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Sunday, March 2, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


It slices, it dices, and it protects the body from harm: 3-D structure of enzyme that helps defend against bacteria

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:06 PM PST

An essential weapon in the body's fight against infection has come into sharper view. Researchers have discovered the 3-D structure of an enzyme that cuts to ribbons the genetic material of viruses and helps defend against bacteria. The discovery of the structure of this enzyme, a first-responder in the body's "innate immune system," could enable new strategies for fighting infectious agents and possibly prostate cancer and obesity. "This work illustrates the wonderful usefulness of doing both crystallography and careful kinetic and enzymatic studies at the same time," said one scientist.

Ultra-fast laser spectroscopy lights way to understanding new materials

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 11:01 AM PST

Scientists are revealing the mysteries of new materials using ultra-fast laser spectroscopy, similar to high-speed photography where many quick images reveal subtle movements and changes inside the materials. Seeing these dynamics is one emerging strategy to better understanding how new materials work, so that we can use them to enable new energy technologies.

To teach scientific reproducibility, start young

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 11:01 AM PST

In the wake of retraction scandals and studies showing reproducibility rates as low as 10 percent for peer-reviewed articles, the scientific community has focused attention on ways to improve transparency and duplication. A team of math and statistics professors has proposed a way to address one root of that problem: teach and emphasize reproducibility to aspiring scientists, using software that makes the concept feel logical rather than cumbersome.

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