Category Technology/Electronics

An illustration of aquaporin’s effect on cells. Credit: M. Shapiro Laboratory/Caltech

Knowing which genes are switched on is important for the treatment and monitoring of disease. Now, for the first time, Caltech scientists have invented a new method to link MRI signals to gene expression in cells – including tumor cells – in living tissues. The technique, which eventually could be used in humans, would allow gene expression to be monitored non-invasively, requiring no surgical procedures eg biopsies.

In MRI, hydrogen atoms in the body – atoms that are mostly contained in water molecules and fat – are excited using a magnetic field...

#Image1: What would happen if you threw an iceberg into the sun? Surprising as it may seem, physicists still aren’t sure. (Image: NASA/SDO/AIA, NASA/STEREO, SOHO/ESA/NASA) #Image2: It may come as a surprise that temperature and voltage, basic notions developed in the 19th century, have until now lacked a mathematically rigorous definition, except for the case of an idealized equilibrium that does not actually occur in nature. The results of this study show that the two are intricately linked and could lead to a better understanding of what it means to be ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ at the subatomic and quantum scale. (Image: Charles Stafford/Abhay Shastry/UA)

If you thought that a kid’s room, a Norwegian Nobel Laureate and a laser pointer had nothing in common, 2 UA physicists are about to enlighten y...

Laser light generates and probes sound waves in the core of a fiber optic waveguide. Credit: Yale University

Yale scientists have shown how to enhance the lifetime of sound waves traveling through glass—the material at the heart of fiber optic technologies. Everyday experience tells us that glass (silica) is highly transparent. In fact, silica is one of the most transparent materials on earth. Light can propagate for tens of kilometers in silica before it experiences any appreciable weakening. This transparency, combined with glass’ formability and low cost, is why glass is used in so many of the fiber-optic technologies that shape the information age.

Yet silica also has a mysterious side. At room temperature, silica is an excellent acoustic material...

Scanning transmission electron microscope image of a nickel-platinum composite material created at The Ohio State University. At left, the image is overlaid with false-color maps of elements in the material, including platinum (red), nickel (green) and oxygen (blue). Credit: Imaging by Isabel Boona, OSU Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis; Left image prepared by Renee Ripley. Courtesy of The Ohio State University

The same researchers who pioneered the use of a quantum mechanical effect to convert heat into electricity have figured out how to make their technique work in a form more suitable to industry...