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This electron microscopy movie of nanocrystal growth shows nanoparticles becoming attached to form twisty chains that eventually align and attach end-to-end to become elongated nanowires. (Movie courtesy of Haimei Zheng) In the growth of crystals, do nanoparticles act as "artificial atoms” forming molecular-type building blocks that can assemble into complex structures? This is the contention of a major but controversial theory to explain nanocrystal growth.

This electron microscopy movie shows the early stage of nanocrystal growth. Nanoparticles make transient at many points and orientations until their lattices are perfectly matched. The particles then make a sudden jump-to- to form attached aggregates. (Movie courtesy of Jim DeYoreo) Through biomineralization, nature is able to produce such engineering marvels as mother of pearl, or nacre, the inner lining of abalone shells renowned for both its iridescent beauty and amazing toughness.

Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells. The team, led by scientists from Princeton University, reported Photonics that the folds resulted in a 47 percent increase in electricity generation.

Cornell nanotechnology researchers have devised a new tool to study epigenetic changes in DNA that can cause cancer and other diseases: a nanoscale fluidic device that sorts and collects DNA, one molecule at a time. Epigenetics refers to chemical changes in DNA that do not alter the actual genetic code, but can influence the expression of genes and can be passed on when cells reproduce.

For the first time, scientists have identified how a plant's skin is assembled. All plants have a skin, called a cuticle, that covers the above-ground surfaces. It is composed of waxes and a polymer network - a large molecule made of fatty acid building blocks called cutin that are bonded together. The findings, published online May 21 and to appear in the July , have important agricultural implications, since understanding the basic biology of plant skins opens the door for researchers to develop therapies to prevent plant diseases and other cuticle-related conditions in the future.

For more than 50 years, chemists and physicists have been searching for the plutonium-239 magnetic resonance signal. LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, May, 21, 2012—Plutonium is the most complex element in the periodic table, yet it is also one of the most poorly understood ones. But now a well-known scientific technique, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, may turn out to be the perfect tool for uncovering some of plutonium's mysteries.

In view of the importance of plutonium compounds for nuclear fuels, power generation for interplanetary exploration, environmental behavior, and long-term storage of nuclear wastes, the ability to explore plutonium materials using NMR should prove particularly powerful, the scientists say. Collaborators of Yasuoka and Koutroulakis in this discovery were Hiroyuki Chudo (JAEA) as well as Eric D. Bauer, David L. Clark, Gordon D. Jarvinen, Scott Richmond, Alice I. Smith, Joe D. Thompson and Douglas K. Veirs, all at LANL.

An international team of researchers has discovered how adding trace amounts of water can tremendously speed up chemical reactions-such as hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis-in which hydrogen is one of the reactants, or starting materials. Led by Manos Mavrikakis , the Paul A. Elfers professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Flemming Besenbacher, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, the team published its findings in the May 18 issue of the journal Science.

A new research study shows that pigment (colour) in extinct animals can be preserved for over 50 million years. Despite their old age, the pigment molecules correspond closely to the equivalent pigment in modern-day animals. “With the help of the molecules, we now have a time machine that enables us to revisit and study ancient animals with the same precise instruments and tools that we use to study living animals”, says Per Uvdal, Professor of Chemical Physics at Lund University and MAX-lab in Sweden.

In the search for technology by which economically competitive biofuels can be produced from cellulosic biomass, the combination of sugar-fermenting microbes and ionic liquid solvents looks to be a winner save for one major problem: the ionic liquids used to make cellulosic biomass more digestible for microbes can also be toxic to them.

Light-emitting diodes at infrared wavelengths are the magic behind such things as night vision and optical , including the streaming data that comes through Netflix. Cornell researchers have advanced the process of making such LEDs cheaper and easier to fabricate, which could lead to ultra-thin LEDs painted onto silicon to replace computer wiring with light waves.

The overwhelming majority of proteins and other functional molecules in our bodies display a striking molecular characteristic: They can exist in two distinct forms that are mirror images of each other, like your right hand and left hand. Surprisingly, each of our bodies prefers only one of these molecular forms.

Yale engineers have developed a novel automated system for generating strong, flexible, transparent coatings with promising uses in lithium-ion battery and fuel cell production, among other applications. Until now, the slow through-put of some existing assembly methods has significantly restricted the practical application of these thin, multilayered conductive films.

A mathematician from the University of Bristol has teamed up with a biologist from the University of Edinburgh to address a major problem in molecular biology. Clive Bowsher, Lecturer at the School of Mathematics, and Professor Peter Swain at Synthetic and Systems Biology Edinburgh co-authored a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing how to separate 'signal' from 'noise' when studying the mechanisms of living cells.

Engineered nanomaterials, prized for their unique semiconducting properties, are already prevalent in everyday consumer products — from sunscreens, cosmetics and paints to textiles and solar batteries — and economic forecasters are predicting the industry will grow into $1 trillion business in the next few years.

A research team at Karolinska Institutet has succeeded in describing the structure and function of the outermost layer of the skin - the stratum corneum - at a molecular level. This opens the way not only for the large-scale delivery of drugs via the skin, but also for a deeper understanding of skin diseases.

Researchers at University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and McGill University call for combining best of both approaches MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/26/2012) —Can organic agriculture feed the world? Although organic techniques may not be able to do the job alone, they do have an important role to play in feeding a growing global population while minimizing environmental damage, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and McGill University.

Researchers at McGill, Univ. of Minnesota call for combining best of both approaches Can organic agriculture feed the world? Although organic techniques may not be able to do the job alone, they do have an important role to play in feeding a growing global population while minimizing environmental damage, according to researchers at McGill University and the University of Minnesota.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Through a combination of atomic-scale materials design and ultrafast measurements, researchers at the University of Illinois have revealed new insights about how heat flows across an interface between two materials. The researchers demonstrated that a single layer of atoms can disrupt or enhance heat flow across an interface.

Perfumed plants allure beneficial bacteria to their roots Scientists have discovered maize crops emit chemical signals to attract growth promoting microbes to their roots which boosts performance and could combat world food shortages. The groundbreaking research – the first chemical signal that has been shown to attract the beneficial bacteria – could reduce agricultural reliance on fertilisers and pesticides across the globe.