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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
We are offering produced 90-second "Discovery Files" audio vignettes from the National Science Foundation (NSF); each segment is available as 320 kbps stereo MP3. The segments are also available via an RSS feed on the NSF site. (Last updated on Tuesday, June 11th.)
"Mini-Cam"
Using a state-of-the-art atomic-force microscope, scientists at UC-Berkeley have taken the first atom-by-atom pictures--including images of the chemical bonds between atoms--that clearly depict how a molecule's structure changed during a reaction. Until now, scientists have only been able to infer this type of information, from spectroscopic analysis. (Posted on June 11th.)
"Graphic
Design"
Adding captivating visuals to a textbook lesson in order to attract children's interest may sometimes make it harder for them to learn; researchers at Ohio State found that six- to eight-year-old children best learned how to read simple bar graphs when the graphs were plain and in a single color. (Posted on June 4th.)
"Air-Traffic Control"
The explosive popularity of wireless devices is increasingly clogging the airwaves--resulting in dropped calls, wasted bandwidth, and botched connections. However, new software that's being developed at the University of Michigan works to both control the traffic and dramatically reduce interference. (Posted on May 23rd.)
"Go-Getters"
By using swarms of untethered grippers--each as small as a speck of dust--Johns Hopkins engineers and physicians say that they've devised a new way to perform biopsies that could provide a more-effective way to access narrow conduits in the body--as well as find early signs of cancer or other diseases. (Posted on May 15th.)
"Balance
of Power"
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed new micro-batteries that out-power even the best supercapacitors--and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics. (Posted on May 6th.)
"Early
Risers"
Scientists have found that reductions in four heat-trapping pollutants that cycle comparatively quickly through the atmosphere--methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons, and black carbon--could temporarily forestall the rate of sea-level rise by roughly 25 to 50 percent. (Posted on April 26th.)
"Share
Tactics"
"Privacy-Preserving Photo-Sharing"--a new tool that was developed by a research team at USC--removes small amounts of crucial data from a photo and encrypts them--allowing cloud file-sharing services to have only the unencrypted, but now unrecognizable, portion. The photo's owner can then choose to share the encrypted portion with other parties--allowing them to see the whole picture--without ever uploading it to the cloud. (Posted on April 17th.)
"Twister
Fate"
A study led by a University of Iowa psychologist found that residents of a town that was struck by a tornado thought that their risk of injury from a future tornado was lower than that of peers--both a month and a year after the destructive twister. The researchers believe that such optimism could undermine efforts toward emergency preparedness. (Posted on April 11th.)
"Trait-Off"
A team of researchers has found the first example of an organism with a nucleus that has adapted to extreme environments based on "horizontal gene transfer": the red alga Galdieria sulphuraria, which can thrive in such diverse environments as hot springs and old mineshafts. (Posted on April 1st.)
"True
Grid"
Scientists at Northwestern University have identified conditions and properties that power companies can consider using to keep power generators in a desired synchronized state--and help make a self-healing power grid a reality. Their design could help reduce both the frequency of blackouts and the cost of electricity--as well as offer an improved plan for handling the intermittent power sources of renewable energy, which can destabilize the network. (Posted on March 19th.)
"Sound
Bytes"
Electrical engineers at Oregon State have discovered a way to use high-frequency sound waves to enhance the magnetic storage of data--offering a new approach to improve the data-storage capabilities of a multitude of electronic devices. (Posted on March 8th.)
"Reef-furbish"
Using underwater video cameras to record fish feeding on South Pacific coral reefs, scientists from Georgia Tech have found that herbivorous fish can be picky eaters--a trait that could spell trouble for endangered reef systems: Just four species of fish were primarily responsible for removing common and potentially harmful seaweeds on reefs--and each type of seaweed is eaten by a different species. The research demonstrates that particular species--and certain mixes of species--are potentially critical to the health of reef systems. (Posted on February 25th.)
