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- Nothing definitive found in Curiosity's first Mars soil test
NASA confirmed that the Curiosity rover found a mix of chemicals and water in a sample of sandy Martian soil, but no complex carbon molecules that are considered to be essential for life. The results of a soil analysis by the rover's chemistry laboratory show that the sample is typical Martian soil, said Ralf Gellert, mission scientist and associate professor at the University of Guelph's department of physics. Scientists believe that the best chance of discovering complex carbon is on the Red Planet's Mount Sharp, which the rover will not visit until next year. ABC News/The Associated Press
(12/3)
    
| Science in the News
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- Voyager 1 finds new layer of the solar system
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft found a new layer at the edge of the solar system called the "magnetic highway." Scientists observed that the layer enables charged particles from the galaxy outside to move in and charged particles inside to flow outward. "We do believe this may be the very last layer between us and interstellar space," said Edward Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. Space.com
(12/3)
- Explorers will recreate Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition
A team of explorers in early January will retrace the 1914 journey of British explorer Ernest Shackleton when he sought rescue while on an ill-fated Antarctic expedition. The team will leave South America on a lifeboat that's a replica of the one Shackleton used to seek help when his ship Endurance was caught in Antarctic ice. They will retrace the trip from Elephant Island near Antarctica to South Georgia, an island off the South American coast. The team will then trek through the mountains of South Georgia to reach the north shore, just as Shackleton's expedition did seeking help at a whaling station. Reuters
(12/3)
- DNA is photographed for the first time
Enzo Di Fabrizio, a physics professor at the Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, has photographed the structure of DNA for the first time with an electron microscope. The innovative approach is expected to help scientists examine interactions between DNA and other important ingredients in life such as ribonucleic acid. LifesLittleMysteries.com
(11/30)
- Scientists design robots for individuals with disabilities
Two scientists, Kaijen Hsiao and Matei Ciocarlie, at Willow Garage in Menlo Park, Calif., are developing robots to help individuals with disabilities be more independent in their homes. Still in the design stage, Hsiao and Ciocarlie are working with an individual with quadriplegia, on designing a robot to do basic household tasks, such as getting food from the refrigerator. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)(free registration)
(12/1)
- Islet transplant may curb atherosclerosis risk in type 1 diabetes
A study in Diabetes Care showed that type 1 diabetes patients who underwent pancreatic islet transplantation attained significant reductions in carotid artery thickness at 12 months, and the decline continued for up to 50 months after the procedure. Researchers said the surgery could help cut the risk of atherosclerosis by lowering A1C levels in patients. DailyRx.com
(12/1)
| Funding Watch
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- DOE offers ARPA-E grants to 8 solar studies
The Department of Energy will give eight solar-energy research projects grants amounting to more than $14 million under its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy "Open 2012" initiative. Recipients include Glint Photonics -- which received $523,172 to create a solar concentrator that could absorb the complete amount of available sunlight, regardless of the position of sun -- and MicroLink Devices, which received about $3.3 million to launch solar cells that will use crystal layers to capture concentrated sunlight. PV-Tech.org (U.K.)
(12/4)
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