Applied Physics

Circuit Engineering Technique Helps Identify Disease-Causing Genes

Scientists believe that complex diseases such as schizophrenia, major depression and cancer are not caused by one, but a multitude of dysfunctional genes. A novel computational biology method developed by a research team led by Ali Abdi, PhD,  associate pr ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 29 2008 - 12:45am

Carbon Nanotube Mass Sensor Weighs Atoms With Super Resolution

A group of researchers led by Adrian Bachtold of the CIN2 laboratory in Spain has developed an ultrasensitive mass sensor, which can measure tiny amounts of mass with atomic precision, and with an unprecedented resolution to date.  The CIN2 (Research Cente ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 2 2008 - 12:22am

Bioengineering Wonder- DNA 'Tweezers'

Researchers in China writing in Journal of the American Chemical Society are reporting development of a new DNA "tweezers" that are the first of their kind capable of grasping and releasing objects on-demand. The microscopic tweezers could have s ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2008 - 11:47am

Portable Magnetosphere Could Make A Mission To Mars Safe

According to the international space agencies, 'space weather' like radiation from the sun and cosmic rays in a solar storm, is the single greatest obstacle to deep space travel.  New research out today in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion sho ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 4 2008 - 12:41am

CESAR- King Of The Rovers

A robot rover designed by a Bremen university team has won an ESA contest to retrieve soil samples from a lunar-style terrestrial crater. Eight student teams fielded rovers during the event, their progress monitored by an advanced 3-D viewer already flight ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 4 2008 - 11:58am

What Is BlackMax?

A team of theoretical and experimental physicists  have designed a new black hole simulator called BlackMax to search for evidence that extra dimensions might exist in the universe.  Black holes are theorized to be regions in space where the gravitational ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 7 2008 - 7:56pm

Reverse Drafting- Why Sometimes The Leader Of The Pack Has Less Drag

From the Tour de France to NASCAR, competitors and fans know that speed is only part of the equation. Strategy, including the ability to use elements like aerodynamic drafting, which makes it easier to follow closely behind a leader than to be out in front ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 9 2008 - 11:11am

Your IPod Is No Problem, But Headphones Could Interfere With Pacemakers, Says Study

Headphones for MP3 players placed within an inch of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may interfere with these devices, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. An MP3 pl ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 9 2008 - 6:00pm

Liquid Crystal Lubricants Reduce Friction, Save Lots Of Electricity

We rarely think about the electricity impact of something like a conveyor belt at an airport.   When our luggage goes on, or we step on one, numerous gears with ball- and slide-bearings go to work. The power consumption is tremendous, in the range of sever ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 10 2008 - 11:27am

Nanobamas: 3-D Portraits Of The President-elect That Are Smaller Than A Grain Of Salt

A University of Michigan professor has created 3-D portraits of the president-elect that are smaller than a grain of salt. He calls them "nanobamas." John Hart, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, made the mini-Bar ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 15 2008 - 12:39pm