A new advanced thermometer, based on noise Johnson, increased by five times the accuracy of current systems After seven years of work, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Nist), the U.S. organization for the development of technologies, have managed to build a new type of thermometer, Johnson Noise Thermometer (Jnt), defined by the same scientists a goal of thermometry, which advances to five times the current state of the art. The new device will in fact take measurements of extreme precision, never obtained so far, fundamental for basic research and for the definition of units of measurement. At the head of the project is Sam Benz, the Quantum Devices Group, which officially presented it on June 9th at a conference on measures of accuracy in Broomfield, Colorado. The new thermometer provides the temperature starting from noise Johnson (hence the name), generated by the random motion of electrons inside a resistance. This measure is directly proportional to the temperature, and the system makes it possible to reduce the error without any additional calibrations. "All measurements are electrical, and do not require volumes of gas or mechanical systems that sometimes, depending on environmental conditions, could give approximate results." says Benz, " beauty is that the measurement is also very simple to perform. "

For the first time a molecule of genetic material was observed in real time, that is able to correct damage in its structure The repair of a damaged DNA molecules is a mechanism well known in genetics, but so far no one had given testimony in real time. Researchers of the Kavli Institute at the University of Delft, the Netherlands, were able to document at the level of a single molecule of DNA, the homologous recombination, one of the mechanisms of repair frequently put in place by the cells. The work was published in the journal Molecular Cell. The rupture of the molecule of DNA can be caused, for example, from ultraviolet rays or X-ray, but it can also happen during normal cell division. The type of damage can affect a part of the structure internal molecules, but the cells are equipped with various mechanisms to repair it. If these damages were not immediately corrected, they could lead to changes in functional levels!

The transfer of data will be hundred of times faster than that by radio waves. The promise is made by the first tests conducted by a German institute. Receiving images in Google Earth or photos of the Hubble telescope in real time may soon be reality. A German institute has experienced a communication system based on lasers which will transfer data at a rate one hundred times higher than that possible with radio waves. The technology was developed by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen on the company's Tesat GmbH & Co. under a project funded by the German Aerospace Center (Dlr).

The entire genome of a person can now be sequenced in only four months and with less than one million dollars. To make "guinea pig" was James Watson The moment in which we can know the gene for gene our identity is always near you: a new method developed by Jonathan Rothberg, the research firm American 454 Life Sciences, has enabled sequenziare the genome of a person in a very short time and with a significantly reduced cost compared to what is required by previous systems. The genome sequenced in the new way is to James D. Watson, the famous discoverer, with Francis Crick, the molecular structure of DNA in 1953: This is the second human code entirely decifrato after that of Craig Venter, the scientist-entrepreneur who first, last September, made public l ' entire sequence of its genome. The new system, however, is a major step forward compared to the pioneering conquest of Venter, both in terms of timing and costs: to map the genome of Watson it took only four months and less than one million dollars (the system Venter had applied for some years and about one hundred million).

Particles in a confined microscopic space, move in a coordinated manner and can be manipulated and observed with a precision never achieved. A nano-trap can be imagined as a tube the size of a billionth of a meter in which electrons are closed to study their behavior. Thus, scientists from the centers of the Italian Institute for physics of matter of Cnr "S3", Modena and "Nest" of Pisa in collaboration with Columbia University in New York, were able to observe with great precision the behavior of a quartet of electrons confined in one of these structures. Result: the particles move in a coordinated manner and with precise frequencies and can be manipulated. The study was published in Nature Phisics. As it is known, the physics of the matter the size of an atom or less follows different laws than those of classical physics. According to these principles, which fall in quantum physics, the behavior of particles such as electrons can not be described as we are used to (for larger bjects),but it is outlined mainly in terms of probabilistic forecasts. The technique developed by Cnr made it possible to determine the frequency of vibrations of particles through the use of a beam of laser light. The electrons in a nano-trap can only move in a coordinated manner and in accordance with the laws of quantum mechanics, vibrate at frequencies well defined that, thanks to this method, was possible to measure with unprecedented precision.

An improvement in dating techniques with argon-argon allows us to place more correctly the extinction of large reptiles. When did the dinosaurs become extinct? 65.5 million years ago, more or less 300 thousand years. This is the answer, or at least it was until yesterday. Thanks to a more refined timing technique, researchers from Berkley, California, have reduced by nearly 10 times the range of error, identifying with extreme precision the "moment" in which dinosaurs were extinct, which matches the passage between the era of geological Cretaceous and the Tertiary. The new answer is 65.95 million years ago, with a margin of error of only 40,000 years.

