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April 2007 |
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| Dinosaur DNA |
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Scientists have confirmed the existence of protein in soft tissue recovered from the fossil bones of a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) and a half-million-year-old mastodon. Their results may change the way people think about fossil preservation and present a new method for studying diseases in which identification of proteins is important, such as cancer. When an animal dies, protein immediately begins to degrade and, in the case of fossils, is slowly replaced by mineral. This substitution process was thought to be complete by 1 million years. Researchers at North Carolina State University and Harvard Medical School now know otherwise. The team successfully sequenced portions of the dinosaur and mastodon proteins, identifying the amino acids and confirming that the material was collagen. |
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| For more on this breakthrough that says genetic sequences are possible to attain from 68-million-year-old fossils, see NSF's press release, "Ancient T. rex and Mastodon Protein Fragments Discovered, Sequenced." | |||
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| Researchers Find Way to Use Microbial Fuel Cells for Large-Sale Electricity Production | |||
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Generating electricity from renewable sources could soon become as easy as putting a brush and a tube in a tub of wastewater. A carbon fiber, bottle-brush anode developed by Penn State researchers will provide more than enough surface for bacteria to colonize. For the first time, it will be possible to use microbial fuel cells for large scale electricity production, according to the research team. In addition, a membrane-tube air cathode, adapted from existing wastewater treatment equipment, will complete the circuit. Microbial fuel cells work through the action of bacteria, which can pass electrons to an anode of a fuel cell. The electrons flow from the anode through a wire to the cathode, producing an electric current. In the process, the bacteria consume organic matter in the wastewater. This novel approach uses the bacteria that naturally occur in wastewater, requiring no special bacterial strains or unusual environmental demands. |
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| An additional benefit to the microbial fuel cell is that while it generates electricity, it cleans up the wastewater, something that usually requires the consumption of energy. Read Penn State's news release for more information. NSF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture supported this work. | |||
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| Novel Nanogenerator Converts Motion Into Electricity |
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In a breakthrough that could free nanomachines from the bulk of batteries, researchers have developed a novel nanogenerator--an array of tiny filaments that converts the smallest motions into electrical current. The nanowires are crafted from zinc oxide, a safe material that would allow the generator to be used in biomedical applications, and may eventually power nanomotors, tiny sensors, and if in large enough arrays, macroscale devices. The researchers developed the generators with the support of the NSF, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology. For more information on this research, see NSF's press release, or visit Georgia Tech's Web site for additional details. |
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| Solar Vehicles for Environmental Monitoring | ||||
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The RiverNet Project is designing sensor networks and systems to monitor complex or geographically large regions. One such development is the Solar Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (SAUV). The SAUV can submerge for up to 12 hours and dive to 500 meters. It features a unique solar panel that allows deployment of the vehicle for weeks at a time, an on-board computer system to enable real-time mission adaptations and networked communications to support multi-vehicle cooperation. The SAUV can be used in a variety of environmental monitoring tasks including the detection and monitoring of hazardous events such as red tides, contaminant spills, or in assessing the impact of natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes. A team of SAUV vehicles will be used for long-term observation of coastal and harbor regions in order to detect threats or introduction of hazardous substances. The SAUVs may also serve as an integral part of logistics for large-scale military operations with several vehicles facilitating land, sea and air coordination. |
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NSF provides financial support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) to enhance the instructional and research infrastructure of these minority-serving institutions, and to offer educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for underrepresented minorities who attend these institutions of higher education. The level of dedicated NSF funding to minority-serving institutions has grown over the last six years by 58%, from $119 million in FY 2001 to $188 million in FY 2006. Visit the 2005-2006 Biennial Report to Congress by the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering for more information on NSF's efforts to broaden participation in STEM. |
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| Celebrating Excellence in Science and Engineering! | |||
| Vannevar Bush Award: This annual award recognizes an individual who, through public service activities in science and technology, has made an outstanding "contribution toward the welfare of mankind and the Nation." | |||
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| Public Service Award: Each year, individuals and/or groups (company, corporation or organization) are recognized for increasing the public understanding of science or engineering. | |||
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H-1Bs and Students -- Computerworld (04/09/07) -- The National Science Foundation reports that the number of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded annually in the United States peaked at 57,400 in 2004 but has since dropped by about 30 percent. Microsoft Funds New Mapping Research Programs -- Washington Post (04/07/07) -- CitySense, partly funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Harvard University, is a 100-node sensor network hanging from streetlights that is tracking pollution, temperature, winds, rainfall and traffic in Cambridge, Mass. Scientists: Genes Determine Dogs' Sizes -- Boston Globe (04/05/07) -- Researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute have conducted a study examining the vast scope of size differences in canines. Elaine A. Ostrander led her team in discovering a set of genes linked to the size of dogs. The National Science Foundation partly funded the project. |
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The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science with an annual budget of nearly $5.91 billion. NSF funding reaches all 50 states through grants to roughly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding and makes about 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly. Contact NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs for more information, to unsubscribe, or for permission to reuse newsletter images. |
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