Discovery of the redox-switch of a key enzyme involved in n-butanol biosynthesis
Daejeon, South Korea (SPX) Sep 24, 2015 -
Two Korean research teams at the Kyungpook National University (KNU) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have succeeded in uncovering the redox-switch of thiolase, a key enzyme for n-butanol production in Clostridium acetobutylicum, one of the best known butanol-producing bacteria.
Biological n-butanol production was first reported by Louis Pasteur in 1861, a ...
more
Transparent coating cools solar cells to boost efficiency
Stanford CA (SPX) Sep 22, 2015 -
Every time you stroll outside you emit energy into the universe: Heat from the top of your head radiates into space as infrared light.
Now three Stanford engineers have developed a technology that improves on solar panel performance by exploiting this basic phenomenon. Their invention shunts away the heat generated by a solar cell under sunlight and cools it in a way that allows it to conv ...
more
Chinese president woos big business as US visit begins
Seattle (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his first state visit to the United States on Tuesday in the West Coast hub of Seattle, aiming to woo American businesses and take the edge off a leery White House view of the Asian giant.
Xi will set the tone of his visit in meetings and a keynote speech to leaders of states such as Washington that do substantial business with China, as well as the heads o ...
more
Acoustic imaging with outline detection
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Sep 22, 2015 -
Reverberated sound can make objects visible. The sonar is used in the shipping industry to acquire information about the seabed or shoals of fish, while gynaecologists use ultrasound images to study foetuses in the womb. Material testing procedures that regularly check for fissures in rail tracks or aircraft support structures are also based on ultrasound.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have no ...
more
Fossil fuel divestment movement reaches $2.6 trillion
New York (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
A campaign to abandon fossil fuels to boost the fight against climate change has rapidly picked up steam, with institutions worth $2.6 trillion pledging to divest, a study said Tuesday.
The commitment, made months before a high-stakes United Nations climate meeting in Paris, marks a 50-fold increase from a year ago when the Rockefeller family announced it was divesting from fossil fuels.
...
more
VW admits 11 mn cars have pollution cheating device
Frankfurt (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Volkswagen's pollution cheating scandal escalated dramatically Tuesday when the automaker revealed 11 million of its cars worldwide could be affected, wiping a third off the company's market value and threatening to topple its chief executive.
As the United States opened a criminal investigation into Volkswagen, chief executive Martin Winterkorn offered his "deepest apologies" for the scand ...
more
After warm welcome in Cuba, pope off to somewhat chillier US
Santiago De Cuba, Cuba (AFP) Sept 22, 2015 -
Pope Francis wrapped up his trip to Cuba Tuesday with a parting call for reconciliation, before leaving the Caribbean island for what could be a slightly chillier reception in the United States.
The pope, who played a key role in brokering the old Cold War foes' recent rapprochement, delivered mass Tuesday in the Cuban city of Santiago, cradle of the communist island's 1959 revolution, calli ...
more