"Vision
Realized"
The Food and Drug Administration has granted market approval to an artificial-retina technology--specifically, the first bionic eye to be approved for patients in the U.S.; the prosthetic technology was developed in part with support from NSF. The device--called the Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System--transmits images wirelessly from a small, eyeglass-mounted camera to a microelectrode array that's implanted on a patient's damaged retina; the array sends electrical signals via the optic nerve--and the brain interprets a visual image. (Posted on February 18th.)
"Getting
Wasted"
A new study finds that the heat that's generated by everyday activities in metropolitan areas alters the character of the jet stream and other major atmospheric systems; this affects temperatures across thousands of miles--significantly warming some areas, and cooling others. (Posted on February 14th.)
"Spike
Strip"
Researchers at NC State have come up with a technique to embed needle-like carbon nanofibers in an elastic membrane--creating a flexible "bed of nails" on the nanoscale that opens the door to development of new drug-delivery systems. (Posted on February 4th.)
"Bamboozled"
Scientists from Michigan State and the Chinese Academy of Sciences forecast how a changing climate may affect the most-common species of bamboo that carpets the forest floors of prime panda habitat in northwestern China. (Posted on January 28th.)
"Staph
Cutbacks"
Researchers from the University of Illinois and UC San Diego have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice that are infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)--an otherwise-dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme that's not found in human cells, but which is essential to bacterial survival. (Posted on January 18th.)
"Harm's
Way"
Research from the University of Chicago finds that people are able to detect--within a split second--if a hurtful action that they're witnessing is intentional or accidental. Its study is the first to explain how the brain is hard-wired to recognize when another person is being intentionally harmed--and provides new insights into how such recognition is connected with emotion and morality. (Posted on January 11th.)
"Cutting
Edge"
Scientists at the University of Utah uncover how insects domesticate bacteria--after a man who was cutting down a tree cut his hand and then sought medical help. (Posted on January 2nd.)
"Allergenie"
Researchers at UCLA have developed a lightweight device that attaches to a cellphone to detect allergens in food samples. The "iTube" attachment uses the phone's built-in camera--along with an accompanying application that runs a test with the same high level of sensitivity that a laboratory would. (Posted on December 26th.)
"Goby
Dessert"
According to a recent study, threatened corals send signals to fish "bodyguards" that quickly respond to trim back noxious algae--which can kill the coral, if not promptly removed. Scientists at Georgia Tech found evidence that these "mutualistic" fish respond to chemical signals from the coral in a matter of minutes--like an emergency call. (Posted on December 18th.)
"Weather
Beaten"
A study finds that decades of extreme weather crippled--and ultimately decimated--first the political culture and later the human population of the ancient Maya. (Posted on December 11th.)
"Catalytic
Converted"
A chemist at Princeton has developed a way to make common metals act like precious ones--specifically, to make iron function like platinum. The process could help reduce companies' dependence on rare elements that are used as catalysts in the manufacturing process. (Posted on November 29th.)
"Ecovery"
Researchers at Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati have discovered why plants and animals had a hard time recovering from the largest mass extinction in Earth's history, 250 million years ago: According to their study, the species that survived the extinction didn't fully recover for five million years because of the environmental consequences of rising temperatures. (Posted on November 21st.)
"Stand
Down"
Researchers at Harvard find that--when it comes to the health of forests, native plants, and wildlife--the best management decision may be to do nothing. (Posted on November 15th.)
"Stick-two-ative"
University of Akron polymer scientists and biologists have discovered that the common house spider--in order to more efficiently capture different types of prey--performs an uncommon feat: It tailors one glue to demonstrate two adhesive strengths--firm and weak. (Posted on November 4th.)
"Insect
Aside"
Research from Cornell University indicates that getting rid of insects could trigger some unwelcome ecological consequences--such as the rapid loss of desired traits in plants, including their good taste and high yields. (Posted on October 26th.)