For the first time there was a negative charge exactly equal to 25 percent of that unit. Research in Nature magazine. Since the electricity comes from the transport of electrons, it is logical to expect that the smallest load that can be transported is equal to the charge of a single electron. Under specific conditions, it is possible to observe portions of this fundamental unit. Even in these conditions, however, there have been observed only odd fractions of charge: third, fifth, seventh. In the last issue of Nature it was published the existence of a quasi-particle with a charge corresponding exactly a quarter of that of an electron. In particular, these unique elementary particles, which have been precisely called "quasi-particles" to their particular nature, are formed when electrons are confined in a two-dimensional system, which forces them to interact strongly with each other. It is known that when a flow of electrons is confined in a two-dimensional plan of a semiconductor and it is applied simultaneously in a strong magnetic field perpendicular to this plane, the electrons have unusual quantum properties. In a research just published in Nature, in an electron gas, two-dimensional and ultra-pure, were detected within the fluid vortexes charges carrying exactly one quarter of the charge of an electron.

Thanks to special steel plates, the University of Utah is implementing a computer that makes use of terahertz radiation instead of electricity It will be the first computer powered by infrared rays rather than electricity, a super-computer capable of operating at terahertz radiation (far-infrared), the only still unexplored frontier in the electromagnetic spectrum. It is being developed by a group of scientists at the University of Utah. It will probably require ten years of work to be completed. Currently, the group of scientists are making waveguides, the appropriate "channels" that will convey radiation and transmit it from one point to another. To mark a decisive step forward in research, the good results obtained by the use of special sheets of perforated stainless steel which are proving able to lead effectively terahertz radiation (the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is between microwaves and infrared, and whose wavelength is between 1 mm and 100 micrometers). As described in the study of Ajay Nahata (which will be published in Optics Express Friday April 18), these sheets will be "the matrix" on which to build the future of computer circuits. According to the surveys conducted so far, in fact, the number of perforations - arranged on a semi-regular on laminate - would maintain control over radiation, not disperse them over the surface of the material. There is still much to be found, for example, the way to drive rays, making them bend, split and reunited later.

Recognizing the native language of a person after the electrical waves in the brain! By analyzing brain waves we can reveal the identity of an individual's language. Someone can involuntarily, because of a temporary amnesia or silence, or voluntarily, to try to avoid providing information on their origins. The discovery was made by Italian researchers and published on Biological Psychology. The study, coordinated by Alice Mado Proverb Electrophysiology Laboratory of the Department of cognitive psychology at the University of Milano-Bicocca, in collaboration with Roberta Adorni, and Alberto Zani, a researcher of the Institute of Physiology and Molecular Bioimaging of Cnr-Segrate in Milan , shows that there is a region of the brain, called "area for the visual form of words", which is located in the so-called fusiform cortex in the left occipital / temporal region of the brain. This automatically recognizes the shape of the letters and words, and it is very sensitive to levels of familiarity.

According to an American study published in Science, spending on others is the secret of happiness. The secret of happiness? Be generous. The claim is of Elizabeth Dunn of British Columbia University and Lara Aknin and Michael Norton of Harvard University, just published a study in Science, that people feel happiest when they spend for their loved ones or for purposes of charity. The researchers examined a representative sample of the national population composed of more than 630 Americans, of whom 55 percent women. The survey took into account various factors, including the "degree of happiness" perceived by volunteers and the report of this subjective value with the annual income, the average monthly expenditure, the total number of "gifts" referred to themselves and the other, and donations to charities. It is found that, regardless of income, people who spend larger quantities of money for others and for themselves, feel happier.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have been able to associate a brain activation pattern to the memory of an image. According to a study in Nature. Reading the thoughts of other people is not yet possible, but scientists are working on it. One tool developed by Jack L. Gallant and collaborators at the University of Berkeley (California) is able to recognize an image that a person has just seen through his brain activity. Two of the authors of the study published in Nature - Kendrick Kay and Thomas Naselaris - were submitted in person by observing the experiment at random photographs from a group of 120 during brain scans using functional magnetic resonance (fMri). The results of fMri, combined with a mathematical model, have served to associate the images neuronal activity that a person has just had before our eyes.

Satb1 controls the expression of genes that control the growth of tumour mass and the formation of metastases. The discovery in Nature magazine. It is a protein the cause of the aggressiveness of breast cancer. It's called Satb1 and was already known to scientists involved because expression of T cells of the immune system. Only now it has revealed its darkest side, showing that they play a key role in the malignant form of breast cancer. Metastases, which are formed when cells are adding themselves to the tumour to invade tissues nearby and colonize other parts of the body, represent the advanced stage of the disease. Researchers have now discovered that the cells of the breast cancer need their protein Satb1 to become metastatic. The study has just been published in Nature.

