Research

May 7, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC - A CD archive of nearly two decades of research from the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is now available. The compiled research and development (R&D) reports chronicle work carried out during the 1980s and 1990s that played a vital role in helping to meet the nation's growing demand for natural gas.    » read more »

May 7, 2007 -- "It was recently reported that Environmental Measurements Laboratory, a federal radiological research and development facility in New York City, is closing. This news is deeply disturbing due to the loss of highly skilled jobs and for the serious implications on homeland security and public safety.    » read more »

May 07, 2007 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Governor’s Office of Energy Policy announced today that it will provide $450,511 in funding to the University of Kentucky for energy research projects. Funding will be awarded to two separate departments at UK.

The Department of Mining Engineering will receive funding for three projects:

* “Identifying Barriers and Developing Preliminary Solutions to the Extraction of Thin-Seam Coal Resources.” This project will be headed by Dr. Joseph Sottile. Total funding is $101,041.    » read more »

May 3, 2007 -- A RAND Corporation report issued today says Save the World Air Inc. would need to conduct further laboratory studies and in-use testing to determine the effectiveness of its Zero Emission Fuel Saver (ZEFS) technology that is intended to reduce tailpipe pollutants and increase fuel efficiency in gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.    » read more »

The Longer We Wait the More We Pay; Time to Adopt Clean Technologies is Now

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2007) -- A scientific report released in Bangkok this morning paints a gloomy picture of ballooning global warming emissions over the next three decades if action isn't taken soon. The document outlines solutions, many of which can be immediately implemented today to stop dangerous changes to our climate. The findings of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirm the need for immediate action to stop and reverse global warming.    » read more »

May 3, 2007 -- Children's exposure to alcohol advertising during early adolescence appears to influence both beer drinking and their intentions to drink a year later, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

The study of children in the sixth and seventh grades found that those exposed to alcohol advertising at high levels – from television, magazines, in-store displays and promotional items like T-shirts and posters – were 50 percent more likely to drink and 36 percent more likely to intend to drink than children whose exposure to alcohol advertising was very low.    » read more »

May 03, 2007 -- BOSTON -- A new application for deep brain stimulation (DBS), a 10-year-old advanced surgical treatment, could be to reduce cluster headache occurrences, according to Mayo Clinic neurologists. They cite the case of a 51-year-old man who suffered about 100 disabling cluster headaches every month for two years -- an average of 3.5 a day, despite high doses of medications intended to control them. Now, he has 0 to 30 attacks a month as the result of this new application of deep brain stimulation.    » read more »

May 3, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC - With the recent release of a funding opportunity announcement, the Secretary of Energy has kicked off the U.S. Department of Energy's longest running student-teacher research grant program, the University Coal Research (UCR) program.

The announcement calls on the Nation's colleges and universities to propose new projects to advance coal science and enhance the long-term use of coal. The program supports the Energy Department's continued commitment to improving the environmental performance of our Nation's most abundant energy resource.    » read more »

Diabetes may increase risk of Alzheimer's

May 02, 2007 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. -- An article on MayoClinic.com sheds light on the possible connection between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease and offers advice on how to reduce the risk of getting both conditions.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, a general term for a group of conditions that gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function. More than 5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease.    » read more »

Less Common for Individuals with More Education

May 02, 2007 -- BOSTON -- In one of the largest studies of mental functioning in people 70 to 89 years old, Mayo Clinic researchers examined 1,953 people and found that the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment is higher in men, and that it is linked to age and to duration of formal education. Older elderly people had more mild cognitive impairment, and more-educated people had less mild cognitive impairment.    » read more »

As U.S. policy-makers prepared for hearings on space-science and climate-change research, AAAS is warning that budget cuts are threatening U.S. satellites essential for weather forecasting, hurricane warning, studies of global climate change and more.    » read more »

May 2, 2007 -- WALNUT CREEK, CA—The analysis of DNA sequences from tiny green algae have provided new insights into the mystery of how new species of plankton evolve—and further highlights their critical role in managing the global cycling of carbon. These findings, by a group led by the DOE Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI); the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; and the Pierre & Marie Curie University, were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).    » read more »

May 2, 2007 -- BERKELEY, CA —In recent years, the science of biology has been dominated by genomics – the study of genes and their functions. The genomics era is now making way for the era of proteomics – the study of the proteins that genes encode.    » read more »

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 1, 2007) — Argonne researchers have successfully laser-cooled and trapped atoms of radium — the first time this rare element has been captured in a magneto-optical trap — with an assist from an unexpected source.    » read more »

Potential for Major Reduction of Coal Mine Methane Emissions

April 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Energy (DOE) has joined in sponsoring the first U.S. test of a system that may make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using a new application of existing technology, engineers will attempt to capture methane in underground coal mine air, and if successful could limit emission of a greenhouse gas with more than 20 times the warming potential of CO2.    » read more »