Brass grains that act like atoms

Physicists at the University of Texas have discovered that a thin layer of tiny, brass spheres, the size of sand grains, can mimic the patterns of behavior of atoms, molecules and crystals when “vertical vibration” is applied to them. Although the study of this system has applications to industry, scientists cannot explain why the spheres behave the way they do. Theories in mathematics and physics can’t effectively explain it. The research is reported in the August 29 issue of the journal Nature.

Space radar observes plate tectonics

A new kind of space radar can detect a wide range of previously unobserved motions of the earth’s crust. The radar has detected that, due to plate tectonics, the earth’s surface is quite a bit more “crinkly” than was thought. The satellite-based technology may have exciting applications to a wide range of fields such as geology, climatology, hydrology, ecology and hazard prediction.

Hubble is lookin’ around

The search for neighboring planetary systems in the galaxy is producing results that suggest planet formation around other stars may be quite common. Hubble Space Telescope images of some nearby star systems reveal disks of gas and dust. These disks are thought to contain the material that condenses into planets. At present, only large planetary companions to neighboring stars are detectable because their gravity creates a “wobble” in the star that can be observed from earth. There is, as yet, no evidence of planets that are hospitable to life. For regular updates on the latest candidates for planetary companions to other stars, locate the web site http://cannon.sfsu.edu/~williams/planetsearch/planetsearch.html. A review can be found in the Sept. 12 issue of the journal Nature.

Scientists at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore have identified 14 galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope that are so far away that the light from them reaching the earth today left them when the universe was only about 9% of its present age. Scientists can use information from at least one of these galaxies to understand better the process of star formation.

Old matter possibly recreated

Scientists at CERN, the European particle physics laboratory outside Geneva, think they have created a rare form of matter called a quark-gluon plasma. In theory, such a state of matter has not existed since our universe was ten millionths of a second old. This state requires conditions of extreme heat and density. If the scientists are right, and the evidence is still sketchy, they will have a much better idea about the make-up of the newborn universe. In the future, more powerful particle accelerators may be able to produce quark-gluon plasma in bulk.

Laser goggles available

Protective eyewear for those who work with potentially eye damaging lasers has been developed by scientists at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. The goggles contain a chemical that when hit by pulses of high intensity light turns from transparent to dark. The molecule, a phthalocyanine complex, improves on the previously used laser light blocker, buckyballs in solution.

Genes react to drug

Gene therapists may now have a new way to control the expression of genes in living organisms. Scientists at Stanford and Harvard Universities, with the help of Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc., are using enzymatic drugs with exotic shapes that they think can turn genes on and off. The drugs have been successful in animals models. A problem in gene therapy is how to activate genes when you need them, and turn them off when you don’t. These drugs may overcome that difficulty.

PCBs may affect IQ

PCBs, delivered to fetuses and infants through the mother’s body fat and breast milk, respectively, may affect childrens’ IQ, according to a study of Michigan children reported in the Sept. 12 New England Journal of Medicine. Although PCBs are now banned in the U.S., they can still be found in most soils and water. Great Lakes fish are notorious for having high levels of PCBs and much of the pollutant in the most adversely affected Michigan children can be traced to their mother’s fish consumption.

Danger may be found in Nonoxynol-9

Scientists have determined that using condoms containing the spermicide nonoxynol-9 more than once per week can increase a woman’s chances of getting a urinary tract infection by over 3 times. Nonoxynol-9 is a non-specific killer of sperm and other microbes such as lactobacilli, a helpful bacteria that helps to moderate the acidity of a woman’s vagina. The death of these microbes apparently makes it easier for infectious bacteria, such as E. coli, to enter the woman’s urethra and bladder. Scientists are quick to point out that the increased disease protection of a condom outweighs this risk.