Science

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Gold by special delivery intensifies cancer-killing radiation

Researchers from Brown University and the University of Rhode Island have demonstrated a promising new way to increase the effectiveness of radiation in killing cancer cells.

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Gold rush Cancer-seeking peptides — pHLIPs — find acidic tumor cells. By attaching gold nanoparticles to pHLIPs, cancer cells receive “antennas” for radiation therapy. Cancer cells (A) treated with gold alone (dark areas) take up far less gold than cells with gold delivered by pHLIPs (B). C and D are cellular close-up with pHLIP-delivered gold.

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New Nanocomposite Designed for Application in Targeted Drug Delivery

Iranian researchers produced a polymeric nanocomposite which can be used in targeted drug delivery systems.

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For Ultra-cold Neutrino Experiment, a Successful Demonstration

An international team of scientists releases early results from the CUORE experiment with implications for why there’s more matter than antimatter in the universe.

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Bottom view of a CUORE tower.

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New Biosensor Increases Possibility to Predict Potential of Heart Diseases

Iranian researchers produced and studied a biosensor with the capability of measuring biological indices of heart diseases and disorders.

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Electrical control of quantum bits in silicon paves the way to large quantum computers: Breakthrough by Australian-led team should make the construction of large-scale quantum computers more affordable

A UNSW-led research team has encoded quantum information in silicon using simple electrical pulses for the first time, bringing the construction of affordable large-scale quantum computers one step closer to reality.

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This is an eectron wave in a phosphorus atom, distorted by a local electric field.

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How many gold atoms make gold metal?

Researchers at the Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have shown that dramatic changes in the electronic properties of nanometre-sized chunks of gold occur in well-defined size range. Small gold nanoclusters could be used, for instance, in short-term storage of energy or electric charge in the field of molecular electronics. Funded by the Academy of Finland, the researchers have been able to obtain new information which is important, among other things, in developing bioimaging and sensing based on metal-like clusters.

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Nanogold is different from macroscopic gold. The small 102-gold atom cluster (right) behaves like a giant molecule, but slightly larger 144-gold atom cluster is like a metal.

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Quantum physics -- hot and cold at the same time: Measurements at the Vienna University of Technology show that a cloud of quantum particles can have several temperatures at once; the experiment provides new insight into the behavior of large quantum syst

Temperature is a very useful physical quantity. It allows us to make a simple statistical statement about the energy of particles swirling around on complicated paths without having to know the specific details of the system. Scientists from the Vienna University of Technology together with colleagues from Heidelberg University have now investigated, how quantum particles reach such a state where statistical statements are possible. The result is surprising: a cloud of atoms can have several temperatures at once. This is an important step towards a deeper understanding of large quantum systems and their exotic properties. The results have now been published in the journal "Science".

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This is the atom chip for capturing and cooling clouds of atoms.

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Researchers Test Smartphones for Earthquake Warning

Crowdsourced Smartphone Data Could Give Advance Notice for People in Quake Zones

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Cell phones can detect ground motion and warn others before strong shaking arrives

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Graphene looking promising for future spintronic devices

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have discovered that large area graphene is able to preserve electron spin over an extended period, and communicate it over greater distances than had previously been known. This has opened the door for the development of spintronics, with an aim to manufacturing faster and more energy-efficient memory and processors in computers. The findings will be published in the journal Nature Communications.

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In graphene, electrons keep their magnetization, their spin (the pink arrows in the picture) much longer than they do in ordinary conductors such as copper and aluminum. This characteristic of graphene may enable spintronics to become a complement to traditional electronics, which only utilizes one of the electron´s degrees of freedom, namely their charge.

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Forest Service Maps Aid Fire Recovery

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The 2013 Rim fire in and near Yosemite National Park, California, was the third largest in the state's history, burning more than 250,000 acres. Almost two years later, forest restoration efforts are still ongoing.