09/08/2010

Is solar power cheaper than nuclear power?

One of the issues associated with shifting from using fossil fuels to alternative energy sources is the cost. While adherents of alternative energy tout its benefits, many are skeptical, pointing out that such alternatives ...

Insects sense danger on mammals' breath

When plant-eating mammals such as goats chomp on a sprig of alfalfa, they could easily gobble up some extra protein in the form of insects that happen to get in their way. But a new report in the August 10th issue of Current ...

Cracking open a cell biology mystery

Two billion years ago somewhere in the primordial soup, one of our single-cell ancestors made a quick lunch out of another. But, in a moment of evolutionary serendipity, the would-be prey worked out a "win-win" symbiotic ...

Study shows that hitchhiking bacteria can go against the flow

A new study co-authored by professor Kam Tang of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science reveals that tiny aquatic organisms known as "water fleas" play an important role in carrying hitchhiking bacteria to otherwise inaccessible ...

Popping cells surprise living circuits creators

Under the microscope, the bacteria start dividing normally, two cells become four and then eight and so on. But then individual cells begin "popping," like circus balloons being struck by darts.

Single cell injections

Duke University physicists have developed a way to produce sharp fluid jets with enough precision that they can inject material into a single, living cell. The technique promises a way to deliver drugs to cells one at a time, ...

Biotech offers promise for producing fuel

Fuel may be a messy business now, as the oil spill fouling the Gulf reminds us. But it might not always have to be. Scientists envision facilities that churn out black gold by enlisting engineered bacteria, yeast and algae ...

Apple says it has patch for remote hack attack

Apple is quietly wrestling with a security conundrum. How the company handles it could dictate the pace at which cybercriminals accelerate attacks on iPhones and iPads.

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