New laser technique may be used to detect microbial life forms in Martian iceOctober 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have said that an innovative new laser technique could be used to detect microbial life forms in Martian ice. According to scientists, the technique, called L.I.F.E.
Researchers work on artificial legs that don't slipSeptember 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Marjorie Brasier, on an instrumented prosthetic leg, repeatedly tripped or slipped on the treadmill. Sometimes she recovered on her own and kept walking, while at other times the harness she wore was all that kept her from tumbling to the floor.
Soon, improved prosthetic legs to prevent amputees from trippingSeptember 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Rhode Island are conducting a study to develop improved prosthetic legs that could prevent amputees from tripping. The study is aimed at improving the safety of prosthetic legs by developing a reliable and responsive stumble detection system.
Scientists develop 'electronic nose' that can sniff out toxins by changing colorsSeptember 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists has developed a sensor that works as an 'electronic nose' in sniffing out some known poisonous gases and toxins, simply by changing colors. Support for the development and application of this electronic nose comes from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Fish fear divers and snorkelers who try to count them for censusJuly 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by scientists from the University of Victoria has shown that fish avoid the divers and snorkelers who try to count them, and that is why using snorkelers and SCUBA divers may misrepresent the number of fish. Not all types of fish are equally frightened by the divers, and Faculty of 1000 member Helen Yap, who recommended the study, explains that therefore "such methods may not provide an accurate picture of the actual diversity and abundance of fish communities."
Counting coral reef fish informs researchers about local ecological changes.
Scientists develop faster, cheaper DNA test for crimesJuly 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists in Japan have developed a faster, cheaper and better DNA test for criminal investigations, diagnostics and other applications, according to the latest research. They reported a superior version of the fabled polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a DNA test, that works by amplifying "previously undetectable traces of DNA almost like photo-copiers produce copies of documents," noted Naohiro Noda and colleagues.
New method to detect food borne pathogensJuly 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have suggested an improved method for detection of food-borne pathogens. Dr. Edmund Ting, Senior VP of South Easton, MA-based Pressure BioSciences, Inc., believes that improvements in food safety depend on the rapid and accurate detection of food-borne pathogens, both in pre-release quality control testing and in post-outbreak investigations.
Women more accurate than men at hammering a nail in broad daylightJune 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Women are more accurate in hammering a nail in broad daylight than men, finds a new study. Duncan Irschick and his colleagues, at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, measured hammering performances of men and women.
New technique to detect metabolites from a single drop of bloodJune 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A single drop of blood could soon be able to identify various blood related metabolites-such as sugars, fatty acids, amino acids and other organic substances-from plant or animal tissue samples. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena and their colleagues from the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague have developed a new method to quickly and reliably detect metabolites from only a drop of blood.
Scientists track movement of atoms in real timeMay 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new technique tracks movement of freely moving single neutral atoms in real time, that is more than 99.7 percent accurate and sensitive enough to discern the arrival of a single atom in less than a millionth of a second. The system, developed by researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) in College Park and the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, employs a novel means of altering the polarisation of laser light trapped between two highly-reflective mirrors, according to a JQI release.
Researchers develop 'astro-comb' to locate earth-like planetsMay 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The ability to detect presence of extrasolar planets orbiting distant stars has got better with researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics creating an 'astro-comb' to detect lighter planets, more like the Earth, around distant stars. In most cases, extrasolar planets can't be seen directly - the glare of the nearby star is too great - but their influence can be discerned through spectroscopy, which analyses the kind of light emanating from the star.
British scientists devise test to identify best AIDS vaccinesApril 27th, 2009 LONDON - British medical scientists have devised a test to identify the best potential AIDS vaccines, a newspaper reported Monday. Early results suggest the test is able to detect not only whether a vaccine will generate a response from the body's immune system, but also whether this response will actively fight HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, the Times reported.
Chemists develop first accurate test for arsenic in soilApril 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Analytical chemists have developed the first accurate test for arsenic compounds in soil, providing improved environmental and health impact assessment, and for detecting high arsenic levels in some Asian rice supplies. The test was conducted by analytical chemist Julian Tyson and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US.
New sensor detects bombs by sniffing out explosive vaporsMarch 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A group of scientists have discovered a new way to sensitively detect explosives based on the physical properties of their vapors. "Certain classes of explosives have unique thermal characteristics that help to identify explosive vapors in presence of other vapors," said Thomas Thundat, a researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee, who conducted the research with his colleagues at ORNL and the Technical University of Denmark.
Gut feelings can be more reliable than reasoned analysisFebruary 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - You make a decision based on a 'lucky guess' which feels right, but that may not be guesswork at all, says the latest research. A Northwestern University study offers precise electrophysiological evidence that such decisions may be due to the surprising accuracy of memories that can't be consciously accessed.
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