"Phone
Feed"
Researchers from Rice University, Bell Labs, and Yale University have created a multi-antenna technology that could help wireless providers keep pace with the voracious demands of data-hungry smartphones and tablets. The technology aims to dramatically increase network capacity by allowing cell towers to simultaneously beam signals to more than a dozen customers on the same frequency. (Posted on October 22nd.)
"Coral-lation"
A team of researchers based at Oregon State University has, for the first time, confirmed some of the mechanisms by which overfishing and nitrate pollution can help destroy coral reefs: It appears that they allow an overgrowth of algae that can bring with it unwanted pathogens, choke off oxygen, and disrupt helpful bacteria. (Posted on October 10th.)
"Disease
Detective"
Johns Hopkins researchers have created a synthetic protein that--when activated by ultraviolet light--can guide doctors to places within the body where cancer, arthritis, and other serious medical disorders can be detected. (Posted on September 28th.)
"New
Threads"
Responding to an urgent need for better antibacterial coatings on surgical sutures, scientists at UMass-Amherst report the discovery of a new coating that's almost 1,000 times more effective than the most-widely-used commercial coating. (Posted on September 21st.)
"Crustacean
Invasion"
Research by a professor at the Florida Institute of Technology finds that predatory crabs are poised to return to warming Antarctic waters and disrupt the primeval marine communities that have lived there for millions of years. (Posted on September 13th.)
"Heads Up"
Princeton University researchers find that the "pulvinar"--a mysterious region deep in the human brain--could be where we sort through the onslaught of stimuli from the outside world, and focus on the information that's most important to our behavior and survival. (Posted on September 6th.)
"Mega-Size
Me"
Researchers from Arizona State University and the National Center for Atmospheric Research conduct a study attempting to quantify the impact of rapidly expanding "megapolitan" areas--such as Arizona's "Sun Corridor"--on regional climate. (Posted on August 29th.)
"Magmamanous"
Enormous volcanic "super-eruptions" with the potential to end civilizations may have surprisingly short fuses, a Vanderbilt University-led study finds. (Posted on August 17th.)
"Fungal
Fuel"
A new study--which includes the first large-scale comparison of fungi that cause rot decay--suggests that the evolution of a type of fungi known as "white rot" may have brought an end to a 60-million-year-long period of coal deposition known as the "Carboniferous period". In addition, the study provides insights about diverse fungal enzymes that might be used in the future to help generate biofuels--which are currently among the most-promising and -attractive alternatives to fossil fuels for powering vehicles. (Posted on August 10th.)
"Acid
Redux"
Scientists at the Hubbard Brook Long-Term Ecological Research site discover that a combination of today's higher atmospheric carbon-dioxide level and its atmospheric fallout is altering the hydrology and water quality of forested watersheds. (Posted on August 3rd.)
"Light
Rain"
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have invented a "smart" headlight system that can improve visibility for drivers by constantly redirecting light to shine between particles of precipitation. (Posted on July 26th.)
"Eat,
Prey, Decompose"
A grasshopper's change in diet to high-energy carbohydrates while being hunted by spiders may affect the way that soil releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere--according to a study by researchers at Yale and Hebrew universities. (Posted on July 22nd.)
"Vac to
the Future"
With the advent of semiconductor transistors has come the consistent demand for faster, more-energy-efficient technologies. To fill this need, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are proposing a new spin on an old method: a switch from the use of silicon electronics back to vacuums as a medium for electron transport. (Posted on July 13th.)
"Sleep
Study"
Participants in a study at Northwestern University learned how to play two artificially generated musical tunes with key presses. Then, while the participants took a nap, the researchers presented one of the tunes--but not the other. The study results show that such stimulation during sleep can indeed enhance skill learning. (Posted on July 6th.)
"Ice
Curbs"
Researchers from Harvard University have invented a way to keep any metal surface free of ice and frost. The technology prevents ice sheets from developing on surfaces--and any ice that does form slides off effortlessly. (Posted on June 29th.)
