ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Reassurance for dementia sufferers on impact of common drugs
• Colloidal quantum dots: Performance boost next-generation solar cell technology
• Gamers succeed where scientists fail: Molecular structure of retrovirus enzyme solved, doors open to new AIDS drug design
• Unzipping DNA mysteries: Physicists discover how a vital enzyme works
• First fluorescence-guided ovarian cancer surgery
• Deep oceans can mask global warming for decade-long periods
• Sequencing 'dark matter' of life: Elusive genomes of thousands of bacteria species can now be decoded
• Why carbon nanotubes spell trouble for cells
• Crystal structure shows how motor protein works

Reassurance for dementia sufferers on impact of common drugs Posted: 18 Sep 2011 04:30 PM PDT Researchers whose findings on the detrimental impact of some common medicines on elderly people were widely reported earlier in the summer have found that taking a few of these medicines does not appear to cause further cognitive impairment in those already suffering from dementia.

Colloidal quantum dots: Performance boost next-generation solar cell technology Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT Researchers have created the most efficient solar cell ever made based on colloidal quantum dots (CQD). Quantum dots are nanoscale semiconductors that capture light and convert it into an energy source. Because of their small scale, the dots can be sprayed on to flexible surfaces, including plastics. This enables the production of solar cells that are less expensive to produce and more durable than the more widely known silicon-based version. In a new study, the researchers demonstrate how the wrappers that encapsulate the quantum dots can be shrunk to a mere layer of atoms.

Gamers succeed where scientists fail: Molecular structure of retrovirus enzyme solved, doors open to new AIDS drug design Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT Online gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme whose configuration had stumped scientists for over a decade. This is the first instance that researchers are aware of in which gamers solved a longstanding scientific problem. The discovery was achieved through Foldit, which allows players to collaborate and compete in predicting protein molecule structures. Foldit is an example of engaging the public in scientific discovery by using games to solve hard problems that can't be solved by either people or computers alone.

Unzipping DNA mysteries: Physicists discover how a vital enzyme works Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT With an eye toward understanding DNA replication, researchers have learned how a helicase enzyme works to actually unzip the two strands of DNA.

First fluorescence-guided ovarian cancer surgery Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT The first fluorescence-guided surgery on an ovarian cancer patient was performed using an imaging agent attached to a modified form of the vitamin folic acid, which acts as a "homing device" to seek out and attach to ovarian cancer cells. Surgeons were able to see clusters of cancer cells as small as one-tenth of a millimeter -- 30 times smaller than the smallest they could detect using standard techniques.

Deep oceans can mask global warming for decade-long periods Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT The planet's deep oceans at times may absorb enough heat to flatten the rate of global warming for periods of as long as a decade even in the midst of longer-term warming, according to a new analysis.

Sequencing 'dark matter' of life: Elusive genomes of thousands of bacteria species can now be decoded Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method to sequence and analyze the 'dark matter' of life -- the genomes of thousands of bacteria species previously beyond scientists' reach, from microorganisms that produce antibiotics and biofuels to microbes living in the human body.

Why carbon nanotubes spell trouble for cells Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT Carbon nanotubes and other long nanomaterials can spell trouble for cells. The reason: Cells mistake them for spheres and try to engulf them. Once they start, cells cannot reverse course, and complete ingestion never occurs. Researchers detail for the first time how cells interact with carbon nanotubes, gold nanowires and asbestos fibers.

Crystal structure shows how motor protein works Posted: 18 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT The crystal structure of the dynamin protein -- one of the molecular machines that makes cells work -- has been revealed, bringing insights into a class of molecules with a wide influence on health and disease.

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