Ephemera.

Apr 09, 2009 15:52

  • Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are now using viruses to build cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.
  • Two patients who received double hand transplants regained motor control of their hands, suggesting it's possible to regenerate neuro-muscular control systems.
  • Australian scientists have made a discovery that may one day remove the need for a lifetime of toxic immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplantation.
  • A bad connection in the brains of schizophrenic patients seems to leave them unaffected by a common optical illusion that turns the concave backside of a mask into a convex face. The difference may be a disconnect in the schizophrenic brain between what it actually sees and what it expects to see based on past experience.
  • In a finding that may help speed the production of ultra-clean fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen, scientists in Michigan are reporting development of a sponge-like nanomaterial with a record-high surface area for holding gases. Just 1/30th of an ounce of the material has the approximate surface area of a football field.
  • Researchers have developed an entirely new method for starting chemical reactions. For the first time, they used mechanical forces to control catalytic activity -- one of the most fundamental concepts in chemistry. This allowed them to initiate chemical reactions with mechanical force. This discovery paves the way to developing materials capable of repairing themselves under the influence of mechanical tension.
  • Discovery of an efficient artificial catalyst for the sunlight-driven splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen is a major goal of renewable clean energy research. Scientists have devised a unique new mechanism for the formation of hydrogen and oxygen from water, without the need for sacrificial chemical agents, through individual steps, using light.
  • Sunspot activity is on track to beat last year's near historical low. 2008 saw no sunspot activity on 266 out of 366, or 73 percent, of its days. To find a year with less sunspot activity, you'd have to go back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days. But sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days, or 87 percent.
  • Though greenhouse gases are invariably at the center of discussions about global climate change, new NASA research suggests that much of the atmospheric warming observed in the Arctic since 1976 may be due to changes in tiny airborne particles called aerosols.
  • Cancer researcher have shown that a common virus can infect and kill breast cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are difficult to kill as they respond poorly to chemotherapy and radiation.
  • Cannabinoids such as the main active component of marijuana have anticancer effects on human brain cancer cells, according to new research.

miscellany

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