Physics & Mathematics

Strongest Confirmation to Date for New Form of Matter

An international team of physicists has provided the best evidence to date of the existence of a new form of atomic matter, dubbed the “pentaquark.” The research team confirmed the existence of pentaquarks by using a different approach that greatly increased the rate of detection compared to previous experiments. “The latest, and most conclusive evidence of this five-quark particle — the ‘pentaquark’ — could bring immense insight in understanding the laws and structure of universal matter in its most fundamental form,” said lead author Valery Kubarovsky, a Research Scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Scientists grow neurons using nanostructures

Scientists have designed synthetic molecules that promote neuron growth, a promising development that could lead to the reversal of paralysis due to spinal cord injury. “We have created new materials that because of their chemical structure interact with cells of the central nervous system in ways that may help prevent the formation of the scar that is often linked to paralysis after spinal cord injury,” said one of the lead researchers.

Squirty star imitates black hole

Scientists using CSIRO’s Australia Telescope near Narrabri in northern NSW have made a discovery that they hope will increase our understanding of a fundamental cosmic process. The team has seen a neutron star spitting out a jet of matter at very close to the speed of light. This is the first time such a fast jet has been seen from anything other than a black hole.

Enzyme Degrades Mad Cow Disease Prion

Research has shown that, under proper conditions, an enzyme can fully degrade the prion — or protein particle — believed to be responsible for mad cow disease and other related animal and human diseases. These transmissible prions believed to be the cause of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the technical name for mad cow disease, are highly resistant to degradation. But the new research, which tested the effects of a bacterial enzyme keratinase on brain tissues from cows with BSE and sheep with scrapie, showed that, when the tissue was pretreated and in the presence of a detergent, the enzyme fully degraded the prion, rendering it undetectable.

Nanotubes could make better brain probes

Researchers have shown that extremely thin carbon fibers called “nanotubes” might be used to create brain probes and implants to study and treat neurological damage and disorders. Probes made of silicon currently are used to study brain function and disease but may one day be used to apply electrical signals that restore damaged areas of the brain. A major drawback to these probes, however, is that they cause the body to produce scar tissue that eventually accumulates and prevents the devices from making good electrical contact with brain cells called neurons.

Promising Drug Fails to Thwart Fatal Lung Disease

A treatment that had shown early promise in alleviating symptoms and preventing the advance of the fatal lung disease pulmonary fibrosis failed to stall the disorder’s progression in 162 patients, according to the results of an international clinical trial reported in the Jan. 8, 2004, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Too fast, too furious: a galaxy?s fatal plunge

Using several telescopes including NASA?s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have captured the untimely demise of a galaxy that was once like our Milky Way. The result is a dramatic look at C153, a galaxy being ripped apart as it races 4.5 million mph through a distant cluster of galaxies. The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program.

First ever integrated silicon circuit with nanotube transistors

In an important milestone in the fields of nanosciences and nanoengineering, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University are announcing that they have created the first working, integrated silicon circuit that successfully incorporates carbon nanotubes in its design.

Scientists await first call from Beagle

Early Wednesday morning, the Beagle 2 spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars at the end of a 250 million mile (400 million km), six-month trek to the Red Planet. Although the first attempt to use NASA?s Mars Odyssey orbiter to communicate with the lander three hours later was unsuccessful, scientists and engineers are still awaiting the best Christmas present possible ? the first faint signal to tell them that Beagle 2 has become only the fourth spacecraft to make a successful landing on Mars.

Researchers develop nanofibers thinner than wavelengths of light they carry

Researchers have developed a process to create wires only 50 nanometers (billionths of a meter) thick. Made from silica, the same mineral found in quartz, the wires carry light in an unusual way. Because the wires are thinner than the wavelengths of light they transport, the material serves as a guide around which light waves flow. In addition, because the researchers can fabricate the wires with a uniform diameter and smooth surfaces down to the atomic level, the light waves remain coherent as they travel.

Tiny nanowire could be next big diagnostic tool for doctors

A tiny nanowire sensor — smaller than the width of a human hair, 1,000 times more sensitive than conventional DNA tests, and capable of producing results in minutes rather than days or weeks — could pave the way for faster, more accurate medical diagnostic tests for countless conditions and may ultimately save lives by allowing earlier disease detection and intervention, Harvard scientists say.

Self-assembled ‘nanorings’ could boost computer memory

Recent nanotechnology research at Purdue University could pave the way toward faster computer memories and higher density magnetic data storage, all with an affordable price tag.
Just like the electronics industry, the data storage industry is on the move toward nanoscale. By shrinking components to below 1/10,000th the width of a human hair, manufacturers could make faster computer chips with more firepower per square inch. However, the technology for making devices in that size range is still being developed, and the smaller the components get, the more expensive they are to produce.

With nature’s help, a better vision system for smart weapons

The next generation of smart weapons may “see” targets with a manmade version of that wonder of the natural world, the insect eye. Inspired by the panoramic and precise vision of flies and other insects, researchers at several universities and institutions are working on biologically-inspired “eyes” for smart weapons and other self-guided machines. At the University of Florida, the focus of the “bio-optics synthetic systems research,” sponsored by the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is on adapting mechanisms called “photon sieves” for visual purposes.

Software mines for new materials

A computational technique used to predict everything from books that a given customer might like to the function of an unknown protein is now being applied by MIT engineers and colleagues to the search for new materials. The team’s ultimate goal: a public online database that could aid the design of materials for almost any application, from nanostructure computer components to ultralight, high-strength alloys for airplanes.