http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —A team of researchers at Florida State University has found an epigenetic factor involved in voles' lifelong pair bonding. In their paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, the researchers describe how they found the act of mating—along with time spent alone—led to permanent brain changes in the voles involved in the study. http://phys.org/news289474360.html Biology Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:32:55 EST news289474360 For the first time, researchers have found a particular kind of molecular switch in the food poisoning bacteria Salmonella Typhimurium under infection-like conditions. This switch, using a process called S-thiolation, appears to be used by the bacteria to respond to changes in the environment during infection and might protect it from harm, researchers report this week online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. http://phys.org/news288873589.html Chemistry Mon, 27 May 2013 15:00:04 EST news288873589 By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, materials scientists at Harvard have found that they can control the growth behavior of crystals to create precisely tailored structures—such as delicate, micron-scale flowers. http://phys.org/news287931436.html Chemistry Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:09 EST news287931436 Researchers at Johns Hopkins have devised a way to detect whether cells previously transplanted into a living animal are alive or dead, an innovation they say is likely to speed the development of cell replacement therapies for conditions such as liver failure and type 1 diabetes. As reported in the March issue of Nature Materials, the study used nanoscale pH sensors and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to tell if liver cells injected into mice survived over time. http://phys.org/news279288775.html Nanotechnology Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:30:01 EST news279288775 (Phys.org)—Everyone loves a juicy, perfectly ripened tomato, and scientists have long sought ways to control the ripening process to improve fruit quality and prevent spoilage. http://phys.org/news278757147.html Biology Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:37:24 EST news278757147 (Phys.org)—Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a camera that can be used to take powerful three dimensional colour X-ray images, in near real-time, without the need for a synchrotron X-ray source. http://phys.org/news276762913.html Chemistry Mon, 07 Jan 2013 06:35:51 EST news276762913 In a critical breakthrough in unraveling how molecular "motors" ferry proteins and nutrients through cells, Harvard scientists have produced high-resolution images that show how the "foot" of dynein—one of the most complex, but least understood such motors—binds to microtubules, the cellular tracks it travels on. http://phys.org/news270193535.html Biology Tue, 23 Oct 2012 06:45:59 EST news270193535 (Phys.org)—Atmospheric chemists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have found that when it comes to secondary organic material in the atmosphere, there are two distinct breeds: liquids and jellies. http://phys.org/news269627662.html Space & Earth Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:34:36 EST news269627662 (Phys.org)—Detailed observations of Saturn's moon Titan have now spanned 30 years, covering an entire solar orbit for this distant world. Dr Athena Coustenis from the Paris-Meudon Observatory in France has analysed data gathered over this time and has found that the changing seasons of Titan affect it more than previously thought. Dr Coustenis presented these results at the European Planetary Science Congress in Madrid on Friday 28th September. http://phys.org/news268298662.html Space & Earth Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:24:29 EST news268298662 In their quest for a cancer cure, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute made a serendipitous discovery—a molecule necessary for cheaper and greener ways to produce nylon. http://phys.org/news267601767.html Chemistry Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:00:05 EST news267601767 As sulfur cycles through Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land, it undergoes chemical changes that are often coupled to changes in other such elements as carbon and oxygen. Although this affects the concentration of free oxygen, sulfur has traditionally been portrayed as a secondary factor in regulating atmospheric oxygen, with most of the heavy lifting done by carbon. However, new findings that appeared this week in Science suggest that sulfur's role may have been underestimated. http://phys.org/news262255806.html Space & Earth Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:50:12 EST news262255806 Researchers from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, working closely with Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, have been studying ancient wooden Viking artefacts at the synchrotron radiation source BESSY II. The conservators expect this non-destructive method will yield crucial insights into the degradation of these unique works of art. The wooden artefacts come from a Viking grave found in 1904 at Oseberg near the Oslo fjords. http://phys.org/news258110752.html Chemistry Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:26:18 EST news258110752 (Phys.org) -- Cornell nanotechnology researchers have devised a new tool to study epigenetic changes in DNA that can cause cancer and other diseases: a nanoscale fluidic device that sorts and collects DNA, one molecule at a time. http://phys.org/news257056717.html Nanotechnology Thu, 24 May 2012 05:38:50 EST news257056717 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell researchers have peered into the complex molecular network of receptors that give one-celled organisms like bacteria the ability to sense their environment and respond to chemical changes as small as 1 part in 1,000. http://phys.org/news248981532.html Biology Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:32:43 EST news248981532 Researchers from North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University of California, San Diego have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body – and to continuously do so for an extended period of time. http://phys.org/news242995218.html Chemistry Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:40:37 EST news242995218 Excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of sunlight can result in skin damage and may even induce skin cancers. Irradiation with UV light causes mutations in the DNA, which can interfere with or even inhibit the read-out of genetic information and hence affect the cell function. The Dewar lesion is one of the major UV-induced reaction products, which can itself generate mutations. Understanding the mechanism that leads to the formation of the Dewar lesion is therefore of great interest. http://phys.org/news241711146.html Chemistry Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:59:18 EST news241711146 (AP) -- Warning: The warming of the world's oceans can cause serious illness and may cost millions of euros (dollars) in health care charges. http://phys.org/news235139483.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:35:52 EST news235139483 Concerns over the finite availability of oil and the effect of greenhouse gases on climate have spurred intense efforts to develop electric-drive vehicles; the major barrier to successful commercialization being battery technology. Although Li-ion batteries, crucial in the boom of portable electronics, stand as the technology of choice in soon-to-be marketed models, further improvements in their energy density, cost, cycle life and safety are still necessary. http://phys.org/news232103082.html Nanotechnology Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:30:01 EST news232103082 On coming Wednesday, 15 June, the research vessel Polarstern of the German Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association will set off on its 26th arctic expedition. Over 130 scientists from research institutions in six countries will take part in three legs of the voyage. First of all, at long-term stations oceanographers and biologists will investigate how oceanic currents as well as the animal and plant world are changing between Spitsbergen and Greenland. Beginning in August, physical, biological and chemical changes in the central Arctic will be recorded. RV Polarstern is expected back in Bremerhaven on 7 October. http://phys.org/news227264711.html Space & Earth Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:05:33 EST news227264711 Fat appears to associate with some distinctive chemical changes in the DNA – a finding that may help explain why obesity can increase the risk for chronic problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, researchers report. http://phys.org/news214744589.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:16:56 EST news214744589