Scientists use laser imaging to assess safety of zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunscreen

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — Ultra-tiny zinc oxide (ZnO) particles with dimensions less than one-ten-millionth of a meter are among the ingredients list of some commercially available sunscreen products, raising concerns about whether the particles may be absorbed beneath the outer layer of skin. To help answer these safety questions, an international team of scientists from Australia and Switzerland have developed a way to optically test the concentration of ZnO nanoparticles at different skin...

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Scientists propose new names for elements 114 and 116

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) have recommended new proposed names for elements 114 and 116, the latest heavy elements to be added to the periodic table.Scientists of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)-Dubna collaboration proposed the names as Flerovium for element 114 and Livermorium for element 116.In June 2011, the IUPAC officially accepted elements 114 and 116 as the heaviest elements, more than 10 years after scientists...

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Setting the stage for life: Scientists make key discovery about the atmosphere of early Earth

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — Scientists in the New York Center for Astrobiology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used the oldest minerals on Earth to reconstruct the atmospheric conditions present on Earth very soon after its birth. The findings, which appear in the Dec. 1 edition of the journal Nature, are the first direct evidence of what the ancient atmosphere of the planet was like soon after its formation and directly challenge years of research on the type of atmosphere out of which...

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Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions, according to new research

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2011) — Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions for social and personal reasons, according to research from Rice University and the University at Buffalo -- The State University of New York (SUNY).The study also found that some atheist scientists want their children to know about different religions so their children can make informed decisions about their own religious preferences."Our research shows just how tightly linked religion and family are...

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Shaken, not stirred: Scientists spy molecular maneuvers

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) — Stir this clear liquid in a glass vial and nothing happens. Shake this liquid, and free-floating sheets of protein-like structures emerge, ready to detect molecules or catalyze a reaction. This isn't the latest gadget from James Bond's arsenal -- rather, the latest research from the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists unveiling how slim sheets of protein-like structures self-assemble. This "shaken, not...

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Scientists measure dream content for the first time: Dreams activate the brain in a similar way to real actions

ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2011) — The ability to dream is a fascinating aspect of the human mind. However, how the images and emotions that we experience so intensively when we dream form in our heads remains a mystery. Up to now it has not been possible to measure dream content. Max Planck scientists working with colleagues from the Charité hospital in Berlin have now succeeded, for the first time, in analysing the activity of the brain during dreaming.They were able to do this with the help of lucid...

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