20/11/2006

Honeybee genome to enable genetic study of social behaviour

Oxford researchers are part of a global consortium that has sequenced the genome of the honeybee, publishing the results in Nature. It is first social insect to have its genetic instructions decoded, offering exciting possibilities ...

New spin on electrons could improve lights, other devices

Troy Van Voorhis likes to watch how things work. This natural curiosity led to his current research on the behavior of electrons and how they function in various molecular systems, including artificial photosynthesis. The ...

Level of important greenhouse gas has stopped growing

Scientists at UC Irvine have determined that levels of atmospheric methane -- an influential greenhouse gas -- have stayed nearly flat for the past seven years, which follows a rise that spanned at least two decades.

Spinning Black Hole Pushes the Limit

The existence of black holes is perhaps the most fascinating prediction of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. When any mass, such as a star, becomes more compact than a certain limit, its own gravity becomes so strong ...

Big magnet ready to face the big questions of the universe

The largest superconducting magnet ever built has successfully been powered up to its operating conditions at the first attempt. Called the Barrel Toroid because of its shape, this magnet is a vital part of ATLAS, one of ...

Male chimpanzees prefer mating with old females

Researchers studying chimpanzee mating preferences have found that although male chimpanzees prefer some females over others, they prefer older, not younger, females as mates. The findings uncover a stark contrast between ...

Engineer focuses on the mechanics of better bullet proofing

Body armor with greater ballistics resistance is the aim of the research being carried out by Youqi Wang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Kansas State University, with support from two U.S. Department of ...

A simple method for making Lilliputian cups

The technology for making ultrasmall containers - essential in a wide range of modern scientific research - has taken a giant step forward with new research by scientists in India.

Spinning a new yarn: silicone fibers with living organisms

In a feat once as unlikely as the miller's daughter of fairytale fame spinning straw into gold, scientists in the United Kingdom have spun fine threads of biocompatible silicone that contain living human brain cells. The ...

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