Research

November 18, 2009 -- If you’re watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important—especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. But new research* makes it possible to scrutinize activities that occur over hours or even days inside cells, potentially solving many of the mysteries associated with molecular-scale events occurring in these tiny living things.    » read more »

Federally-funded project part of long-range lab modernization plan

ARGONNE, IL (November 17, 2009) – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing $8 million to Argonne National Laboratory for detailed design work for a new, world-class energy research facility. This is the first step in beginning work on what is expected to be a $95 million construction project.

The Energy Sciences Building (ESB) will provide an environment that will accelerate the pace of discovery by bringing together interdisciplinary teams of researchers in a space that can be adjusted to accommodate an evolving energy-related science agenda. Construction is scheduled to begin during fiscal year 2011.    » read more »

Just the Beginning of a Sustained Commitment to Science

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Rush Holt, Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming Chairman Edward Markey, Congressman Bill Foster, and Robert Shelton, President of the University of Arizona, held a press conference this afternoon to highlight the benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the science and research community.

The Recovery Act provided $22 billion for scientific research and development at universities, to establish new facilities, and to purchase lab equipment. Below are the Speaker’s remarks as prepared:    » read more »

The Ignite Institute will create 415 jobs

November 16, 2009 -- FAIRFAX – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced the creation of The Ignite Institute, a nonprofit medical research institute established by Inova Health System and Dr. Dietrich Stephan, a recognized leader in the field of molecular medicine.

The Institute is the first entity built around the application of personalized medicine innovation in the community health setting. The project's $200 million investment in Fairfax County will create 415 jobs.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Congressman Charlie Melancon (La.-03) today congratulated Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on being awarded a $1,903,000 contract from the Department of Energy to research clean energy. The contract will support Nicholls’ work over the next three years as part of the Clean Power and Energy Research Consortium in Louisiana.

“We fought to secure these funds for Louisiana’s cutting-edge research universities so that we can ensure that our state, long an energy leader for the nation, continues to be a leader by developing the innovative alternative fuels of tomorrow, “ said Sen. Landrieu.    » read more »

Washington, November 12, 2009 - The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy today announced projects selected for more than $24 million in grants to research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Of the $24.4 million announced today, DOE plans to invest up to $4.9 million with USDA contributing up to $19.5 million. Advanced biofuels produced through this funding are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent compared to today's biofuels.    » read more »

12 November 2009 -- Pinpointing obesity triggers in humans is hard because of uncontrollable genetic, cultural, and environmental factors. Recent studies have thrown another element into the mix: the microbiota—a distinct community of microorganisms that reside in the human gut and play an active role in its environment.

This “living organ” is composed of billions of bacteria that provide a variety of valuable functions to its human hosts, such as degrading and promoting the absorption of food that would otherwise be indigestible.    » read more »

A domain of the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor is mapped in exquisite detail

November 13, 2009 --
Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) reports on Thursday their success in solving the molecular structure of a key portion of a cellular receptor implicated in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other serious illnesses.

Assistant Professor Hiro Furukawa, Ph.D., and colleagues at CSHL, in cooperation with the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, obtained crystal structures for one of several "subunits" of the NMDA receptor. This receptor, formally called the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, belongs to a family of cellular receptors that mediate excitatory nerve transmission in the brain.    » read more »

By applying just the right compression to thin films of bismuth ferrite, Berkeley Lab researchers have produced a lead-free alternative to the current crop of piezoelectric materials.

November 13, 2009 -- BERKELEY, CA - There is good news for the global effort to reduce the amount of lead in the environment and for the growing array of technologies that rely upon the piezoelectric effect. A lead-free alternative to the current crop of piezoelectric materials has been identified by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC), Berkeley.    » read more »

Midland, MI - November 12, 2009 -- The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced today that they had recently signed a multi-year research collaboration that is strategic to both organizations’ interests in solar energy.

The arrangement is aimed at aligning Dow’s capabilities in CIGS based materials with Caltech’s research in next generation photovoltaics. Together, they expect to develop new, ultra low cost, high efficiency photovoltaic materials.    » read more »

Five Main Research Centers Will Drive Scientific Innovation

November 09, 2009 -- NEW YORK -- Pfizer Inc today announced its global research and development network, marking an important step in implementing a new R&D model as part of the integration of Pfizer and Wyeth. This global network brings together scientific strengths from both companies, continues efforts to increase research productivity, focuses disease-area research in single locations and more efficiently uses the company’s real estate.    » read more »

Philadelphia, PA (November 11, 2009) – Results from a large, retrospective analysis of inmates with a serious mental illness (SMI) underscores the financial burden of mental illness on the criminal justice and health and human services (HHS) systems, and may provide useful information to policy makers. The results of the analysis, which evaluated patterns of arrest, utilization of services, and corresponding expenditures among nearly 3,800 inmates in a large urban county of Florida, were presented this week at the 137th American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Exposition.    » read more »

Nov. 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded $900,000 in prize money to a Seattle company that successfully demonstrated new wireless energy beaming technology which could one day be used to help power a "space elevator."

LaserMotive of Seattle was awarded the money after its performance in the Power Beaming Challenge competition, which was a demonstration of wireless power transmission that enabled a robotic device to climb a vertical cable. The competition was held Nov. 4-6 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif. The Spaceward Foundation of Mountain View, Calif., manages the competition for NASA's Centennial Challenges program.    » read more »

11/09/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement applauding Pfizer’s announcement to include California in its global research and development (R&D) network:

“California has always been a leader in biotech research and innovation and Pfizer’s announcement that it will establish California as one the five hubs of its worldwide R&D network is fantastic news for our state. Today’s announcement will not only ensure that our state continues as a leader in this growing field, but it will also help stimulate our economy and save and create jobs when we need them most. With the best workforce and most innovative spirit, California continues to be the best place in the world to do business.”    » read more »

Nov. 6, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- NASA is accepting applications from students at U.S. colleges and universities who want to send their experiments to the edge of space on a high-flying scientific balloon.

The annual NASA project provides near space access for 12 undergraduate and graduate student experiments to be carried by a NASA high-altitude research balloon. The flights typically last 15 to 20 hours and reach an altitude of 23 miles. Experiments may include compact satellites or prototypes.    » read more »