Robots walk with close-to-human efficiency
...ach leg a small motor stretches a spring, which is finally released to provide the push. The Delft robot uses a pneumatic push at the hip, and the MIT robot uses electric motors that directly move the ankle. Control programs in the Cornell and Delft robots are extremely simple, while the MIT robot uses a le...Were bigger brains really smarter?
...ence may not have improved very much." Yet when it finally did, the results were spectacular. Starting back about 75,000 to 50,000 years ago in Africa, there was a burst of creativity. Necklaces and pendants appear first, then figurines. By 35,000 years ago, there were paintings on the walls of European cave...Technological revolutions in sensors, robotics, and telecommunications allow new views of ocean
...'d known these areas for years, but now they could finally see it," says Mayer. The best of these fishermen recognized the seafloor they had been mentally visualizing, calling out pet names of familiar bumps where fish and shellfish congregate. Ironically, the new technology takes away the competitive edge...'Blinding' an insect's sense of smell may be the best repellent
...at an understanding of insects' sense of smell may finally give humans the upper hand. The researchers studied four very different insect species: a benign insect favored by researchers, the fruit fly, which is attracted to rotting fruit, and three pest insects: the medfly, which is a citrus pest; the corn...TGen and Kronos initiate Alzheimer's disease study
...et at the root of diseases such as Alzheimer's has finally come of age," explains Dietrich A. Stephan, the study's principal investigator and head of TGen's Neurogenomics Division. "TGen is one of only a few places in the world that has this type of technology. The collaboration between Kronos and TGen repre...Symbiotic bacteria protect hunting wasps from fungal infestation
...c bacteria to the ceiling of the brood cell before finally closing off the cell. The larvae then take up the bacteria and apply them to the silk threads of their cocoons. The researchers found that experimental removal of the bacteria caused increased fungal infestations and increased larval mortality in fa...Scientists discover that three overlapping signals in embryo help get the backbone right
...archers at the University of California, Berkeley, finally explains an 80-year-old observation that revolutionized the way biologists think about embryonic and fetal development and set the stage for the stem cell debate. That 1924 observation in newts by Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold earned Spemann the Nob...Leslie Roberts of Science wins ASM Public Communications Award
... those leading the effort believe that victory may finally be achievable. It is a story of microbiology in the real world that tells why the oral polio vaccine that revolutionized immunization in the industrialized world has encountered obstacles ranging from reduced efficacy to social and political oppositi...Mice with defective sperm offer clues to infertility in men
...ying sperm from mice lacking Septin 4 allows us to finally ask if this is really the case, and the findings will advance our understanding of how sperm become cells capable of fertilization." Research on the roles of both the ARTS and Septin 4 proteins in sperm maturation may further our understanding of mal...Study of genomic DNA leads to new advances in cancer diagnostics
...t (ECM) and direct changes to the cytoskeleton and finally to the chromatin. Such changes can now be measured directly at the chromatin level. These findings may provide the basis for the design of a new generation of cancer therapeutic agents....Scientists identify genetic pathways essential to RNA interference
...ded DNA, through single-stranded messenger RNA and finally into proteins. Short, double-stranded pieces of RNA bind to the complementary messenger RNA segments, shutting down gene expression. RNAi occurs naturally in plants and animals and may help control resistance to viral infection, among other functio...UCSD researchers maintain stem cells without contaminated animal feeder layers
...and differentiation, as well as hormone secretion, finally shown in additional testing to maintain the undifferentiated state. The study's first author, Gillian M. Beattie, M.S., UCSD Department of Pediatrics and the Whittier Institute, said that "it will be rather simple now to develop a specific defined ......ield, sorted for conformity, tasted for flavor and finally sliced off a chunk to analyze for sugar and phytochemical content. From that, some 80 bushels will planted by mid-April in selectively arranged cages designed around individual hives of honeybees to allow carrots to pollinate without crossing with un...Now scientists think you'd be 'roasted' in a black hole
... space is falling inward faster than light, before finally entering a zone of normal space at the core. It's this core of normal space which Professor Hamilton has been working on. A so-called singularity sits at the centre of the core, swallowing up matter. But according to Professor Hamilton, the strange l...Early Universe was packed with mini black holes
...ther. In the cataclysmic blast of energy when they finally merge, any asymmetry can send the resulting black hole flying off into space. "If this happened," says Haehnelt, "we might find the occasional galaxy with its central supermassive black hole missing." The evidence is by no means conclusive. Until it ...Scientists infuse rat spinal cords with brain-derived human stem cells
...re located. After months of trial and error, Klein finally ascertained through staining tests that the progenitor cells were indeed gathering near the neurons and releasing GDNF in the area. Svendsen says the approach could be regarded as a novel form of gene therapy where progenitor cells are used as "mini...Molecular models advance the fight against malaria
...3-5 years, we hope to develop a new drug that will finally empower us to treat this terrible disease," said Trumpower. Dartmouth Medical School co-authors of the paper are Dr. Jacques Kessl, research associate in biochemistry, Kevin Ha, Anne Merritt and Benjamin Lange. Other co-authors are Dr. Brigitte Meun...Unexpected lock and key mechanism found for the assembly of tumor blood vessels
...arner. In addition, knowing how blood vessels are finally assembled could help lead to effective ways to stop the proliferation of cancer cells by cutting off their nutrient supply, Varner added. Drs. Varner and Parker are currently in discussions with pharmaceutical companies to test integrin inhibitors i...Researchers feed tiny pills of RNA to planarians to identify genes essential for regeneration
...e, particularly in these animals, is on its way to finally being resolved."......by their partner's sperm outside their bodies, and finally having the early embryos implanted directly into their wombs (the technique of in vitro fertilization). Despite the existence of these therapies, however, the molecular mechanisms that govern female infertility are not completely unde...