Radiation dose rates, seen in this NAIRAS model, increase with altitude and latitude and can vary from hour to hour. Rates for Nov. 14, 2012, 20:00-21:00 GMT are shown above. Warmer colors indicate higher amounts of radiation. Credit: NASA/NAIRAS

NASA scientists studying high-altitude radiation recently published new results on the effects of cosmic radiation in our atmosphere. Their research will help improve real-time radiation monitoring for aviation industry crew and passengers working in potentially higher radiation environments.Imagine you’re sitting on an airplane. Cruising through the stratosphere at 36,000 feet, you’re well above the clouds and birds, and indeed, much of the atmosphere. But, despite its looks, this region is far from empty.

Just above you, high-energy particles, c...

FLP-7 and NPR-22 function as a fat regulatory neuroendocrine ligand-receptor pair in vivo.

Biologists at TSRI have identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in the gut. Their findings in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development. “This was basic science that unlocked an interesting mystery,” said TSRI Assistant Professor Supriya Srinivasan. Previous studies had shown that serotonin can drive fat loss. Yet no one was sure exactly how.

To answer that question, Srinivasan and her colleagues experimented with C. elegans, which are often used as model organisms in biology...

A simulation of one-dimensional boron under stress shows the theoretical material changing phase from a ribbon to a chain of atoms when pulled. The chain returns to ribbon form when the stress is relieved. Credit: Yakobson Research Group

Simulations demonstrate 1D material’s stiffness, electrical versatility, Hold on, there, graphene. You might think you’re the most interesting new nanomaterial of the century, but boron might already have you beat, according to scientists at Rice University. A Rice team that simulated one-dimensional forms of boron – both two-atom-wide ribbons and single-atom chains – found they possess unique properties.

Eg, if metallic ribbons of boron are stretched, they morph into antiferromagnetic semiconducting chains, and when released they fold back into ribbons...

The lesser-known constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs), is home to a variety of deep-sky objects — including this beautiful galaxy, known as NGC 4861. Astronomers are still debating on how to classify it. While its physical properties — such as mass, size and rotational velocity — indicate it to be a spiral galaxy, its appearance looks more like a comet with its dense, luminous ‘head’ and dimmer ‘tail’ trailing off. Features more fitting with a dwarf irregular galaxy. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

The lesser-known constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs), is home to a variety of deep-sky objects – including this beautiful galaxy, known as NGC 4861. Astronomers are still debating on how to classify it...