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Possibly catching a glimpse of a rare moment in space and time, researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) have detected fullerenes, or buckyballs - carbon structures long thought to be likely features of the interstellar medium, but never before observed. The finding, reported recently online by a team led by Jan Cami of the University of Western Ohio, could explain some puzzling chemical signatures, known as diffuse interstellar bands, that have been observed by various researchers in the interstellar medium since 1922.

July 22, 2010 PASADENA, Calif. Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered carbon molecules, known as "buckyballs," in space for the first time. Buckyballs are soccer-ball-shaped molecules that were first observed in a laboratory 25 years ago. They are named for their resemblance to architect Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes, which have interlocking circles on the surface of a partial sphere.

Findings suggest IBS similar to other pain disorders A large academic study has demonstrated structural changes in specific brain regions in female patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes pain and discomfort in the abdomen, along with diarrhea, constipation or both. A collaborative effort between UCLA and Canada's McGill University, the study appears in the July issue of the journal Gastroenterology.

July 20, 2010 An expedition partially funded by NASA, part of a program to search extreme environments for geological, biological and chemical clues to the origins and evolution of life, has discovered the deepest known hydrothermal vent in the world, nearly 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) below the surface of the western Caribbean Sea.

Health | Science 20 Jul 10 The chains of sugar molecules, or carbohydrates, that cover the outside of the highly variable HIV virus remain constant, are different from those found on human cells, and could form the basis of a promising new approach to an AIDS vaccine, according to research led by the University of Oxford.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. New research indicates that the interactions of microscopic organisms around a particular organic material may alter the chemical properties of the ocean and ultimately influence global climate by affecting cloud formation in the atmosphere.

WASHINGTON - Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed the existence of a baked object that could be called a "cometary planet." The gas giant planet, named HD 209458b, is orbiting so close to its star that its heated atmosphere is escaping into space. Observations taken with Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) suggest powerful stellar winds are sweeping the cast-off atmospheric material behind the scorched planet and shaping it into a comet-like tail.

In a major step toward understanding high-temperature cuprate superconductors, a team of Cornell, Binghamton University and Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists have found a "broken symmetry," where electrons act like molecules in a liquid crystal: Electrons between copper and oxygen atoms arrange themselves differently "north-south" than "east-west.

The BBC's One Show has re-visited the University of Sussex Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects, but this time the focus was on ants rather than honey bees. The popular tea-time TV show had previously visited LASI to film research on the honey bee waggle dance. The report, broadcast in November last year, demonstrated how foraging bees tell other bees back at the hive where to find nectar-rich flowers.

Uranium nitride materials show promise as advanced nuclear fuels due to their high density, high stability, and high thermal conductivity.

Research scientists from Bristol have joined forces with colleagues from America to unravel one of the fundamental problems of molecular biology, paving the way for better engineering of biological systems. Proteins are considered the workhorses of biology, performing a wide variety of tasks including transporting oxygen around blood vessels, contributing to the fabric of tissues such as skin, and mediating most of the chemical reactions in the body.

Scientists researching a toxin extracted from the venom of the honey bee have used this to inform the design of new treatments to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia. Apamin, a natural peptide toxin found in bee venom, is known for its ability to block a type of ion channel that enables a high-speed and selective flow of potassium ions out of nerves.

The proton - one of the smallest building blocks of all matter - is even smaller than previously assumed. As a consequence of this discovery, a correction will have to be made to either the quantum theory of how light and matter interact or to the value of the Rydberg Constant - i.e. an important change is needed to either the most precise theory in physics or the most precisely determined physical constant.

A major conference, organised by scientists at The University of Manchester to showcase vital work on the effect of geographic chemicals begins today. The 'Geographic Chemicals in Groundwaters and Soils' event will showcase the work of researchers in the AquaTRAIN Marie Curie Research Training Network.

Genome-wide analysis of mice brains has found that maternally inherited genes are expressed preferentially in the developing brain, while the pattern shifts decisively in favor of paternal influence by adulthood. The researchers report having identified 1,300 genes active in the mouse brain that show some degree of parental bias, greatly expanding on the 45 previously known 'imprinted genes' expressed in the brain.

The word 'metal' conjures up images of machines and heavy industry but metals are also intimately involved in the biological processes that regulate our bodies and underpin new energy technologies. 'Nearly half of all enzymes require metals to function in catalysing biological reactions,' Kylie Vincent, of Oxford University's Department of Chemistry tells us.

Scientists of the University of Freiburg and the University of Frankfurt have elucidated the architecture of the largest protein complex of the cellular respiratory chain.They discovered an unknown mechanism of energy conversion in this molecular complex. The mechanism is required to utilize the energy contained in food.

Oil spills raise arsenic levels in the ocean, says new research Oil spills can increase levels of toxic arsenic in the ocean, creating an additional long-term threat to the marine ecosystem Oil spills can increase levels of toxic arsenic in the ocean, creating an additional long-term threat to the marine ecosystem, according to research published today in the journal Water Research.

In the beginning, there were hydrogen and helium. Created in the first three minutes after the Big Bang, these elements gave rise to all other elements in the universe. The factories that made this possible were stars. Through nuclear fusion, stars generated elements such as carbon, oxygen, magnesium, silicon and the other raw materials necessary for making planets and ultimately life.

Imagine an exceedingly complex circuit board. Wires often split - seemingly at random - and connect in strange and unexpected ways. This is how Princeton University researchers developing a new method for studying brain connectivity see the brain. Because of its intricate organization, figuring out the wiring diagram that explains how the billions of neurons in the brain are connected, and determining how they work together, remains a formidable task.