Even a visual stimulus extremely short, less than millisecond, affects the decoding of information in the nervous system. The Ferrari of insects, the horsefly, a tiny acrobat who moves at high speed, has proved that even a very short visual stimulus (on the scale of milliseconds) affects decoding information in the nervous system. This was discovered by scientists in universities of Indiana, Princeton (New Jersey) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (New Mexico), one of the largest multidisciplinary institutions in the world. A human being is unable to record the continuous change of scenery and should have a supra-sensory stimulation. But this is a fly: its nervous system processes information very quickly so that the insect can adapt to what he sees with a reaction time of 30 milliseconds. "During the flight," says Ruyter van Steveninck University of Indiana, "the horsefly must quickly analyze a number of complex information and, because of its ability to move rapidly, it is reasonable to think that the way it deciphers level sensory-motor data is optimal. We then decided to study its visual system to understand how his brain can order a continuous stream of very complex data in such an efficient way. "

The procedural memory remains imprinted in the chemical synapses. It is not the merit of a cell constant. When we drive a car or we tie a shoe knot, we store a series of gestures that are accessed faster and automatically whenever you need that action again. It is the so-called working memory or procedural memory, whose operation resembles that of cache memory of a computer, for example, allows us to more quickly open a website already visited. A study conducted by Gianluigi Mongillo of French Cnrs research, and Omri Barak and Misha Tsodyks the Weizmann Institute (Israel) would seem to refute the widespread belief that this type of memory is fixed thanks to a number of specific neurons. On the contrary, the procedural memory is recorded at the level of chemical changes in cells that remain after the transition pressure in nervous synapses (points of contact and communication between neurons).

A study analysis conducted over the past 27 years by British researchers, suggests that some Fans can reduce the risk of developing cancer. A review of studies published over the last 27 years suggests that the anti-inflammatory non-steroidal pharmacy drugs (Fans) such as aspirin could reduce the risk of breast cancer by as much as 20 per cent! In support, some experts of Guy's Hospital in London appeared in a publication of International Journal of Clinical Practice. According to Ian Fentiman, Fans could play an important role not only in prevention, but also as a therapy for women who have developed this type of cancer, combining their use with a hormonal treatment and using them as analgesics.

New mechanisms based on mercury and aluminum allow an accuracy ten times higher than the current systems. New generation atomic clocks have been developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Nist), an international collaboration which includes Luke Lorini also of the National Research Metrologica (Inrim) in Turin. The research appeared in Science magazine, and showed the ability to measure frequencies, and thus time, with 17 significant digits, reaching an unprecedented accuracy. The two new atomic clocks are based on atoms of mercury and aluminum. The first system had already been submitted in 2000, but the current version is definitely improved, the mechanism based on aluminum represents a completely new system.

How can you convert waste into energy in the most efficient way possible? The secret is in riboflavin. The microorganisms have the ability to change the chemistry of the environment. This is known for a long time, but if some of these can generate energy from the degradation of organic compounds has not yet been clarified. One answer comes from an American study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Pnas): BioTechnology researchers from the Institute of the University of Minnesota have found that the riboflavin, better known as vitamin B-2, is the key to the production of electricity by the microorganism Shewanella, a bacterium that is commonly found in water and soil.

A survey published on PloS Medicine considers the effects of "the happiness pill clinically nonexistent". And in Great Britain this survey resulted in an outbreak of controversy. Prozac, the antidepressant Seroxat and in general antidepressants do not produce clinically significant benefits. It had the effect of an earthquake relationship. Irving Kirsch, director of the psychology department of Hull University, which - published in the online journal PloS Medicine - assess the outcomes of total 47 studies (known and unpublished) of British and American experts on the real effects of "happiness pill", Prozac. Printed immediately on the front pages of major British newspapers, The Guardian and The Independent Times immediately attacked by the pharmaceutical companies concerned. The study argues that this type of medicines - given annually by more than 40 million people around the world -- found minimal improvements compared to the simple placebo, amounting to just two points on the Hamilton depression scale (comprising 51 points total). Findings for fluoxetine (Prozac), venlafaxine (Efexor), paroxetine (Seroxat) and similar molecules have been put on the market, but which do not reach the three points needed by the British National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) to recognize their significant clinical differences .

No more black and white images: a new electronic tool will observe the chemical species to the wavelengths of visible The color images provided by an ordinary microscope can not make a resolution at the level of individual atoms, while the electronic microscopes, capable of atomic resolution, providing black and white images. In these images different atoms appear as different shades of grey. Now, an electron microscope of a new generation, recently designed and installed at Cornell University and the subject of a study published in Science, will obtain color images at atomic resolution.

Filming particles is now possible. It was done for the first time by a group of Swedish researchers using extremely short pulses of light Getting images of electrons that do not appear to "move" has been impossible because of the speed of these microscopic particles. But a group of researchers in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Lund (Sweden) now has found a way to shoot the movement of an electron using an innovative technique that provides for the use of flash light of extremely short duration.