'Roadmap' to guide U.S. photovoltaics industry in 21st century
...rcent a year is a good start, he said. The roadmap calls for 25 percent yearly growth over the next 20 years. At that rate, the industry will approach $10 billion a year, creating tens of thousands of jobs and enormous environmental benefits. The Report of the PV Technology Roadmap Workshop is available...Modern-day butterflies 'invented' by bats
...flies that possess ears on their wings that detect calls used by bats to locate and track prey. When the researchers exposed the nocturnal butterflies to simulated ultrasonic stimulus - such as the type given off by bats - the insects exhibited bat-evasion flight manoeuvres characterized by steep dives, cl...Non-toxic peptide blocks spread of prostate cancer in rats
...vant tested this new peptide derivative, which she calls PHSCN, on human and rat prostate cancer cell lines in culture and found it to be a powerful cell invasion inhibitor. She then tested it on laboratory rats injected with 100,000 cells from a naturally occurring, metastatic rat prostate cancer cell li...Formosan termite may be top concern of entomologists of the new millenium, according to report
...rated within the U.S. corn belt states, and Hunter calls the potential impact of genetically modified corn on monarchs "profound." "Resistance development by target pests has, of course, been an issue of concern to agricultural technologists for some years," said Hunter. "Resistance management techniques w...Scientists identify natural chemical that causes blinding blood vessel growth
... in mice A natural chemical substance the eye calls for backup when it's lacking oxygen is responsible for the blinding blood vessel growth that plagues patients with diabetic retinopathy, report researchers at Johns Hopkins and CIBA Vision Corp., a Novartis Ltd. Pharmaceutical Co. The work verifi...... sequencing and gene chips represent what Haussler calls "high-throughput genomic technologies," powerful new techniques for understanding molecular biology. The use of these techniques is increasing, and all of them present significant computational challenges. One of Haussler's goals is to develop new st...Common algae can be valuable source of hydrogen fuel
... breakthrough, Melis said, was discovering what he calls a "molecular switch." This is a process by which the cell's usual photosynthetic apparatus can be turned off at will, and the cell can be directed to use stored energy with hydrogen as the byproduct. "The switch is actually very simple to activate,...USGS seeks citzens of all ages to listen for frogs and toads
...s his boots and flashlight after hearing the first calls of Pacific treefrogs and makes his way to the smal...urvey's Frogwatch USA program. "With the melodious calls of Pacific treefrogs and Arroyo toads in California filling the evening air, the second year of the ...Palo Alto researcher receives national award
...searchers custom-make a new pathway in what Khosla calls "a biologically friendly organism." Secondly, most organisms do not naturally make compounds in sufficient quantities to harvest for human use -- think of TAXOL and the yew tree, he said. "So our idea is basically to take out the entire genetic ste...Environmental quality gains require major policy changes
...World Business Council for Sustainable Development calls "eco-efficiency." Firms attain eco-efficiency by reducing the energy- and material-intensity of goods and services, reducing toxic dispersion, enhancing recyclability, maximizing use of renewable resources, extending product durability and improving ...Drosophila genome sequence completed
...hen Rubin was approached by Venter with what Rubin calls "an offer that was too good to turn down." Venter proposed that his newly-formed company, Celera, would sequence the Drosophila genome free-of-charge using a controversial technique known as whole genome shotgunning. The technique requires sheeri...Evolutionary change leapfrogs over tadpoles
...y still have a thyroid-dependent state." Elinson calls this a classic case of evolutionary change in development. The theory is that this species, found in the tropics of Puerto Rico, evolved over millions of years to the point where it retained the hormone but lost its tadpole phase. In other words, he ...UC Berkeley psychologist finds evdence that male hormones in the womb affect sexual orientation
...rmal levels of fetal androgens before birth. "This calls into question all of our cultural assumptions that gay men are feminine," said Breedlove. He said his findings are consistent with other, very sketchy indications that some gay men are hypermasculinized, having a greater average number of sexual part...Magnetic fields may hold key to malaria treatment, UW researchers find
...trolling the disease the World Health Organization calls one of the world's most complex and serious human health concerns. Henry Lai, UW research professor of bioengineering, says the malaria parasite Plasmodium appears to lose vigor and can die when exposed to oscillating magnetic fields, which Lai thin...New antioxidant vitamin RDAs better, but not good enough
...opherol), and 200 micrograms of selenium, which it calls the "200 rule." About 120 milligrams a day of vitamin C is probably adequate to help prevent heart disease and cancer in young, healthy adults, Frei said, and would have been a more defensible choice for an RDA level. Considerably larger doses than t...The power of the mother-child bond
...lcohol. A related area of study is what Mennella calls the "folklore" of alcohol consumption by lactating women. This refers to beliefs, brought to America by various immigrant groups, that alcohol consumption might increase milk production, facilitate milk release, relax the mother, increase the infant...Biomarkers: testing for alcohol consumption among women
...r of a clinical laboratory in a large city, Javors calls the report's findings "clear and timely." Although he is optimistic about future uses of MCV, he is more immediately concerned about the potential applications of CDT, recently approved by the Federal Drug Administration for measuring heavy alcohol ...A big whoop! Crane chicks will hatch on-line: Go to whoopers.USGS.gov
... eggs about to hatch are played tapes of the brood calls parent cranes give to their hatching young. *After one day, chicks are placed in small pens next to adult whooping cranes, which will serve as role models for proper imprinting of the chicks. DETAILS: The USGS whooping crane breeding and rearing fa...Private and public insurance deny few services
... Large differences were found in the proportion of calls that resulted in a specialized response--a response involving specially trained mental health personnel. Memphis fared the best because of crisis drop-off center for persons with mental illnesses that has a no-refusal policy for police cases. All thr......ood portion of that research. CIIT's capital plan calls for using existing funds along with proceeds from the sale of land in Research Triangle Park to buy state-of-the-art equipment and to renovate existing areas within the Institute's 110-thousand square foot headquarters. The total cost will be $5 mill...