Flower development in 3D: Timing is the key
Vienna, Italy (SPX) Jul 15, 2014 -
In close collaboration with Jurg Schonenberger and Yannick Stadler from the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research of the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, 14 developmental stages of the flower of Arabidopsis thaliana from very early meristematic floral initiation to fully developed seeds were monitored with micro-computed tomography in 3D.
From the same set of develo ...
more
EN... SO?
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 15, 2014 -
Forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center haven't declared El Nino conditions, even though the Nino3.4 index is currently around 0.5 C above normal, and has been for the past two months. What's the hold up? In short, we're waiting for the atmosphere to respond to the warmer sea-surface temperatures, and give us the "SO" part of ENSO.
SO what? The Southern Oscillation, that's what. The S ...
more
A first direct glimpse of photosynthesis in action
Munich, Germany (SPX) Jul 14, 2014 -
An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, has just a reported a major step in understanding photosynthesis, the process by which the Earth first gained and now maintains the oxygen in its atmosphere and which is therefore crucial for all higher forms of life on earth.
The researchers report the first direct ...
more
How speed restricts evolutionary change of the vertebral column
Leiden, Netherlands (SPX) Jul 15, 2014 -
One of the riddles of mammal evolution explained: the strong conservation of the number of trunk vertebrae. Researchers of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the University of Utah show that this conservation is probably due to the essential role of speed and agility in survival of fast running mammals.
They measured variation in vertebrae of 774 individual mammal skeletons of both fast ...
more
Vibrations enhance efficiency of photosynthesis
Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Jul 15, 2014 -
Biophysics researchers at the University of Michigan have used short pulses of light to peer into the mechanics of photosynthesis and illuminate the role that molecule vibrations play in the energy conversion process that powers life on our planet.
The findings could potentially help engineers make more efficient solar cells and energy storage systems. They also inject new evidence into an ...
more
'Nano-pixels' promise thin, flexible, high resolution displays
Cambridge, UK (SPX) Jul 14, 2014 -
A new discovery will make it possible to create pixels just a few hundred nanometres across that could pave the way for extremely high-resolution and low-energy thin, flexible displays for applications such as 'smart' glasses, synthetic retinas, and foldable screens.
A team led by Oxford University scientists explored the link between the electrical and optical properties of phase change m ...
more
Chemists develop magnetically responsive liquid crystals
Riverside CA (SPX) Jul 14, 2014 -
Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have constructed liquid crystals with optical properties that can be instantly and reversibly controlled by an external magnetic field. The research paves the way for novel display applications relying on the instantaneous and contactless nature of magnetic manipulation-such as signage, posters, writing tablets, and billboards.
Commercial ...
more
