Slashdot: ScienceNews for nerds, stuff that mattersNew Map IDs the Core of the Human Brain- July 3, 2008 gerald626 writes "An international team of researchers has created the first complete high-resolution map of how millions of neural fibers in the human cerebral cortex — the outer layer of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking — connect and communicate. Their groundbreaking work identified a single network core, or hub, that may be key to the workings of both hemispheres of the brain. So basically our brain is a network connected to a hub. I wonder if I can get an upgrade..http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325461815/article.pl Synthetic Molecules Emulate Enzyme Behavior- July 3, 2008 FiReaNGeL writes "Ohio State University chemists have created a synthetic catalyst that can fold its molecular structure into a specific shape for a specific job, similar to natural catalysts. In tests, the chemists caused the catalysts to twist one way or the other, either to form one chemical product or its mirror image. They confirmed the shape of the molecules at each step using techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Being able to quickly produce a catalyst of a...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325398357/article.pl First Images of Solar System's Invisible Frontier- July 2, 2008 FiReaNGeL writes an unexpected side-effect from NASA's STEREO spacecraft has allowed scientists to see a much more well-defined picture of the boundary of our solar system. "The twin STEREO spacecraft were launched in 2006 into Earth's orbit about the sun to obtain stereo pictures of the sun's surface and to measure magnetic fields and ion fluxes associated with solar explosions. Between June and October 2007, however, the suprathermal electron sensor in the IMPACT (In-situ Measurements of...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325253188/article.pl Researchers Modify T-Cells, Make Them HIV Resistant- July 2, 2008 DieNadel writes to share that naturally occurring proteins called "zinc fingers" are being used in a new approach to AIDS treatment. Using modified T-Cells with the zinc fingers, researchers at the Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown a reduction in viral load in mice. "'By inducing mutations in the CCR5 gene using zinc finger proteins, we've reduced the expression of CCR5 surface proteins on T cells, which is necessary for the AIDS virus to enter these immune system cells,' explains...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325223668/article.pl Discovery of a "Flat" Atom Hailed as Quantum Computing Breakthrough- July 2, 2008 msw writes to tell us that nanoelectronics researchers have discovered a new molecule that could act as a state-manipulable atom due to its unique shape and properties. "Imagine a tiny arsenic atom embedded in a tiny strip of silicon atoms. An electric current is applied. Something strange arises on the surface -- an exotic molecule. On one end is the spherical submerged arsenic atom; on the other end is an 'artificial' flat atom, seemingly 2D, created as an artifact. The pair form an exotic...http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/325160075/article.pl |