02-07-2012

US scientists have synthesized a polymethine dye that can be used for fluorescence anisotropy imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range, making new in vivo applications of this technique possible. Until now, the method has been limited to the visible part of the spectrum, mainly being ...

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New study confirms contribution of Azole class fungicides to food safety and productivity

02-07-2012

Farmers must control fungus to keep food safe is the main conclusion of a new study presented at the DG SANCO’s Fusarium Forum. The study, carried out by Horta Srl. and the University of Piacenza “Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore”, stresses the importance of the azole class of fungicides ...

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Researcher calculates stability thresholds and structures of solid oxygen

02-03-2012

Using computer simulations, a RUB researcher has shown that the oxygen molecule (O2) is stable up to pressures of 1.9 terapascal, which is about nineteen million times higher than atmosphere pressure. Above that, it polymerizes, i.e. builds larger molecules or structures. “This is very ...

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02-01-2012

It's official: The world's fastest movie was shot by DESY's X-ray laser FLASH in Hamburg. In its 2012 edition, the famous Guinness Book of World Records lists an interval of a mere 50 femtoseconds between two frames for FLASH. A femtosecond is a quadrillionth of a second, meaning that the two ...

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01-31-2012

Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 -- and that was probably the best action to take at the time, says Professor Alexandra Navrotsky of the University of California, Davis. But Navrotsky and others have since ...

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A new catalytic process could convert by-products of diesel production into more useful chemicals for industry

01-31-2012

A new catalytic process discovered at Cardiff University could unleash a range of useful new by-products from diesel fuel production. More sustainable production of sulphur-free diesel from natural gas and biomass is increasing. However the by-products, hydrocarbons like decane and other low ...

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Superhydrophobic graphene surfaces mimic the properties of butterfly wings and rose petals

01-30-2012

Butterfly wings, rose petals and many other natural surfaces repell water strongly; they are superhydrophobic. Such surfaces have a hierarchical structure on the micrometer or nanometer scale. Their attractive properties and spectacular iridescent colors have triggered a group led by Hong-Bo ...

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The BfR celebrates its 10th anniversary under the motto "avoiding crises before they arise"

01-30-2012

Does the use of antimicrobials in animal production pose health risks to consumers? How safe is food in Germany? From a scientific viewpoint, what events carry a health risk for consumers? What crises may we be faced with in future? Ten years after the foundation of the Federal Institute for ...

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01-30-2012

The planet Jupiter keeps asteroids on stable orbits -- and in a similar way, electrons can be stabilized in their orbit around the atomic nucleus; calculations carried out at the Vienna University of Technology have now been verified in an experiment. Planets can orbit a star for billions of ...

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01-30-2012

Tiny components with the ability to emit single particles of light are important for various technological innovations. Physicists of the Universities of Würzburg, Stuttgart and Ulm have made significant progress in the fabrication of such structures. Why are researchers interested in light ...

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