309 articles from WEDNESDAY 3.2.2021

NASA, AIAA Host Discussion on Mars Perseverance Rover Technology

Portal origin URL: NASA, AIAA Host Discussion on Mars Perseverance Rover TechnologyPortal origin nid: 468035Published: Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - 17:04Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and NASA will host a moderated webinar to discuss technology innovations with NASA’s Mars Perseverance...

What's Up - February 2021

Find Mars all month after sunset, especially on the night of NASA's planned rover landing, Feb. 18. Then watch the Moon glide across the Winter Circle before it pays a visit to the bright stars of the constellation Gemini. News Article Type: Homepage ArticlesPublished: Wednesday, February 3, 2021 -...

New piezoelectric material remains effective to high temperatures

Piezoelectric materials hold great promise as sensors and as energy harvesters but are normally much less effective at high temperatures, limiting their use in environments such as engines or space exploration. However, a new piezoelectric device developed by a team of researchers from Penn State and QorTek remains highly effective at elevated temperatures.

Feed Fido fresh human-grade dog food to scoop less poop

For decades, kibble has been our go-to diet for dogs. But the dog food marketplace has exploded in recent years, with grain-free, fresh, and now human-grade offerings crowding the shelves. All commercial dog foods must meet standards for complete and balanced nutrition, so how do consumers know what to choose?

Cancer research expands body's own immune system to kill tumors

Scientists are hoping advances in cancer research could lead to a day when a patient's own immune system could be used to fight and destroy a wide range of tumors. Cancer immunotherapy has some remarkable successes, but its effectiveness has been limited to a relatively small handful of cancers. Researchers describe how advances in engineering models of tumors can greatly expand cancer...

First-in-human clinical trial confirms new HIV vaccine approach

A phase 1 clinical trial testing a novel vaccine approach to prevent HIV has produced promising results, researchers announced today. The vaccine showed success in stimulating production of rare immune cells needed to start the process of generating antibodies against the fast-mutating virus; the targeted response was detected in 97 percent of participants who received the vaccine.

Scientists discover plants' roadblock to specialty oil production

Hundreds of naturally occurring specialty fatty acids (building blocks of oils) have potential for use as raw materials for making lubricants, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and more—if they could be produced at large scale by crop plants. But attempts to put genes for making these specialty building blocks into crops have had the opposite effect: Seeds from plants with genes added to make specialty...

State-funded pre-K may enhance math achievement

In the first longitudinal study to follow Georgia pre-K students through middle school, Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett, associate dean for academic programs and professor in UGA's Mary Frances Early College of Education, found that participating in pre-K programs positively predicted mathematical achievement in students through seventh grade.

The business of bees

The economic value of insect pollinators was $34 billion in the U.S. in 2012, much higher than previously thought. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor.

Nanotech plastic packaging could leach silver into some types of foods and beverages

Antimicrobial packaging is being developed to extend the shelf life and safety of foods and beverages. However, there is concern about the transfer of potentially harmful materials, such as silver nanoparticles, from these types of containers to consumables. Now, researchers illustrate that silver embedded in an antimicrobial plastic can leave the material and form nanoparticles in foods and...

New ink jet approach offers simple way to print microdisk lasers for biosensing

Researchers have developed a unique inkjet printing method for fabricating tiny biocompatible polymer microdisk lasers for biosensing applications. The approach enables production of both the laser and sensor in a room temperature, open-air environment, potentially enabling new uses of biosensing technologies for health monitoring and disease diagnostics.