Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma, with extension of the tumour beyond the lymph node. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia

Bisphenol S, a substitute for bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, shows the potential for increasing the aggressiveness of breast cancer through its behavior as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, a new study finds. The results, which tested BPS in human breast cancer cells, will be presented Saturday at ENDO 2017, the Endocrine Society’s 99th annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

BPS is found in polycarbonate hard plastics, currency bills and thermal paper receipts as well as many products touted to be free of BPA, a known endocrine-disrupting chemical suspected of having multiple possible health risks...

Nanomagnets for Future Data Storage

The idea is intriguing: if only a single atom or small molecule was needed for a single unit of data (a 0 or a 1 in the case of binary digital technology), massive volumes of data could be stored in the tiniest amount of space. This is theoretically possible, as certain atoms can be magnetised in only one of two possible directions: “spin up” or “spin down.” Information could then be stored and read by the sequence of the molecules’ magnetisation directions.

However, several obstacles still need to be overcome before single-molecule magnet data storage becomes a reality...

Crystal formation within a 50 millimeter loop, taken on Expedition 6. Crystal growth investigations have been occurring on the station since before humans lived there because of the unique environment microgravity provides. Credit: NASA

Crew members aboard the ISS will begin conducting research this week to improve the way we grow crystals on Earth. The information gained from the experiments could speed up the process for drug development, benefiting humans around the world. Many proteins are too small to be studied even under a microscope, and must be crystallized in order to determine their 3D structures. These structures tell researchers how a single protein functions and its involvement in the development of disease...

Photo by Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications ) Physicist Will Fox with Magnetic Reconnection Experiment.

Reconnection occurs when the magnetic field lines in plasma – the collection of atoms and charged electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions, that make up 99% of the visible universe — converge and forcefully snap apart. Electrons that exert a varying degree of pressure form an important part of this process as reconnection takes place. Their findings could lead to more accurate predictions of damaging space weather and improved fusion experiments.

The team found that variation in the electron pressure develops along the magnetic field lines in the region undergoing reconnection...