Tech

The composition of suspicious powders that may contain illicit drugs can be analyzed using a quick and simple method called magneto-Archimedes levitation (MagLev), according to a new study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. A team of scientists at Harvard University, USA, has developed the MagLev method to differentiate common street drugs in dilute mixtures. The method could complement or even replace other portable drug identification techniques, the scientists suggest.

HOUSTON - (Dec. 9, 2019) - Here's a case where detours speed up traffic. The result may be better batteries for transportation, electronics and solar energy storage.

Scientists at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering have discovered that placing specific defects in the crystalline lattice of lithium iron phosphate-based cathodes broadens the avenues through which lithium ions travel. Their theoretical calculations could improve performance up to two orders of magnitude and point the way to similar improvements in other types of batteries.

City, University London draws on Formula 1 technology for the construction of "needle-like" skyscrapers.

Researchers City, University of London are developing new vibration-control devices based on Formula 1 technology so "needle-like" high-rise skyscrapers which still withstand high winds can be built

Heart disease and stroke are the world's two most deadly diseases, causing over 15 million deaths in 2016 according to the World Health Organization. A key underlying factor in both of these global health crises is the common condition, atherosclerosis, or the build-up of fatty deposits, inflammation and plaque on the walls of blood vessels. By the age of 40, around half of us will have this condition, many without symptoms.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A computer chip processes and stores information using two different devices. If engineers could combine these devices into one or put them next to each other, then there would be more space on a chip, making it faster and more powerful.

Purdue University engineers have developed a way that the millions of tiny switches used to process information - called transistors - could also store that information as one device.

SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 9, 2019) - As U.S. Latinos face a staggering 142% projected rise in cancer cases by 2030, UT Health San Antonio leaders gathered international cancer experts to publish a new book with innovative research and recommendations to reduce Latino cancer.

The book, Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos in Springer Open Books, showcases results of the same-name conference that brought 300 researchers to San Antonio in 2018.

New Rochelle, NY, December 9, 2019--Researchers demonstrated that Lactobacillus rhamnosus can dose-dependently reestablish a balanced intestinal microbiome and counter the liver-damaging effects of alcohol consumption in mice to reverse the results of chronic alcohol-induced liver injury. The design, results, and implications of this new study are published in Journal of Medicinal Food, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on the Journal of Medicinal Food website through January 9, 2019.

URBANA, Ill. - Fall-applied anhydrous ammonia may not fulfill as much of corn's nitrogen needs as previously assumed. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, the effectiveness of the practice depends on the soil.

The study used a "tagged" form of ammonia to determine how much of the nitrogen in corn grain and plant material comes from fertilizer, versus nitrogen supplied naturally by the soil.

As the world gathers in Madrid to discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, a newly released study makes the case that trapping emissions underground could go a long way toward solving the problem.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Along with partisan news outlets and political blogs, there's another surprising source of misinformation on controversial topics - it's you.

A new study found that people given accurate statistics on a controversial issue tended to misremember those numbers to fit commonly held beliefs.

For example, when people are shown that the number of Mexican immigrants in the United States declined recently - which is true but goes against many people's beliefs - they tend to remember the opposite.

Researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the University of Vienna and the University of Geneva, have proposed a new interpretation of classical physics without real numbers. This new study challenges the traditional view of classical physics as deterministic.

The number of drug overdose deaths in the US has never been higher. Most of those deaths--68 percent in 2017--have involved opioids. An estimated 10 million Americans aged 12 and older misused opioids in 2018.

Insights from virtual reality experiments could help break the cycle of addiction, suggests new research from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. The findings were presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) in Orlando, FL, December 8-11, 2019.

HOUSTON -- (Dec. 6, 2019) -- Using a clever technique that causes unruly crystals of iron selenide to snap into alignment, Rice University physicists have drawn a detailed map that reveals the "rules of the road" for electrons both in normal conditions and in the critical moments just before the material transforms into a superconductor.

For older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the prospects for success of a stem cell transplant can often be predicted based on the particular set of genetic mutations within the tumor cells, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other research centers will report today at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.

A common first-line treatment approach for cryptococcal meningitis in low-income countries is being compromised by the emergence of drug resistance, new University of Liverpool research warns.

Published in the journal mBio, the findings highlight the need to develop new drugs and treatment regimens for the lethal brain infection, which kills around 180,000 people each year.