Science News

UAH Researchers Plan Conference to Probe Agricultural Sustainability

Planning for more sustainable U.S. agriculture will be the topic of an Oct. 21-23 workshop in Boulder, Colo., by researchers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

– University of Alabama Huntsville

化石发现古代河豚新种 Fossil Specimen Reveals a New Species of Ancient River Dolphin to Smithsonian Scientists

Smithsonian scientists and colleagues have discovered a new genus and species of river dolphin that has long been extinct. They made the discovery after carefully examining fossil fragments from Panama. The fossil fragments also shed new light on the evolution of today’s freshwater river dolphin species.

Peer J

– Smithsonian Institution

山洞跳水死亡的地质学之谜被解开 FSU Scientist Solves 20-Year-Old Cave Diving Mystery

Scientists have solved a decades-old geological mystery into what caused the death of a Florida cave diver.

– Florida State University

Saving Oysters by Digging Up Their Past

Restoring oyster reefs is not an easy task, but by digging deep and examining centuries-old reefs, marine restoration professionals may stand a better chance at bringing oysters back, said a new Cornell University and Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) study published in the August issue of the Journal of Shellfish Research.

Journal of Shellfish Research

– Cornell University

新技术把手机变成可穿戴高倍显微镜，聋人可跟不懂手语的人对话 New Technology Transforms Cell Phone Into High-Powered Microscope

A smart device that translates sign language while being worn on the wrist could bridge the communications gap between the deaf and those who don’t know sign language, says a Texas A&M University biomedical engineering researcher who is developing the technology.

– Texas A&M University

海洋葉劍水蚤（桡足类动物）快速变色和隐形之谜被解开，光学意义非凡 Revealed: Stunning Sea Sapphire’s Magic Trick

The tiny, beautiful sea sapphire dazzles observers with its ability to turn various jewel-like colors – and become invisible. The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Lia Addadi, Prof. Steve Weiner, and others reveal how <em>Sapphirinidae</em> pulls off its magic trick, which could have applications such as adaptive reflective coatings and optical mirrors.

Journal of the American Chemical Society, June 2015

– Weizmann Institute of Science

New Method for Nanoparticle Self-Assembly May Lead to Novel Applications, Like Rewritable Paper

Unlike current methods that coat nanoparticles with light-sensitive molecules, a new technique from the Weizmann Institute instead suspends the particles in a light-sensitive medium, then self-assemble. Possible applications include rewritable paper, water decontamination, and a way to precisely deliver medicines.

Nature Chemistry, June 2015

– Weizmann Institute of Science

肠道微生物种群对健康至关重要， 通过各种微生物的不同的生长速度可建立哪些微生物与不同疾病的关系 Assessing Bacteria Growth Rate Gives Novel Insight into Health and Microbiome

Investigating how the microbiome impacts human health, the labs of Dr. Eran Elinav and Prof. Eran Segal at the Weizmann Institute of Science took a fresh approach: measuring the growth rate of the bacteria. The findings led Dr. Elinav to say, “microbial growth rate reveals things about our health that cannot be seen with any other analysis method.”

Science, July 2015

– Weizmann Institute of Science

Metallic Hydrogen, Gravitational Waves, Killer Asteroids, Photosynthesis Seen From Space, the Atypical History of Climate Change Science, and More

The following articles are freely available online from Physics Today (www.physicstoday.org), the world's most influential and closely followed magazine devoted to physics and the physical science community.

Physics Today

– American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Story Tips From the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory September 2015

ORNL lamp simulates sun in tests for NASA; ORNL model examines diabetes progression; Hybrid lubricant holds great promise for engine efficiency; ORNL, partners score success with wireless charging demo; New software helps in design of quantum computers, batteries

– Oak Ridge National Laboratory

使用不同波长的X射线可观察到物体的3维精细结构或诸如化学反应初始的变化 Two-Color X-Rays Give Scientists 3-D View of the Unknown

Scientists can now get a high-resolution view of a sample or the details of the first steps in ultra-fast processes, thanks to researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source.

Physical Review ST Accelerators and Beams 18, 030702 (2015); Physical Review Letters 113, 254801 (2014); Nature Communications 6, 6369 (2015)

– Department of Energy, Office of Science

新材料在细微温度变化条件下下能捕捉或释放二氧化碳 Cooperative Carbon Capture by a Novel Material that Mimics a Plant Enzyme

Scientists discovered a material that exhibits an unprecedented mechanism for carbon dioxide capture-and-release with only small shifts in temperature. The material’s structure closely resembles an enzyme found in plants that captures carbon dioxide for conversion into nutrients.

Nature 2015, 519, 303-308

– Department of Energy, Office of Science

Global Team Seeks Individual X-ray Portraits of Active Viruses, Bacteria and Cell Components

A major international collaboration launched by the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is laying the technical groundwork for taking individual, atomic-scale portraits of intact viruses, living bacteria and other microscopic samples using the brightest X-ray light on Earth.

A. Aquila, et al., Structural Dynamics, July 2015 (10.1063/1.4918726)

– SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Texas A&M Technology Transforms Cell Phone Into High-Powered Microscope

New technology that transforms a cell phone into a powerful, mobile microscope could significantly improve malaria diagnoses and treatment in developing countries lacking the resources to address the life-threatening disease, says a Texas A&M University biomedical engineer who has created the tool.

Scientific Reports

– Texas A&amp;M University

The World’s Thinnest Proton Channel

Scientists correlated atomic-scale defects in graphene with a “bucket brigade” style mechanism that lets protons travel through the graphene. Demonstrating such a mechanism and the prospect for gating it could enable directing proton pathways for improved fuel cells and other uses.

Nature Communications 6, 6539 (2015)

– Department of Energy, Office of Science

ORNL-Developed Building Efficiency Software Now Available

A set of automated calibration techniques for tuning residential and commercial building energy efficiency software models to match measured data is now available as an open source code. The Autotune code is available on GitHub.

– Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Four Brookhaven Lab Projects Selected as R&D 100 Award Finalists

Four Brookhaven National Laboratory projects have been selected as finalists for the 2015 R&D 100 awards, which honor the top 100 proven technological advances of the past year as determined by a panel selected by R&D Magazine.

– Brookhaven National Laboratory

Forest Rangers Arrest Six Bird Poachers in Gunung Leuser National Park

Forest Rangers from Gunung Leuser National Park and WCS– Indonesia Program’s SMART (Spatial Management and Reporting Tool) Patrol Unit announced the arrest of six bird poachers in Tegapan Village in Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP), Stabat Area, Sumatera, in Indonesia.

– Wildlife Conservation Society

Institute of Food Technologists Welcomes New 2015-2016 President

On September 1, 2015 Colin Dennis, CBE, PhD, CFS, CSci became the 76th president of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit scientific society committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system. Dr. Dennis succeeded Mary Ellen Camire, PhD, CFS, IFT’s 2014-2015 President and food science professor at the University of Maine’s School of Food & Agriculture.

– Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)