Summaries of recent science news from ScienceNewsWeek and United Press International. This week includes news from the the 223rd American Chemical Society conference held in Orlando, Florida April 7-11, 2002
For the rest of the stories, please visit www.sciencenewsweek.com.All stories below written by Mike Martin for ScienceNewsWeek and UPI.
Scientists: Bits more basic than quarksThe basic building blocks of nature may not be atoms, quarks and strings but quantum bits -- ultra small packets of pure information, top physics researchers say. String theory suggests that one-dimensional strings vibrating in myriad ways describe space, time and matter. If bits of information tell the strings how to vibrate, those bits may be more fundamental than the subatomic strings they encode. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Cold gas may model cosmos in labAn ultra-cold gas named for two of the last century's greatest physicists may allow scientists a glimpse at some of the mysteries of deep space inside the comfortable confines of a laboratory. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Lasers may power nano-motorsResearchers at Harvard University and the Weizmann Science Institute say laser light may be the fuel of the future for nanotech robots and motorized tools so small they can manipulate individual cells and molecules. www.sciencenewsweek.com
New steel beams resist earthquakesEarthquakes will not topple skyscrapers made with specialized steel beams that do not require welded joints, engineers at the University of California, San Diego said Wednesday. www.sciencenewsweek.com
News from the the 223rd American Chemical Society conference held in Orlando, Florida April 7-11, 2002
Chemists make molecule that can't existChemists at Northwestern University in Chicago have synthesized a stable molecule that should not exist according to rules of chemistry so stringent they appear on page 706 of the popular organic chemistry college textbook by Whitman College chemistry professor L.G. Wade, Jr. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Chemist develops artificial tongueA University of Connecticut chemist on Wednesday unveiled a rudimentary electronic tongue during presentations at the 223rd American Chemical Society conference. A platinum electrode coated with two polymers that conduct electrical currents, the tongue can "taste" an amazing variety of chemical compounds in solution, and may have applications in food testing, environmental monitoring, drug detection, identification of bloodborne pathogens and landmine detection. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Grad student makes better plasticA graduate chemistry student has synthesized an ultra-durable plastic compound that breaks ground for an entirely new line of plastics -- so-called high-molecular weight polymers that resist heat, force, and abrasion better than any plastic presently on the market. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Plastic pill could deliver multiple dosesTiny plastic balls may provide precisely controlled, highly targeted drug delivery, which could help patients switch from taking multiple daily doses of medication to one controlled-release pill or capsule, a University of Illinois chemical engineer told the 223rd American Chemical Society conference Tuesday. www.sciencenewsweek.com
T-shirt dye may improve telecomA dye commonly used in psychedelic T-shirts might be the chemical key to futuristic telecommunications -- laser-charged, fiber-optic cables that deliver voice and computer signals faster and cheaper than today's comparatively sluggish phone lines, scientists said Monday. "We make a thin, one micrometer polymer film with Procion Red, a dye used in tie-dye T-shirts," Virginia Tech physics professor James Heflin told United Press International at the 223rd American Chemical Society conference. www.sciencenewsweek.com
Marburger: Terror war tops science listMost roads along the government's science policy road map lead to the U.S. war on terrorism, presidential science adviser John Marburger told the American Chemical Society's 223rd national meeting Sunday. Marburger emphasized the broad role of science and science policy in the public discourse and said terrorism will be a key priority for the foreseeable future. www.sciencenewsweek.com
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