How to unleash metamaterials
CALTECH (US) — Metamaterials could be critical players in developing ultrapowerful microscopes, optical computers, and even an invisibility cloak—if scientists can figure out a way to overcome a few limitations. Continue…
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 12:12 - 2 Comments
Top Stories - Jan 13, 2011 14:45 - 0 Comments
Largest cluster of black-hole pairs
CALTECH (US) — The discovery of 16 close-knit pairs of supermassive black holes in merging galaxies gives astronomers a glimpse into how these behemoths and their host galaxies fuse. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 2, 2010 16:24 - 1 Comment
Is ozone underestimated?
CALTECH (US) — In the most polluted parts of Los Angeles—and on the most polluted days in those areas—current prediction models are underestimating ozone levels by between 5 to 10 percent. (more…)
Society & Culture - Sep 9, 2010 12:19 - 0 Comments
Consumers will pay more to touch
CALTECH (US)—New research challenges the notion that the rise of e-commerce signals the end of the neighborhood brick-and-mortar store. In fact, consumers may be willing to pay a premium for goods they can reach out and touch. (more…)
Science & Technology - Aug 27, 2010 11:44 - 0 Comments
Flies check horizon to control altitude
CALTECH (US)—Airborne fruit flies use horizontal landmarks—not the ground beneath them—to regulate altitude, researchers have discovered. (more…)
Earth & Environment - May 7, 2010 10:44 - 0 Comments
Aseismic creep may lower earthquake hazard
CALTECH (US)—Using data from GPS stations, researchers analyzed plate slippage following the magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck in Central Peru in August 2007, killing more than 500 people. What the team discovered ran contrary to long-held assumptions about plate movement in the area—and suggests a model for predicting earthquake patterns. (more…)
Society & Culture - Apr 26, 2010 17:04 - 0 Comments
Strong preference for girls in U.S. adoptions
CALTECH (US)—Parents pursuing adoption within the United States have strong preferences regarding the types of babies they will apply for, tending to choose non-African-American girls. (more…)
Science & Technology - Apr 26, 2010 10:57 - 0 Comments
Metamaterial could boost solar cell efficiency
CALTECH (US)—Scientists have engineered a type of artificial optical material with a 3-D structure that allows it to bend light—approaching from nearly any angle—in the “wrong” direction from what normally would be expected. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Apr 9, 2010 11:21 - 0 Comments
Anatomy of pivotal HIV protein uncovered
CALTECH (US)—Scientists have provided the first-ever glimpse of the structure of a key protein found on the surface of a specific subgroup of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-1. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 17, 2010 16:49 - 3 Comments
Flexible solar cells soak up the sun
CALTECH (US)—Scientists have created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does all this using only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional models. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 18, 2009 11:07 - 0 Comments
What’s the new story on fruit flies?
A) This cross-section of an early Drosophila embryo shows the levels of the transcription factor Dorsal, which is present in a nuclear gradient. B) The predominant view in the field had been that different levels of Dorsal support the expression of distinct target genes along the dorsal-ventral axis of embryos. C) The Caltech team found that levels of nuclear Dorsal cannot account for the fact that the gene ind ceases to be expressed in dorsal regions of the embryo.
Science & Technology - Dec 7, 2009 14:11 - 0 Comments
Fly-off-the-handle pheromone—in flies
CALTECH (US)—Researchers have identified a pheromone in the vinegar fly that makes males behave aggressively, and they’ve pinpointed the neurons in the fly’s antenna that detect this pheromone and relay the information to the brain to elicit aggression. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 2, 2009 17:07 - 3 Comments
Team unravels mystery of ubiquitin chains
CALTECH (US)—Researchers have been able to view in detail, and for the first time, the previously unexplained process by which long chains of a protein called ubiquitin are added to proteins that control the cell cycle. The finding may one day lead to the development of targeted cancer therapies. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 30, 2009 11:46 - 2 Comments
Emotional fruit flies offer clues to ADHD
CALTECH (US)—Researchers have uncovered evidence of a primitive emotion-like behavior in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The findings may be relevant to the relationship between the neurotransmitter dopamine and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (more…)
