Hair loss in humans might not be irreversible, suggest scientists who have helped create new hair cells on the skin of mice. It was thought hair follicles, once damaged, could never be replaced. A University of Pennsylvania team say hair growth can actually be encouraged using a single gene
Evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin thought the voyage of the Beagle was a magnificent scheme
allowing him to spend time larking round the world
. His delight at the five-year cruise is chronicled in a letter, available online for the first time. The note is one of nearly 5,000 from and to the scientist held in a database at the University of Cambridge. The Darwin Correspondence Project includes summaries of a further 9,000 letters, written from the age of 12
South Korea’s LG Philips LCD has developed the world’s first A4-sized colour electronic-paper &38212; a paper-thin and bendable viewing panel. The e-paper — which measures 35.9cm across its diagonal and is just 300 micrometres (0.3 millimetres) thin – can display up to 4096 colours, the world’s second largest liquid crystal display maker said in a statement. It is designed to be energy-efficient, only using power when the image changes on the display
A skyscraper, to be built in Dubai, is called the Burj al-Taqa (Energy Tower
), and it will produce 100% of its own power. The tower will have a huge 60m diameter wind turbine on its roof, and arrays of solar cells that will total 161,459 square feet in size. Additional energy is provided by an island of solar panels, which drifts in the sea within viewing distance of the tower
Terrorists: You can run. But with that body odour, you can’t hide. That’s the idea behind a new program from the Technical Support Working Group, or TSWG. The research arm of the government’s anti-terror fight is looking to for someone to build a rugged, reliable, and compact system for canine handlers to collect human scent for future use to track a specified target
. There are similar systems around today, the group notes. But they’re too large and fragile to be used in an operational environment
. TSWG wants a handheld, rugged device to do the job, instead. And the group has laid an exhaustive set of criteria for any contractor looking to build the thing
Scientists have developed an artificial plastic blood which could act as a substitute in emergencies. Researchers at Sheffield University said their creation could be a huge advantage in war zones. They say that the artificial blood is light to carry, does not need to be kept cool and can be kept for longer. The new blood is made up of plastic molecules that have an iron atom at their core, like haemoglobin, that can carry oxygen through the body
Purdue researchers say they have made a major advance in the design of the internal combustion engine, one that could seriously boost fuel efficiency and cut emissions. A key portion involves building intake and exhaust valves that are no longer driven by mechanisms connected to the pistons, a departure from the way car engines have worked since they were commercialised more than a century ago. The concept, known as variable valve actuation, would enable significant improvements in conventional gasoline and diesel engines used in cars and trucks and for applications such as generators — via Slashdot
Japanese scientists say they have genetically engineered silkworms to produce a specific colour. The author of the study, Takashi Sakudoh of the University of Tokyo, says understanding the pigment transport system of silkworms could pave the way for genetic manipulation of the colour and pigment content of silk
. In nature, silkworm cocoon colours vary from white, yellow, straw, salmon, pink and green. The colours in the silk are from natural pigments absorbed when the silkworms eat mulberry leaves. The scientists have found that mutated insects produced a non-functional form of the carotenoid-binding protein, known to aid pigment uptake
Scientists are eyeing the jet stream, an energy source that rages night and day, 365 days a year, just a few miles above our heads. If they can tap into its fierce winds, the world’s entire electrical needs could be met, they say. The trick is figuring out how to harness the energy and get it down to the ground cost-effectively and safely. Dozens of researchers in California and around the world believe huge kite-like wind-power generators could be the solution. As bizarre as that might seem, respected experts say the idea is sound enough to justify further investigation
It is pink and grey, 60cm long and one of the only two venomous lizards in the world. Yet the Gila Monster has proved an unlikely ally in the battle to control diabetes. Scientists have isolated a chemical in its saliva which is similar to a human hormone that helps regulate blood sugar
An environmental consulting firm and other developers here have come up with a non-perishable food pack that creates steaming hot rice with the simple addition of cold water
Scientists say they have a vaccine that stops mice getting a brain disease similar to BSE in cattle and which may ultimately protect humans against vCJD. A vaccine that decreases the spread of prion disease in animals would reduce the risk of spread in humans, says the New York University team. It could also be considered for humans, they told a neurology meeting
Australian defence scientists are developing a dark chocolate for soldiers that does not melt in extreme desert heat and lasts for years. While normal chocolate melts at around 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) says the new chocolate will be expected to keep its shape despite extended periods at over 49°C. The researchers are also developing ways to keep the vitamins in the chocolate fresh until it is eaten, possibly years later
Australia’s first large-scale working demonstration of a solar energy system has been given the go-ahead. The Federal Government has agreed to fund half of the $14 million project, based on research from the Australian National University. Keith Lovegrove form the ANU says four solar dishes will be constructed in the South Australian outback, and will generate large-scale electricity
A noise-negating method that thwarts vibration with vibration could be available for use in apartments, hotels and offices in five years. Wires running through the window link the stamp-sized patches to a computer controller and an amplifier. When a sound-generated vibration rattles the window, the piezoelectric patch senses it. That data goes to the controller, which in turn delivers a specific electric charge back up to the patch, causing it to vibrate at a phase that ideally cancels out the sound vibrations
A team at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital has made the world’s first attempt to treat a sight disorder using gene therapy. They operated on Robert Johnson, a UK man born with a sight disorder which deteriorates with age. At present Mr Johnson, who had genes inserted into one eye, can see outlines during the day, but little at night. It will be several months before the researchers know whether their work has been a success. If it is, they believe that it could be used to treat a wide range of inherited sight disorders
Mental stimulation and drug treatment could help people with degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s recover their memories. A team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found two methods — brain stimulation and drugs — both worked
The Ontario government has given approval for a California company to construct a massive solar farm
near Sarnia that will blanket an area larger than all three Toronto islands with hundreds of thousands of sun-soaking panels. It will be the largest solar power station in North America and among the most expansive in the world to use photovoltaic cells that produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. Once complete, the 40-megawatt Sarnia project will be able to supply enough emission-free electricity to power between 10,000 and 15,000 homes on sunny days
European astronomers have spotted what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet outside our solar system, with balmy temperatures that could support water and potentially life. They have not directly seen the planet, orbiting a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, but measurements of the star suggest that a planet not much larger than the Earth is pulling on it, the researchers say in a letter to the editor of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth’s radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky, like our Earth, or covered with oceans,
study leader Stephane Udry, of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, said. It appears to have a mass five times that of Earth
The tyranny of two-dimensional computer and TV displays could soon be over. A team of MIT researchers has proposed a way to make a holographic video system that works with computer hardware for consumers, such as PCs with graphics cards and gaming consoles. The display, the researchers say, will be small enough to add to an entertainment center, provide resolution as good as a standard analog television, and cost only a couple hundred dollars
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