News by Subject Biology

At the heart of ice crystals, often, are aerosol particles onto which ice can form more easily than in the open air. It's a bit mysterious how this happens, though. New research shows how crystals of organic molecules, a common component of aerosols, can get the job done.

Using thin films -- no more than a few pieces of notebook paper thick -- of a common explosive chemical, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories studied how small-scale explosions start and grow.

Pervoskite nanocrystals, a key component of emerging solar energy technology, are being used in Australia to develop a new, rapid-response detection mechanism for fumigants, pollutants and nerve agents. The technology, developed by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Exciton Science, Australia's national science agency CSIRO and the Department of Defence, could be used to protect emergency services, defence personnel and agricultural workers.

Exposure to some odorless, colorless and tasteless gases, such as nerve agents, can be toxic or even lethal. And having the ability to detect other types of vapors could save people from eating spoiled or rotten food. Easy-to-use portable devices could, therefore, go a long way toward protecting the public. Now researchers reporting in ACS Materials Letters have created a pen-like sensor that changes color when exposed to harmful gases.

Researchers discovered lead levels like those reported in Flint, Michigan, can interfere with the neural mechanisms of vocal development of songbirds and affect mate attraction.

A panel of experts have outlined key biosecurity questions facing policymakers - "from brain-altering bioweapons to mass surveillance through DNA". Recently published, the exercise - conducted shortly before COVID-19 - follows a 'horizon scan' led by the same researchers on areas of bioengineering that "could prove even more impactful, for better or worse, than the current pandemic."

Ultra-trace radiation detection technique sets new global standard for measuring the nearly immeasurable

University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals -- everything from illicit drugs to pollution -- as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol.