Science

Science On Tap: ATHENA & Surrogate Human Organs

by

Creative District News:

New drugs are under constant development but most fail in clinical trials. Why do so many drugs pass animal testing, but fail in Phase 1 clinical trials in humans? Are animal models of human diseases ultimately really a good model for humans?

Enter ATHENA. ATHENA, which stands for Advanced Tissue-engineered Human External Network Analyzer, is designed to simulate organ systems (such as liver, heart, lung, and kidney) and can be used as a first-line test for potential toxicity analysis since the system can mimic the response of actual human organs. Such Read More

Recordings Spout Secrets Behind Blue Whale Behavior

by

A blue whale surfaces off the coast of Southern California, showing the attached tag that records its calls and pressure changes during dives. Researchers use these tags to explore behavioral links between diving and song production. Courtesy/Ana Širović.
 
 
AGU News:
 
PORTLAND, Ore. — Researchers are using underwater microphones to interpret and characterize the calls of blue whales swimming through Southern California’s oceans, revealing new insights into the behavior of these endangered marine mammals, according to new research being presented at the Ocean Sciences
Read More

AGU: Research Uncovers Mysterious Lives Of Narwhals

by

A pod of narwhals in Melville Bay, Greenland. New research may shed a bit of light on these enigmatic marine mammals. Courtesy/Kristin Laidre
 
AGU News:
 
PORTLAND, Ore. — Narwhals are some of the most elusive creatures in the ocean, spending most of their lives in deep water far from shore.
 
But research being presented at the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland Monday may shed a bit of light on these enigmatic marine mammals.
 
New research shows narwhals may prefer to congregate near unique glacier fjords with thick ice fronts and low to moderate calving activity,
Read More

EM Contractor N3B Hosts Open House

by

John Tauxe of Neptune Company, left, and Danny Katzman, technical program director at Los Alamos National Laboratory chat during Monday’s N3B open house in Cottonwood on the Greens at the Los Alamos County Golf Course. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos County Attorney Alvin Leaphart, right, and Assistant County Attorney Kevin Powers at Monday’s N3B open house at Cottonwood on the Greens. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

​Los Alamos County Council Chair David Izraelevitz, left, and Joe Legare, environment remediation manager for N3B Read More

Photovoltaics Class Takes Readings On Campus

by

Ryder Devenhall marks the shadows as seen in the pyranometer while Jesse Hesch and Mitch Frank look on at UNM-LA. Students in Don Davis’s Photovoltaics class at the college use a pyranometer to do solar site analysis on campus. By taking readings at various locations, they can measure solar obstructions and chart the overall available solar resource. Photo by Nancy Coombs/UNM-LA Read More

LANL: Novel Computational Biology Model Accurately Describes Dynamics Of Gene Expression

by

Yen Ting Lin of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Group is working with researchers at Duke University to develop mathematical models that may help explain the role that gene expression plays in conserving circadian rhythms in biological organisms. The research was highlighted in Royal Society Interface. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Using a simple analytical framework for random events within a predictable system, computational biologists have found a new way to accurately model certain forms of gene expression, including the body’s 24-hour internal

Read More

AGU: Phosphorus Pollution Reaching Dangerous Levels Worldwide, New Study Finds

by

Algal blooms can present problems for ecosystems and human society. A new study suggests freshwater bodies in areas with high water pollution levels are likely to suffer from excess nutrient levels that can lead to algal blooms. Courtesy/Felix Andrews (Floybix) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
 
AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Man-made phosphorus pollution is reaching dangerously high levels in freshwater basins around the world, according to new research.
 
A new study published in Water Resources Research, a journal of the American Geophysical
Read More

NMMNHS Lecture: Red Rocks From Earth To Mars

by

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science presents an evening lecture, ‘Red Rocks from Earth to Mars’ that looks at evidence for water-deposited sedimentary rocks discovered on Mars and small iron concretions called ‘blueberries’ found on the Red Planet. Courtesy/NMMNHS

NMMNHS News:

ALBUQUERQUE – Evidence for water-deposited sedimentary rocks discovered on Mars by the NASA Rovers, and small iron concretions called “blueberries” found on the Red Planet, will be discussed by University of Utah professor Marjorie A. Chan, Ph.D.

The lecture is 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. Read More

AGU: Stored Heat Released From Ocean Largely Responsible For Recent Streak Of Record Hot Years

by

Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures, measured here in November 2015, surged during the 2014-2015 El Niño. New research finds this El Niño released excess heat stored in the Pacific Ocean since the 1990s. Courtesy/NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory.
 
AGU News:
 
Global temperatures spiked during the record warm years of 2014 to 2016 largely because El Niño released an unusually large amount of heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions and stored in the Pacific Ocean, a new study finds.
 
2014, 2015 and 2016 were the warmest consecutive years since
Read More