Patent number 7,507,480 for their method and the corrosion-resistant metals made from it. The technology is available for licensing. http://www.physorg.com/news157206577.html Nanotechnology Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:30:24 EST news157206577 Researchers at the University of Bath are to be part of a €3 million Europe-wide research collaboration to pioneer research into safer, more effective anti-bacterial plastics and coatings that can be used in items such as food packaging, medical devices to wound dressings, and nappies. http://www.physorg.com/news156683478.html Chemistry Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:11:58 EST news156683478