 6 September 2010
MIT scientists create self-assembling solar cell
One of the problems with common photovoltaic cells is that the sun's rays can be highly destructive to the materials used in the cell, leading to a gradual degradation of its performance. But plants have adopted an interesting strategy to address this issue: They constantly break down their light-capturing molecules and reassemble them from scratch, so the basic structures that capture the sun's energy are, in effect, always new and at optimum efficiency. Now, MIT scientists have succeeded in mimicking a key aspect of that process...
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3 September 2010
Bright light at night carcinogenic
A new study confirms the theory that bright artificial lighting at night disrupts the body's production of melatonin and increases susceptibility to prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women...
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2 September 2010
Intriguing evidence of charitable behavior in bacteria
Scientists have observed that in certain populations of bacteria, antibiotic resistant strains will release chemicals to assist weaker bacteria to survive, a finding that provides important insights into bacterial complexity and antibiotic resistance...
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31 August 2010
First human communities may have originated from funeral feasts
Scientists working at a 12,000 year-old archeological site in Israel say they have evidence that ancient feasts to celebrate the burial of the dead brought about the world's first established communities...
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30 August 2010
Scientists revisit Tesla's electricity-from-air ideas
Harnessing the electrical power that is generated naturally when water vapor collects on microscopic particles of dust and other material in the air could provide an alternative to solar power and reduce the incidence of lightning strikes, say scientists...
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27 August 2010
Shortage of medical isotopes at crisis point
Radioactive isotopes are used to perform tens of millions of medical scans and treatments every year, but scientists this week said a global shortage of these materials will likely jeopardize patient care and drive-up health care costs...
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26 August 2010
Solar flares spookily linked to radioactive decay on Earth
Researchers have found that the radioactive decay of some elements sitting in laboratories on Earth seems to be influenced by activities inside the sun, 93 million miles away. This surprising finding, they speculate, may indicate a previously unknown particle emitted by the sun... |
25 August 2010
Astronomers detect distant solar system with five planets
Astronomers have discovered a planetary system 127 light-years away that contains at least five planets that orbit a star at distances that follow a regular pattern much like our own solar system...
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24 August 2010
Water, the simplest appetite control method
An appetite control agent that requires no prescription, has no side-effects and costs almost nothing? A new clinical trial has confirmed that just two 8-ounce glasses of the stuff, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. The new miracle elixir? Water...
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23 August 2010
Could oxytocin levels identify high risk parents?
It was known that birth and lactation boost oxytocin levels in new mothers and now researchers have found a link between oxytocin in new fathers and the quality of interactions they have with their new offspring; an association, say the researchers, that could help identify high risk parents...
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