Oxidation reaction is first-ever with well-defined alignment, spin

17 hours ago | News

An important chemical species, molecular oxygen is linear, has an anisotropic shape, and spins from two unpaired electrons. However, until now, we didn’t know how these properties influenced important oxidation reactions. Researchers in Japan have now reported development of the world's first molecular oxygen beam that can designate the alignment of the molecular axis and spin direction.

NLT Technologies, Renesas expand touch panel options

18 hours ago | News

NLT Technologies, together with its sales and marketing channels in the Americas and Europe, Renesas Electronics America Inc. and Renesas Electronics Europe GmbH, announced the successful development of three mid-size color LCD modules based on projected capacitive touch panel technology.

Nuisance seaweed found to produce compounds with biomedical potential

19 hours ago | News

A seaweed considered a threat to the healthy growth of coral reefs in Hawaii may possess the ability to produce substances that could one day treat human diseases, a new study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego has revealed.

New Google data shows Microsoft's piracy problems

19 hours ago | News

According to recent data released by Google, the search engine giant has logged more than 2.5 million requests in the last 11 months to remove links believed to be violating Microsoft’s copyrights. This exceeded the number of complaints about material produced by entertainment companies pushing for tougher online piracy laws.

Forensics link crystal growth to volcano seismicity

20 hours ago | News

Using forensic-style chemical analysis, scientists in the U.K. and Germany have directly linked seismic observations of the deadly 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption to crystal growth within the magma chamber, the large underground pool of liquid rock beneath the volcano. Building direct links between observations at the surface and processes occurring underground has been an ongoing problem for volcanologists.

Stem cell-growing surface enables bone repair

20 hours ago | News

University of Michigan researchers have proven that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer.

Sound increases the efficiency of boiling

20 hours ago | News

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently achieved a 17% increase in boiling efficiency by using an acoustic field to enhance heat transfer. The acoustic field does this by efficiently removing vapor bubbles from the heated surface and suppressing the formation of an insulating vapor film.

Chemists design a dye they can count on

20 hours ago | News

Natural pigments contain colorful molecules known as poryphyrins, which lend vibrant colors through macrocyclic chemical structure that link several small rings together in an “aromatic” framework. Sometimes, however, synthesis causes the aromaticity to disappear. Researchers in Japan now report a new way to manipulate the peculiar aromatic properties of macrocycles.

Tiny planet-finding mirrors borrow from Webb Telescope playbook

20 hours ago | News

NASA’s next flagship mission, the James Webb Space Telescope, will carry the largest primary mirror ever deployed in space. Researchers has borrowed a page from its segmented mirror design to create a similar example just a half-inch in diameter. Strangely, the tiny mirror may one day become the standard for future space telescopes.

Discarded data may hold the key to a sharper view of molecules

21 hours ago | News

There's nothing like a new pair of eyeglasses to bring fine details into sharp relief. For scientists who study the large molecules of life from proteins to DNA, the equivalent of new lenses have come in the form of an advanced method for analyzing data from X-ray crystallography experiments. The findings could lead to new understanding of the molecules that drive processes in biology, medical diagnostics, nanotechnology, and other fields.

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Judges wanted for the 50th Annual R&D 100 Awards

Jan 27 | RDBlog

Expert in electronics? Professional in process science? Do you breathe biotech? If you have an area of expertise (and better yet, interest) consider spending a couple hours of your time and helping us evaluate some of the best and most unique high-technology products of the year.

Wanted: 2011's Top Technologies

8/15/2011 | RDBlog

The editors of R&D Magazine have opened the nominations for the 2012 R&D 100 Awards competition, which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the awards. If your organization introduced a new product this year, or is planning to, you can begin the entry process now.

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Curiosity spins its wheels

7/15/2010 | Videos

Engineers just installed six new wheels on the Curiosity rover, and rotated all six wheels at once on July 9, 2010. This milestone marked the first in a series of "tune ups" to get the rover ready for a drive in the clean room where it is being assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Curiosity is the centerpiece of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, which is expected to launch in late 2011, and touch down wheels-first in summer 2012.