How researchers replicate space radiation in the lab: a light source stimulates hydrogen and thus creates energy-rich ultraviolet radiation. Credit: © RUB, Damian Gorczany

What chemical processes in space could have created the building blocks of life is being researched by chemists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Prof Dr Wolfram Sander’s team. In their experiments, they are simulating the conditions in space to understand in detail how certain chemical reactions occur. One theory says that the building blocks of life were not created on Earth. Cometary impacts may have brought amino acids to our planet. How such complex molecules could have formed in space is a question being investigated by Sander’s team. The scientists are interested in processes in a condensed phase, i.e...

The degree of hair graying in male gender as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, a prospective study

Grey hair has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease in men, in research presented today at EuroPrevent 2017. “Ageing is an unavoidable coronary risk factor and is associated with dermatological signs that could signal increased risk,” said Dr Irini Samuel, a cardiologist at Cairo University, Egypt. Atherosclerosis and hair greying share similar mechanisms such as impaired DNA repair, oxidative stress, inflammation, hormonal changes and senescence of functional cells. This study assessed the prevalence of grey hair in patients with coronary artery disease and whether it was an independent risk marker of disease.

This was a prospective, observational study wh...

A bioactive foam could be used to replace skull bone lost to injury, surgery, or birth defect. Credit: Texas A&M University

A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute team is developing a new material that can be used to replace skull bone lost to injury, surgery, or defect. The bioactive foam is malleable when exposed to warm saline (similar to a sponge), allowing surgeons to easily shape it to fit irregular defects in the skull, where it hardens in place. Once implanted in the skull, specially coated pores within the foam attract bone cells, naturally regenerating bone to replace the foam, which dissolves over time.

The foam – a shape memory polymer coated in a bioactive polydopamine – is intended as an alternative to materials currently used to treat cranio-maxillofacial gaps...

The Navy has since 2014 been testing a 30-kilowatt laser on one of its warships, the USS Ponce (AFP Photo/John F. Williams)

A sci-fi staple for decades, laser weapons are finally becoming reality in the US military, albeit with capabilities a little less dramatic than at the movies. Lightsabers—the favored weapon of the Jedi in “Star Wars” films—will remain in the fictional realm for now, but after decades of development, laser weapons are now here and are being deployed on military vehicles and planes. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon—all the big defense players—are developing prototypes for the Pentagon. The Navy has since 2014 been testing a 30-kilowatt laser on one of its warships, the USS Ponce.

Lockheed Martin has just announced a 60-kilowatt laser weapon ...