Discoveries

NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

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		Offering New HOPE in the Balance Of Security and Civil Liberties Data analytics gives law enforcement and intelligence agencies powerful tools that still protect privacy and civil liberties Released  December 2, 2008
		Estimating the True Costs Of Invasive Species in the Great Lakes Graduate student John Rothlisberger describes his research to measure losses caused by non-native species that were introduced by ocean-going ships Released  December 1, 2008
		Lab Tests Show Wind Turbine's Air Flow Researcher describes NSF-supported wind tunnel experiments that mimic atmospheric airflow around wind turbines to advance our understanding of real wind farm conditions Released  November 25, 2008
		Nanoparticles Taught to Swim NSF-supported research team at Penn State creates nanoscale motors powered by catalytic reactions that convert chemical energy into motion Released  November 20, 2008
		Batteries Made of Bacteria? Researchers believe the energy produced by Geobacter microbes can be harnessed for electrical power, environmental remediation and biosensors Released  November 19, 2008
		Islands: Exquisite Labs of Evolution Anne Yoder, director of the Duke University Lemur Center, and colleagues are using genetic and genomic approaches to unravel the history of lemurs and the primate family tree Released  November 14, 2008
		Unlocking the Secrets of Atomic Nuclei Rare isotope research at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory leads to important new applications in areas such as medical treatments and security technology Released  November 13, 2008
		Magnetic Fields in Far Away Galaxies Observed to be 10 Times Stronger than those in Milky Way Conventional theories of star and galaxy formation challenged Released  November 12, 2008
		Placing a Dollar Value on Services Provided by Bats Advanced imaging and information technology reveals economic and ecological impact of agricultural pest control Released  November 12, 2008
		The Biological Clock's Incredible Influence Revealed University of Georgia researchers find that the number of genes under the control of the biological clock in bread mold is dramatically higher than previously reported Released  November 5, 2008
		Foamy Invention Could Save Energy and Lives NSF CAREER awardee Afsaneh Rabiei's ultra-high-strength composite metal foam could revolutionize impact protection Released  October 29, 2008
		First Ultracold Polar Molecule Gas Ready for Research Groundbreaking technique could lead to quantum computers, molecular clocks and super-efficient power plants Released  October 29, 2008
		'Gone Bats' Over Aeroecology New scientific discipline studies bats, birds and other animals in atmosphere closest to Earth's surface Released  October 28, 2008
		Gut Reaction: Digestion Revealed in 3-D James Brasseur and his multidisciplinary team image the dynamic mixing of fluids and nutrient exchange in the human digestive system Released  October 17, 2008
		How to Make Adhesive as Good as a Gecko Materials scientist Ali Dhinojwala and his team use nanotechnology to develop adhesive tapes that stick better than a gecko’s foot Released  October 16, 2008
		Using Your Computer to Grow More Nutritious Rice for a Hungry World Computational biologists use a powerful distributed computing network to research rice genome for increased yields of more nourishing rice varieties Released  October 14, 2008
		Teaching Is in This Scientist's Genes Doctoral student Susannah Gordon-Messer talks about her research and her science outreach using “bouncy, sticky, slimy chemistry” to educate and inspire young minds Released  October 10, 2008
		Klein Bottle is a Real Natural in the Zoo of Geometric Shapes Discovery could advance understanding of human vision and lead to powerful data compression techniques Released  October 7, 2008
		Financial Markets Grow 'Green' Companies Investors see 'green' firms as less risky, charge lower interest rates Released  October 7, 2008
		Size Trade-off: Horns vs. Copulatory Organs Indiana University biologist Armin Moczek explains his findings about the inverse relationship between horn and copulatory organ size in male beetles and how it affects species divergence Released  September 30, 2008
		Mysteries of the Unregulated Internet Researchers develop an alert system and protocol improvements to keep Internet traffic flowing smoothly Released  September 29, 2008
		The Bizarre Creatures of Madagascar Paleontologist David Krause describes his search for the ancestors of mammals that live in Madagascar today Released  September 24, 2008
		Finding the Switches to Our Cells' 'Computer' Thousands of memory switches inside our cells help them remember and function Released  September 24, 2008
		Glacier Movement Limits How Fast Sea Level Can Rise Study finds 3 to 6 feet by 2100 possible Released  September 18, 2008
		Archaeology of the Stars Michigan State researcher Timothy Beers studies the formation and evolution of stars born many billions of years before the Sun Released  September 17, 2008
		Researcher Walks Among Dying Baby Chimps Virginia Tech scientist Taranjit Kaur describes her team's research studying chimpanzees in western Tanzania and the virus that is threatening the chimps’ health Released  September 9, 2008
		Economist Hedges Bets on Wildfires in California Social scientist Joanne Ho describes an interdisciplinary approach to researching the risks to residents, homes and firefighters in areas threatened by wildfires Released  September 8, 2008
		Bones in Lava Tubes Reveal Hawaii's Natural History Michigan State University's Matthew Cimitile describes a Hawaiian adventure exploring lava tubes in search of bird bones from endangered and extinct species Released  August 22, 2008
		Students Give High Marks to First U.S.-Japan Glass Science School Meeting brings U.S. university students and researchers together with their Japanese counterparts to talk about new developments and potential collaborations in glass research Released  August 21, 2008
		A Thousand Points of Light: Bioluminescent Fungi San Francisco State University Mycologist Dennis Desjardin Takes Readers Along on a Nocturnal Hike in a Brazilian Forest to Find Glowing Mushrooms Released  August 15, 2008