News
On February 11, the U.S. House of Representatives Science and Technology Committee passed the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 554), intending to gain a better understanding of the health and safety risks associated with nanomaterials seeking approval to enter the marketplace. The legislation followed a report by the National Research Council criticizing the current level of oversight regarding nanotechnology products and the Environmental Protection Agencys interim report on the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program.
| 5+ min read
A team of scientists and engineers from Stanford, the University of Florida, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is the first to create one of two basic types of semiconductors using an exotic, new, one-atom-thick material called graphene. The findings could help open the door to computer chips that are not only smaller and hold more memory -- but are also more adept at uploading large files, downloading movies, and other data- and communication-intensive tasks.
| 3 min read
The expression the glass ceiling first appeared in the Wall Street Journal in 1986 and was then used in the title of an academic article by A.M. Morrison and others published in 1987. Entitled Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can Women Reach the Top of Americas Largest Corporations?, it looked at the persistent failure of women to climb as far up the corporate ladder as might be expected from their representation in the working population as a whole.
| 3 min read
Microarrays offer customized options - New probes and assays offer higher throughput and flexibility for diverse applications.
| 4 min read
Setting up a high-throughput screening lab - scale and flexibility should influence buying decisions.
| 5 min read
Economical options for RNA Synthesis - Price for RNA molecules spiral downward as demand goes up.
| 4 min read
Getting to the $1,000 Genome - DNA sequencing technologies strive for higher throughputs and lower costs.
| 5 min read
Reliably tracking samples as they make their way throughout the scientific process is difficult yet absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, transcription errors, wrong versions of files or other mistakes are all too common and can lead to delayed product rollouts—or may even result in a product never making it to market.
| 4 min read
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a new solicitation in a program to fund repairs and renovations at the nation's academic research facilities. The grant program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
| 2 min read
Algenol Biofuels, a three-year-old company, aims to make ethanol with blue-green algae, by feeding it a steady diet of carbon dioxide and farm animal waste.
| 5 min read
DuPont Co. told workers at its Marshall Laboratory in South Philadelphia that the plant will close by June, idling 265, as the company cuts 2,000 worldwide in its latest round of layoffs.
| 2 min read
Science-related agencies fare well in President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget for the 2010 fiscal year, according to White House science adviser John P. Holdren.
| 3 min read
