Science Simplified!

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on April 1, 2014 at 8:46am

Debashis Chanda at the University of Central Floridamay have just cracked a barrier. The cover story in the March edition of the journal Advanced Optical Materials, explains how Chanda and fellow optical and nanotech experts were able to develop a larger swath of multilayer 3-D metamaterial operating in the visible spectral range. They accomplished this feat by using nanotransfer printing, which can potentially be engineered to modify surrounding refractive index needed for controlling propagation of light.
A breakthrough in creating invisibility cloaks, stealth technology
The nanotransfer printing technique creates metal/dielectric composite films, which are stacked together in a 3-D architecture with nanoscale patterns for operation in the visible spectral range. Control of electromagnetic resonances over the 3-D space by structural manipulation allows precise control over propagation of light. Following this technique, larger pieces of this special material can be created, which were previously limited to micron-scale size.

By improving the technique, the team hopes to be able to create larger pieces of the material with engineered optical properties, which would make it practical to produce for real-life device applications. For example, the team could develop large-area metamaterial absorbers, which would enable fighter jets to remain invisible from detection systems.
Source: University of Central Florida

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on April 1, 2014 at 8:37am

Nano-paper filter removes viruses
Researchers at the Division of Nanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper filter consists of 100 percent high purity cellulose nanofibers, directly derived from nature. The research was carried out in collaboration with virologists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences/Swedish National Veterinary Institute and is published in the Advanced Healthcare Materials journal.

Virus particles are very peculiar objects- tiny (about thousand times thinner than a human hair) yet mighty. Viruses can only replicate in living cells but once the cells become infected the viruses can turn out to be extremely pathogenic. Viruses can actively cause diseases on their own or even transform healthy cells to malignant tumors.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2014/03/31/nano.paper.filter.remov...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on April 1, 2014 at 7:31am

Feel happy to read these type of articles
Airlines find a smart way to cut carbon footprint
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Airlines...
This is to save money( economics) but at the same time they are helping the ecology!
Perhaps if you show people things that can be helpful both ways, they would listen!

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 31, 2014 at 8:43am

First gene-editing disease cure success announced
Using a new gene-editing system based on bacterial proteins, MIT researchers have cured mice of a rare liver disorder caused by a single genetic mutation.

The findings, described in the March 30 issue of Nature Biotechnology, offer the first evidence that this gene-editing technique, known as CRISPR, can reverse disease symptoms in living animals. CRISPR, which offers an easy way to snip out mutated DNA and replace it with the correct sequence, holds potential for treating many genetic disorders, according to the research team.

http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/erasing-genetic-mutation

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 31, 2014 at 8:41am

Scientists struggle to complete climate impacts report
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26802192

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 31, 2014 at 8:37am

V-ATPase Proton Pumping Activity Is Required for Adult Zebrafish Appendage Regeneration
Reason why some animals can regenerate tissues after severe organ loss or amputation while others, such as humans, cannot renew some structures has always intrigued scientists. In a study now published in PLOS ONE, a research group from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC, Portugal) led by Joaquín Rodríguez León provided new clues to solve this central question by investigating regeneration in an adult vertebrate model: the zebrafish. It was known that zebrafish is able to regenerate organs, and that electrical currents may play a role in this process, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Using both biophysical and molecular approaches, the researchers have shown, for the first time, that zebrafish regenerates its caudal fin by a process that involves a specific channel in the cell membrane, called V-ATPase, that pumps hydrogen ions (H+) out of the cells generating an electrical current. Understanding these mechanisms underlying adult tissue regeneration may be instrumental for the development of new tissue.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone....

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 29, 2014 at 6:15am

Geoengineering side effects could be potentially disastrous, research shows
Comparison of five proposed methods shows they are ineffective, alter weather systems or could not be safely stopped

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140225/ncomms4304/full/ncomms4304...
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/25/geoengineering-s...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 28, 2014 at 8:55am

Next generation super powerful fuel from bacteria
The next generation of super powerful fuel, capable of arming missiles and space rockets may come from an engineered bacterium.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene - a hydrocarbon produced by trees that could potentially replace high-energy fuels such as JP-10 in missiles and other aerospace applications.

