Futurity.org » University of Leeds

Could bacteria build better computers?

Richard Mellor-Leeds — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:12:44 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — Bacteria that make magnets and wires may someday help build environmentally friendly computers with larger hard drives and faster connections.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have used a bacterium that “eats” iron to create a surface of magnets, similar to those found in traditional hard drives, and wiring. As the bacterium ingests the iron it creates tiny magnets within itself.

The team has also begun to understand how the proteins inside these bacteria collect, shape, and position these “nanomagnets” inside their cells. As reported in the journal Small, the researchers can now replicate this behavior outside the bacteria.

With virtual slides, check out tissue in 3-D

Paula Gould-Leeds — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:19:49 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — Using “virtual” microscope slides, computing experts and medical researchers have developed a fast, easy-to-use way of studying tissue samples in 3-D.

The digital scanning system produces high-resolution, multicolored images that can be rotated and examined from any angle.

Cosmetic surgery ads divided by class

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:22:25 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — A new study finds evidence of English class division in online advertising for Czech, Spanish, and Thai cosmetic surgery clinics.

A team of researchers from the University of Leeds and additional institutions in the UK and Australia carried out an analysis of cosmetic surgery websites and found that the sites’ marketing ploys “seem to betray class preferences.”

Volcanic ‘plumbing’ may predict quakes

Peter Iglinski-Rochester — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:02:45 +0000

U. ROCHESTER (US) / U. LEEDS (UK) — The “plumbing systems” that lie under volcanoes may bring scientists closer to predicting large scale eruptions and plate ruptures.

Researchers are studying the location and behavior of magma chambers on the Earth’s mid-ocean ridge system—a vast chain of volcanoes along which the Earth forms new crust. They worked in the tropical region of Afar, Ethiopia and the subarctic country of Iceland—the only places where mid-ocean ridges appear above sea level.

Greener, cleaner way to make plaster

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:18:48 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — The way gypsum crystals naturally form may offer clues on how to significantly reduce cost and energy in the production of plaster, widely used in building construction, fireproofing, and artwork.

Gypsum is a naturally occurring mineral which is often used in industrial processes and which in nature, if left alone for thousands of years, can grow into huge translucent crystals more than 10 meters tall, such as those in the Cave of Crystals in Mexico. Nevertheless, the formation of gypsum has until now been largely unexplored.

Yankee ‘invaders’ threaten UK’s crayfish

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:14:48 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — Better resistance to parasites and a less fussy diet are allowing aggressive signal crayfish from the US to threaten white-clawed crayfish native to Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire crayfish suffers from two parasites: plague, which is carried by the American invader, and porcelain disease that makes it sluggish and suppresses its appetite before eventually killing it a few years later.

More kids with serious illnesses reach adulthood

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:41:41 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — The number of children living with “life-limiting conditions” who are surviving into adulthood is far higher than previously thought and is increasing each year, straining pediatric palliative care providers, a new study shows.

Life limiting conditions are those for which there is no reasonable hope of cure and that will ultimately be fatal, including muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative disorders, or severe cerebral palsy.

Lasers test drag on ‘fastest swimsuit’ ever

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:39:29 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — A new technique that simulates conditions close to those experienced by elite swimmers was used to test fabric for what is believed to be the fastest swimsuit to ever go on the market.

Researchers at the University of Leeds developed a methodology using lasers and flume tanks contained in a giant black box to accurately measure the speed of fabric through water. They were commissioned by the swimwear company Speedo to assist in the development of its new FASTSKIN3 Racing System swimsuit.

Map charts future for Scotland’s wild lands

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:11:51 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — A new map detailing Scotland’s wild areas is expected to help local authorities make decisions about development and land use.

The map, published by the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) using a method developed by the Wildland Research Institute (WRi) at the University of Leeds, should also help the tourism industry promote Scotland’s wild landscapes to visitors and walkers.

Some silver is toxic to cancer cells

Richard Ashby-Leeds — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:37:23 +0000

U. LEEDS (UK) — Certain silver compounds are as toxic to cancer cells as the leading chemotherapy drug, without the negative side effects, new research finds.

Results from the study, published in Dalton Transactions, show particular silver compounds are as toxic to cancer cells as the platinum-based drug Cisplatin, which is widely used to treat a range of cancers.