"Small
Wonder"
A laboratory test that's used to both detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than three million times more sensitive--according to Princeton University researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. (Posted on June 22nd.)
"Bee Bots"
The Harvard-based "RoboBees" project aims to artificially mimic the collective behavior and "intelligence" of a bee colony, with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of fields such as entomology, developmental biology, amorphous computing, and electrical engineering. (Posted on June 14th.)
"Text
Effects"
Researchers from the University of Michigan and The New School for Social Research find that text messaging is a surprisingly good way to get candid responses to sensitive questions. (Posted on June 6th.)
"Status
Simian"
A study by researchers at Notre Dame, Princeton, and Duke universities finds that high-ranking male baboons recover more quickly from injuries--and are less likely to become ill--than other males. (Posted on May 31st.)
"Pod Cast"
Birds and other animals change their behavior in response to manmade noise. However, research conducted by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center finds that such clamor doesn't just affect them: Because many animals also pollinate plants or disperse their seeds, human noise can also have ripple effects on plants. (Posted on May 25th.)
"Taken to
'Task"
An Ohio State University study suggests that people aren't very good at "media multitasking" (for example, reading a book while watching TV), but do it anyway because it makes them feel good. (Posted on May 17th.)
"Hotwired"
Researchers at Purdue University are developing a technique that uses nanotechnology to harvest energy from hot pipes or engine components, in order to potentially recover energy that's wasted in factories, power plants, and cars. (Posted on May 11th.)
"Blue-Light Special"
Analysis of data from the "IceCube Neutrino Observatory"--a massive detector that's deployed in deep ice at the geographic South Pole--provides new insight into one of the most-enduring mysteries in physics: the production of cosmic rays. (Posted on May 3rd.)
"Foot
Find"
A fossil that was found in Ethiopia by researchers from The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Case Western Reserve University indicates that--between three million and four million years ago--there were at least two pre-human species living on the Earth. (Posted on April 27th.)
"Brain
Matrix"
A study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital has revealed a remarkably simple--but previously hidden--organizational structure within the brain. (Posted on April 20th.)
"Math
Classification"
Do some high-school teachers think that math is harder for girls than for boys? Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin who looked at grades, test scores, and how teachers rated their students' abilities found bias against white girls that can't be explained by their academic performance. (Posted on April 12th.)
"Water
Mark"
New research finds that sea levels will likely rise between 40 and 70 feet over at least the next several centuries--even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). (Posted on April 6th.)
"Naked
Truths"
A University of Illinois at Chicago biologist and his colleagues think that the subterranean lifestyle of the naked mole-rat may hold clues to keeping brain cells alive and functioning when oxygen is scarce. The key may lie in how brain cells regulate their intake of calcium. (Posted on April 2nd.)
"Calculated Risk"
Mathematicians at the University of Utah have developed a set of calculus equations to make it easier for doctors to save acetaminophen-overdose patients, by quickly estimating how much painkiller they took, when they consumed it, and whether they will require a liver transplant to survive. (Posted on March 22nd.)
"Motor
Skills"
An engineer at Iowa State University is working to develop computer-modeling technology that will show engineers how to chip away at the surfaces of electric motors, in order to help them create new designs and shapes that can increase power generation. (Posted on March 15th.)
"Head
Bangers"
A two-year study of high-school football players conducted by Purdue University suggests that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time--and not from a single blow to the head, as is commonly believed. (Posted on March 9th.)
"Past
Restored?"
Wetland restoration is a billion-dollar-a-year industry in the U.S. that aims to create ecosystems similar to those that disappeared over the past century. However, a new analysis of restoration projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland. (Posted on February 28th.)
"Power
Plants"
Researchers have developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy. Specifically, the system improves the efficiency of generating electric power by using molecular structures that were extracted from plants--which has the potential to make "green" electricity dramatically cheaper and easier. (Posted on February 22nd.)
