Technologies & Strategies That Enable R&D
Oldest record of human-caused lead pollution detected
June 11, 2013 4:23 pm | News | CommentsHumans began contributing to environmental lead pollution as early as 8,000 years ago, according to a Univ. of Pittsburgh research report. The Pitt research team detected the oldest-discovered remains of human-derived lead pollution in the world in the northernmost region of Michigan, suggesting metal pollution from mining and other human activities appeared far earlier in North America than in Europe, Asia and South America.
Agilent introduces advanced mass spec software
June 11, 2013 4:15 pm | News | CommentsAgilent Technologies Inc. has introduced two applications that further enhance its MassHunter Workstation software and LC-MS, GC-MS and ICP-MS instruments. These new applications empower users to rapidly create targeted screening methods for food safety and forensic analysis, and to characterize intact proteins and biosimilars for biopharmaceutical research.
Moon radiation findings may reduce health risks to astronauts
June 11, 2013 3:55 pm | News | CommentsSpace scientists from the Univ. of New Hampshire and the Southwest Research Institute report that data gathered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show lighter materials like plastics provide effective shielding against the radiation hazards faced by astronauts during extended space travel. The finding could help reduce health risks to humans on future missions into deep space.
Polymer structures serve as nanoreactors for nanocrystals with uniform sizes, shapes
June 11, 2013 3:26 pm | News | CommentsUsing star-shaped block co-polymer structures as tiny reaction vessels, researchers have developed an improved technique for producing nanocrystals with consistent sizes, compositions and architectures—including metallic, ferroelectric, magnetic, semiconductor and luminescent nanocrystals. The technique relies on the length of polymer molecules and the ratio of two solvents to control the size and uniformity of colloidal nanocrystals.
Air bubbles could be the secret to artificial skin
June 11, 2013 2:01 pm | by Sarah Perrin, EPFL | News | CommentsUsing foam substrates, researchers in Switzerland have made a flexible electronic circuit board. In experiments using various deformable materials, the team discovered a new kind of platform upon which to build circuits: elastomeric foams. These foams, used in packaging materials, serve as a substrate for metallic materials and can be stretched without disrupting electrical conductivity. The breakthrough could progress on electronic skin.
Cloud computing user privacy in need of reform
June 11, 2013 12:25 pm | News | CommentsWhen Web surfers sign up for a new online service or download a Web application for their smartphone or tablet, the service typically requires them to click a seemingly innocuous box and accept the company’s terms of service and privacy policy. But agreeing to terms without reading them beforehand can adversely affect a user’s legal rights, says a new paper by a Univ. of Illinois expert in technology and legal issues.
Chinese spacecraft blasts off with three astronauts
June 11, 2013 10:49 am | by Andy Wong, Associated Press | News | CommentsChina's fifth and longest manned spacecraft successfully blasted off Tuesday on a 15-day mission to dock with a space lab and educate young people about science. The spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket and will transport the crew to the Tiangong 1, which functions as an experimental prototype for a much larger Chinese space station to be launched in 2020.
Triple Quadrupole LC-MS
June 11, 2013 9:10 am | Product Releases | CommentsThermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has introduced a new-generation triple quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform. The platform, which includes the Quantiva triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer and Endura triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer, made its debut at the ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics.
MALDI TOF-TOF Mass Spectrometer
June 11, 2013 9:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsShimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc. has introduced the MALDI-7090 MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometer targeted for proteomics and tissue imaging research. Innovative technology incorporated into the MALDI-7090, such as ASDF- axial spatial distribution focusing, delivers high-resolution MALDI MS/MS for accurate compound characterization.
Unfrozen mystery: Water reveals a new secret
June 11, 2013 8:36 am | News | CommentsA collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers and a team led by the Carnegie Institution for Science's Malcolm Guthrie has led to discoveries about how ice behaves under pressure, changing ideas that date back almost 50 years. The findings could alter scientists' understanding of how the water molecule responds to conditions found deep within planets and could have implications for energy science.
Mismatched materials can be tough enough
June 11, 2013 8:20 am | News | CommentsRice Univ. researchers have for the first time detailed the molecular mechanism that makes a particular combination of cement and polymer glue so tough. The theoretical research led to a fine picture of how hydrogen bonds control the properties of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. The finding has implications for understanding the interface bonding that is often a roadblock to improved composite properties.
Micro-RNA plays role in wood formation
June 11, 2013 8:10 am | News | CommentsFor more than a decade, scientists have suspected that hairpin-shaped chains of micro-RNA regulate wood formation inside plant cells. Now, scientists at North Carolina State Univ. have found the first example and mapped out key relationships that control the process. The research describes how one strand of micro-RNA reduced by more than 20% the formation of lignin, which gives wood its strength.
“Popcorn” particle pathways promise better lithium-ion batteries
June 11, 2013 7:59 am | News | CommentsResearchers at Sandia National Laboratories have confirmed the particle-by-particle mechanism by which lithium ions move in and out of electrodes made of lithium iron phosphate (LFP), findings that could lead to better performance in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, medical equipment and aircraft.
A potential target to thwart antibiotic resistance
June 11, 2013 7:41 am | News | CommentsBacteria in the gut that are under attack by antibiotics have allies no one had anticipated, a team of Harvard Univ. Wyss Institute scientists has found. Gut viruses that usually commandeer the bacteria, it turns out, enable them to survive the antibiotic onslaught, most likely by handing them genes that help them withstand the drug.
Agilent demonstrates new generation of ion mobility technology
June 11, 2013 7:40 am | News | CommentsAt the American Society of Mass Spectroscopy conference in Minneapolis this week, Agilent Technologies introduced analytical research findings using new ion mobility technology combined with a modified high-resolution iFunnel quadrupole-time-of-flight liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) system. The prototype systems have provided significantly greater analytical detail for complex samples than high-resolution MS alone.
