WASHINGTON – Press coverage of synthetic biology in the United States and Europe increased significantly between 2008 and 2011, according to a report released today by the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The report, Trends in American and European Press Coverage of Synthetic Biology: 2008 – 2011, builds on the project's earlier study of US-EU press coverage between 2003 and 2008. Synthetic biology, an area of research focused on the design and construction of new biological parts and devices, or re-design of existing ...

The United States could eliminate the need for crude oil by using a combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops to make synthetic fuel, a team of Princeton researchers has found. Besides economic and national security benefits, the plan has potential environmental advantages. Because plants absorb carbon dioxide to grow, the United States could cut vehicle greenhouse emissions by as much as 50 percent in the next several decades using non-food crops to create liquid fuels, the researchers said. Synthetic fuels would be an easy fit for the transportation system ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A new type of transistor shaped like a Christmas tree has arrived just in time for the holidays, but the prototype won't be nestled under the tree along with the other gifts. "It's a preview of things to come in the semiconductor industry," said Peide "Peter" Ye, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University. Researchers from Purdue and Harvard universities created the transistor, which is made from a material that could replace silicon within a decade. Each transistor contains three tiny nanowires made not of silicon, ...

Typhoon Bopha proved deadly to residents in the Mindanao region of the Philippines after ravaging islands in Micronesia. NASA's Aqua and TRMM satellites peered at the storm inside and out, providing forecasters with valuable data as the storm moved into the South China Sea. On Dec. 5, 2012, Bopha crossed over Palawan and entered the South China Sea after crossing over the southern Philippines' Mindanao region, leaving death and destruction in its wake. According to Reuters news reports on Dec. 5, at least at total of 283 people were killed and hundreds remain missing ...

In July 2012, farmers in the U.S. Midwest and Plains regions watched crops wilt and die after a stretch of unusually low precipitation and high temperatures. Before a lack of rain and record-breaking heat signaled a problem, however, scientists observed another indication of drought in data from NASA and NOAA satellites: plant stress. Healthy vegetation requires a certain amount of water from the soil every day to stay alive, and when soil moisture falls below adequate levels, plants become stressed. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research ...

Tiny sensors -- made of a potentially trailblazing material just one atom thick and heralded as the "next best thing" since the invention of silicon -- are now being developed to detect trace elements in Earth's upper atmosphere and structural flaws in spacecraft. Technologist Mahmooda Sultana, who joined NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., two years ago and has since emerged as Goddard's go-to expert in the development of graphene-based technology, has expanded her portfolio to include two new research and development efforts aimed at creating nano-sized ...

DURHAM, N.H., Dec. 5, 2012 – While science has often focused on big-scale, global climate change research, a study recently published in the journal Bioscience suggests that long-term, integrated and site-specific research is needed to understand how climate change affects multiple components of ecosystem structure and function, sometimes in surprising ways. "Long-term ecological research is important to understanding the effects of a changing climate on our natural resources and so much more," said Michael T. Rains, Director of the Forest Service's Northern Research Station. ...

On December 6, NOAA will release a technical report that estimates global mean sea level rise over the next century based on a comprehensive synthesis of existing scientific literature. The report finds that there is very high confidence (greater than 90% chance) that global mean sea level will rise at least 8 inches (0.2 meters) and no more than 6.6 feet (2 meters) by 2100, depending upon uncertainties associated with ice sheet loss and ocean warming. The actual amount of sea level change at any one region and location greatly varies in response to regional and local ...

Researchers examining how the hormone jasmonate works to protect plants and promote their growth have revealed how a transcriptional repressor of the jasmonate signaling pathway makes its way into the nucleus of the plant cell. They hope the recently published discovery will eventually help farmers experience better crop yields with less use of potentially harmful chemicals. "This is a small piece of a bigger picture, but it is a very important piece," said Maeli Melotto, a University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor of biology. Melotto recently co-authored ...

Military/Veteran medical malpractice claims are an uphill battle Some of the highest courts in the land -- the United States Supreme Court among them -- will soon be hearing cases involving the niche area of military malpractice claims. Military physicians usually enjoy "sovereign immunity" (essentially making them immune from many types of lawsuits) in their capacity as physicians working for the government. These cases do not argue the validity of sovereign immunity, but instead question its applicability in even the most egregious military medical malpractice ...

Could patient photos reduce serious medical errors? A study by researchers at a Colorado hospital found that including photos in patients' electronic medical records helps reduce serious medical mistakes known as "wrong-patient errors." Implementing electronic record systems with photos at hospitals across the country may help improve the national rate of serious medical errors. Researchers find using a photo drastically reduces number of errors In 2009, Children's Hospital Colorado found that misplaced orders in electronic files was the second-most common ...

Potential pitfalls when keeping the home after divorce One of the most common disagreements among divorcing couples, along with issues of child custody and alimony, is who gets to keep the house. While it is perfectly understandable to be reluctant to give up one's home, people going through divorce should be aware of some hidden costs they may not be expecting if they decide to keep the house. Maintenance and repair costs One common unexpected pitfall occurs when the spouse who keeps the home has not accurately estimated the monthly expenses involved in maintaining ...

How will divorce affect my business in Colorado? For many people going through a divorce, one of the most difficult steps in the divorce process is dividing up shared property such as the family home, vehicles, savings accounts and other valuables. When one or both spouses are business owners, the property division process can become even more complicated and potentially volatile. Business owners in Colorado should be aware of how their business assets may be treated in the event of divorce and take steps to protect them in case such a situation should arise. Division ...

Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements on the rise To love, honor, and keep all property separate? With divorce rates continuing to hover around 50 percent throughout the country, more and more couples are using contracts to outline what assets belong to which spouse. Some are using agreements set up prior to the wedding, called a prenuptial agreement, while others are outlining the terms after the wedding, called a postnuptial agreement. These contracts can help ease financial stress between couples by clearly outlining how assets will be split if the marriage fails. Although ...

Divorce and insurance: knowing how it is split can help save headaches Divorce is difficult for every couple. Couples must come to terms with the fact that a romantic relationship is ending while also dealing with how assets will be split. In addition to balancing these issues, couples should also keep in mind that their insurance will likely be impacted by the divorce. First and foremost, it is important to know that once a Petitioner for Marital Dissolution (a divorce) is filed in California, the party who filed it (the Petitioner) may not cancel or change the beneficiaries ...

Texas lawmakers try again to ban texting while driving If some Texas lawmakers have their way, texting while driving will soon become illegal in Texas. Former Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick recently filed legislation that would do just that. Texas lawmakers passed a similar ban on texting two years ago. However, Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the bill. Perry said that texting while driving "is reckless and irresponsible" but that he saw the bill as "a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults." The proposed law is named in honor of Alex Brown ...

Common Mistakes Parents Make With Children After Divorce Divorce can be an emotional and difficult procedure, especially when children are involved. Unfortunately, because of this, and because people may not know what to look out for, sometimes mistakes are made along the way. Learning what mistakes parents often make after their divorce and child custody cases can help them recognize and avoid those mistakes and work toward the best possible outcome for their family. The Insight of Teachers Teachers are in a unique position to observe the effects of a divorce ...

Legal obstacles for Indiana's temporary employees As the economy continues its slow recovery from the Great Recession, employers in Indiana and around the nation are relying more heavily than usual on temporary workers. While business is gradually improving for many employers, some are not yet willing to commit to taking on new fulltime employees, choosing to rely on contractors and temps instead. With the 2012 winter holidays fast approaching, Indiana's temporary and seasonal workforce is likely to grow even larger to accommodate the annual retail boom. And, in some ...

Health Insurance and Social Security After a Massachusetts Divorce Divorce can bring a myriad of changes to a person's life. People trying to adjust to their new lives as singles may not realize all of the details to which they will have to attend as a result of divorce. For instance, they may not consider the impact that divorcecan have on health insurance eligibility and Social Security benefits. Health Insurance Options Massachusetts law requires insurance companies to allow ex-spouses to remain on employer-sponsored health insurance plans after divorce. If ...

Teens Most Vulnerable to Concussion, Study Finds People of all ages can suffer lasting consequences after concussions, but a recent study found that teenagers are more likely than other age groups to experience cognitive problems after head injuries. In a study that tested the thinking ability of 96 people an average of six months after sustaining a concussion, researchers at the University of Montreal found that teenagers suffered more cognitive impairment after concussions than both children and adults, who displayed similar deficits. The results were surprising ...

Judges under pressure to eliminate disability claim backlog Contrary to popular opinion that the Social Security Administration has been struggling with an extraordinarily high caseload in recent years due to high unemployment numbers, the rise in applications is actually due to the fact that there are a growing number of baby boomers reaching their disability prone years and that more women have been working outside the home. The recent influx of applications has created a backlog of roughly 2 million applications, resulting in extremely long wait times for many ...

Despite regulations, many surgeons still struggle with fatigue In an effort to reduce fatigue-related medical errors among notoriously overworked surgical residents, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education implemented new policies in 2003 that limit residents' on-duty hours. Surgical residents are now limited to 80 on-duty hours per week and must have a minimum break of 10 hours between shifts. However, recent studies on the effectiveness of these measures suggest that the issue is far from resolved. Researchers who studied the effects of fatigue ...

Houston ripe for startup entrepreneurs In early November 2012, Houston was home to another Startup Weekend that draws aspiring entrepreneurs from a variety of professional backgrounds to brainstorm ideas for new business startups, mainly technologically oriented. Sponsored by the Seattle nonprofit of the same name, the weekend is an intense workshop wherein the best startup ideas as voted on by the attendees are developed by small groups into potentially viable business models. Local business leaders attend group presentations and provide valuable feedback, and a ...

United States Supreme Court to Hear Two Drug-Sniffing Dog Cases US Supreme Court to Hear 2 Drug-Sniffing Dog Cases During this term, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases involving evidence discovered by drug-sniffing dogs. In both cases, the Florida Supreme Court ordered the evidence be suppressed. The Supreme Court will determine whether the evidence in these two instances was gathered in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides for, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, ...

In February, the 2013 CMAA World Conference & Club Business Expo is coming to San Diego along with pre-conference events. The Residence Inn San Diego North/San Marcos hotel offers spacious suite accommodations for guests of the Bicycle Chautauqua pre-conference event. "The Bicycle Chautauqua Does Southern California: Riding, Reflecting and Pursuing the CCM Mission" event will be riding through the San Diego and San Marcos areas from Tuesday, February 5th - Thursday, February 7th. The goal of the 'Chautauqua' is to allow business professionals to escape ...