"Bloodless
Coup"
Engineers at Brown University have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva--which could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. (Posted on February 15th.)
"Animal
Futures"
Predictions of the loss of animal and plant diversity around the world are common under models of future climate change. But, a new study by researchers at both the University of Connecticut and the University of Washington shows that--because these climate models don't account for species competition and movement--they could grossly underestimate future extinctions. (Posted on February 8th.)
"Mutation
Revelation"
Researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves--which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. (Posted on February 2nd.)
"Evacuation Evaluation"
An NSF-sponsored study in Chicago-area communities where neighborhood evacuations are likely due to large amounts of toxic materials that are transported nearby found that most respondents felt that the evacuation of New Orleans residents to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina was a "failure"--and that this opinion has shaped their willingness to accept shelter, if offered, in an emergency evacuation. (Posted on January 25th.)
"Bug
Juice"
A group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University report that an insect's internal chemicals can be converted to electricity--potentially providing power for sensors or recording devices, or even to control the bug itself. (Posted on January 16th.)
"Brain
Train"
For the first time, scientists at the University of Southern California have unlocked a mechanism behind the way that short- and long-term motor memory both work together and compete against one another. The research could potentially pave the way to more-effective rehabilitation for stroke patients. (Posted on January 16th.)
"Health-Poor"
Low-income women with children who move from high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhoods experience notable, long-term improvements in some aspects of their health--specifically, reductions in diabetes and extreme obesity--according to a study led by the University of Chicago. (Posted on January 5th.)
"Flood
Plan"
Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, and The University of Nottingham have discovered how plants sense low oxygen levels to survive flooding--which could eventually lead to the production of high-yielding, flood-tolerant crops that would benefit farmers, markets, and consumers everywhere. (Posted on December 29th.)
"Mental
Floss"
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to design antibodies that are aimed at combating disease. Specifically, the process was used to make antibodies that neutralize the harmful protein particles that lead to Alzheimer's disease. (Posted on December 20th.)
"Sound
Mined"
A new software tool called MediaMined™ provides unprecedented searches of audio files that go beyond just keywords--because it analyzes and categorizes the actual characteristics of the sounds themselves. (Posted on December 13th.)
"Space
Cadets"
Researchers at the University of Chicago have found that preschool children who hear their parents describe the size and shape of objects--and then use those words themselves--perform better on tests of their spatial skills. The study is the first to show that learning to use a wide range of spatial words predicts children's later spatial thinking--which, in turn, is important in mathematics, science, and technology. (Posted on December 4th.)
"Raw Data"
A first-of-its-kind study from Harvard shows that cooked meat provides more energy than raw meat. The finding may challenge the current food-labeling system--and suggests that humans are evolutionarily adapted to take advantage of the benefits of cooking. (Posted on November 26th.)
"Juicy
Details"
A new study from researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute shows that cranberry juice is better than extracts at fighting urinary-tract infections. (Posted on November 14th.)
"Mind
Control"
Scientists have created an EEG-based, noninvasive brain-computer interface that allows users to control a virtual helicopter using only their minds. (Posted on November 8th.)
"Defect
Detect"
A decade-long study by a team of U.S. and Chinese researchers is one of the first to provide hard evidence that certain environmental pollutants are indeed linked to birth defects. (Posted on November 5th.)
"New
Breed"
Cassava, banana, and plantain--staple foods for millions of the world's poorest people--are notoriously difficult to breed. But, an international team of scientists aims to change that--using a revolutionary new approach to plant breeding developed at the University of California, Davis. (Posted on November 5th.)
"Game Changer"
Gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme whose configuration had stumped scientists for more than a decade. The gamers achieved their discovery by playing Foldit, an online game that allows players to collaborate and compete in predicting the structure of protein molecules. (Posted on November 5th.)
"Power
Nap"
Researchers at the University of Michigan are developing a new "subconscious mode" for smartphones and other Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices that could greatly extend battery life. (Posted on November 5th.)