By inserting enzymes from trees into the bacterium, Georgia Tech scientist Stephen Sarria boosted pinene production six-fold over earlier bioengineering efforts. To be competitive, the researchers will have to boost their production of pinene 26-fold.

Though a more dramatic improvement will be needed before pinene can compete with petroleum-based JP-10, the scientists believe they have identified the major obstacles that must be overcome to reach that goal.

They say it may be possible to produce pinene at a cost lower than that of petroleum-based sources.

If that can be done - and if the resulting bio-fuel operates well in these applications - that could open the door for lighter and more powerful engines fueled by increased supplies of high-energy fuels.

-Agencies

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 28, 2014 at 8:42am

Total Synthesis of a Functional Designer Eukaryotic Chromosome
Gene Gurus Create Synthetic Yeast Chromosome From Scratch
Geneticists say they've built a working yeast chromosome from the bottom up for the first time — a feat that could open the way for custom-made biofactories that churn out fuels and pharmaceuticals
Rapid advances in DNA synthesis techniques have made it possible to engineer viruses, biochemical pathways and assemble bacterial genomes. Here, we report the synthesis of a functional 272,871–base pair designer eukaryotic chromosome, synIII, which is based on the 316,617–base pair native Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III. Changes to synIII include TAG/TAA stop-codon replacements, deletion of subtelomeric regions, introns, transfer RNAs, transposons, and silent mating loci as well as insertion of loxPsym sites to enable genome scrambling. SynIII is functional in S. cerevisiae. Scrambling of the chromosome in a heterozygous diploid reveals a large increase in a-mater derivatives resulting from loss of the MATα allele on synIII. The complete design and synthesis of synIII establishes S. cerevisiae as the basis for designer eukaryotic genome biology.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/03/26/science.1249252....

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 28, 2014 at 8:32am

Leptin is a pleiotropic protein best known for regulation of appetite and fat storage in mammals. While many leptin orthologs have been identified among vertebrates, an authentic leptin in birds has remained elusive and controversial. Here we identify leptin sequence from the Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus (pfleptin), and identify sequences from two other birds (mallard and zebra finch), and ‘missing’ vertebrates (elephant shark, alligator, Indian python, Chinese soft-shelled turtle, and coelacanth). The pattern of genes surrounding leptin (snd1, rbm28) is syntenic between the falcon and mammalian genomes. Phylogenetic analysis of all known leptin protein sequences improves our understanding of leptin’s evolution. Structural modeling of leptin orthologs highlights a highly conserved hydrophobic core in the four-helix cytokine packing domain. A docked model of leptin with the leptin receptor for Peregrine falcon reveals several conserved amino acids important for the interaction and possible coevolution of leptin with its receptor. We also show for the first time, an authentic avian leptin sequence that activates the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. These newly identified sequences, structures, and tools for avian leptin and its receptor will allow elucidation of the function of these proteins in feral and domestic birds.

Discovery of the Elusive Leptin in Birds: Identification of Several ‘Missing Links’ in the Evolution of Leptin and Its Receptor
How does the Arctic tern (a sea bird) fly more than 80,000 miles in its roundtrip North Pole-to-South Pole migration? How does the Emperor penguin incubate eggs for months during the Antarctic winter without eating? How does the Rufous hummingbird, which weighs less than a nickel, migrate from British Columbia to Mexico? These physiological gymnastics would usually be influenced by leptin, the hormone that regulates body fat storage, metabolism and appetite. However, leptin has gone missing in birds – until now.

University of Akron researchers have discovered leptin in birds, In their “Discovery of the Elusive Leptin in Birds: Identification of Several ‘Missing Links’ in the Evolution of Leptin and its Receptor,” published March 24, 2014, in the journal PLOS ONE, UA researchers reveal their findings of leptin in the peregrine falcon, mallard duck and zebra finch.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone....

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