science wire

Schmidt Fund awards support transformative technologies
  Gerard Wysocki   Photo by Frank Wojciechowski   Daniel Sigman   Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation   Andrew Houck   Photo by F

Cancer collaboration could someday help dogs and their humans
When Olga Troyanskaya's dog Jessy fell ill in early 2006, the vet had painful news.

Plans for dams on Mekong River could spell disaster for area fisheries
A massive expansion of hydropower planned for the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia could have a catastrophic impact on the river's fishery and millions of people who depend on it, according to a new study by researchers including scientists from Princeton University.

Devising a 'silver bullet' for measuring water use by plants
  For her senior thesis project, Princeton civil and environmental engineering major Ida Posner is developing a filter that could allow scientists to quickly measure water use by plants like this basil grown in the Princeton EcoHydrology Lab. Measuring plants' water use is critical for understanding how ecosystems are affected by drought, development or climate change.

Persisting in a search for new cancer treatment
  Molecular biology major Kristan Scott focused his senior thesis on a mutant gene linked not only to colorectal cancer but also to the cancer’s ability to resist chemotherapy.

A.J. Stewart Smith to be named VP for PPPL, search for new dean for research to begin
  Search committee for dean for research established Princeton Provost Christopher Eisgruber has formed a committee to search for a successor to A.J. Stewart Smith as the University's dean for research.

Impact of socioeconomic factors on the racial gap in life expectancy
Differences in factors such as income, education and marital status could contribute overwhelmingly to the gap in life expectancy between blacks and whites in the United States, according to one of t

Princeton, Max Planck Society launch new research center for plasma physics
Princeton University and the Max Planck Society of Germany have joined forces in a scientific collaboration that is designed to accelerate progress in cutting-edge research ranging from harnessing nu

Koel applies science of surface chemistry to fusion research at PPPL
  Princeton Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Bruce Koel is working with scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab to apply the science of surface chemistry to solving one of the biggest obstacles facing fusion: how to keep the fusion reaction burning for long periods.

Plasma source created by PPPL will benefit major particle accelerator experiment
A major effort to study a mysterious substance that could enhance understanding of the cosmos and fusion energy has received a critical boost from the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) . Scientists at PPPL have designed and delivered a crucial component for a device that can heat a spot of foil to 30,000 degrees Centigrade in less than a billionth of a second.

Princeton sound lab pushes boundaries of realism in audio with support from Sony
  Edgar Choueiri, a Princeton University professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is working to push the boundaries of sound reproduction through his 3-D Audio and Applied Acoustics Lab.

'Universal' vaccines could finally allow for wide-scale flu prevention
An emerging class of long-lasting flu vaccines could do more than just save people the trouble of an annual flu shot. Princeton University-based researchers have found that the "universal" vaccine could for the first time allow for the effective, wide-scale prevention of flu by limiting the influenza virus' ability to spread and mutate.

Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief
  Researchers from Princeton University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering — from left, Professor Eric Wood, research scholar Justin Sheffield and graduate student Nathaniel

'Storm of the century' may become 'storm of the decade'
As the Earth's climate changes, the worst inundations from hurricanes and tropical storms could become far more common in low-lying coastal areas, a new study suggests. Researchers from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that regions such as the New York City metropolitan area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead become submerged every one or two decades.

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Guadagno visits PPPL
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno visited the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) on Monday, Feb.

Researchers awarded funds to develop promising technologies
Five Princeton faculty teams are the new recipients of support from a University fund designed to help propel promising discoveries out of the laboratory into products and technologies that can benefit society. The funding will support the following projects: a cheaper and more efficient solar cell for converting sunlight to electricity; a novel water-treatment technology; a microscope that uses sound waves to focus the lens; a graphene-based boost for battery-like devices; and a new class of antiviral drugs.

Class snapshot: 'Disease Ecology, Economics and Policy'
  The course "Disease Ecology, Economics and Policy" focuses on global health, combining insights from epidemiology, biology and economics to explore how these influence policy.

Choreographing dance of electrons offers promise in pursuit of quantum computers
by John Sullivan In the basement of Hoyt Laboratory at Princeton University, Alexei Tyryshkin clicked a computer mouse and sent a burst of microwaves washing across a silicon crystal suspended in a frozen cylinder of stainless steel. The waves pulsed like distant music across the crystal and deep within its heart, billions of electrons started spinning to their beat.

PPPL to launch major upgrade of key fusion energy test facility
by John Greenwald NSTX project will produce most powerful spherical torus in the world The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is getting an

Less knowledge, more power: Uninformed can be vital to democracy, study finds
by Morgan Kelly Contrary to the ideal of a completely engaged electorate, individuals who have the least interest in a specific outcome can actually be vital to achieving a democratic consensus. These individuals dilute the influence of powerful minority factions who would otherwise dominate everyone else, according to new research published .

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos donate $15 million to create center in Princeton Neuroscience Institute
  Jeff Bezos, shown speaking at the University's 2010 Baccalaureate ceremony, and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, both alumni, are donating $15 million to establish the Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute.   Photo by Denise Applewhite   by Ruth Stevens Princeton University alumnus Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, and alumna MacKenzie Bezos, are donating $15 million to the University to create a center in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute.

Princeton's new computing research center builds research capacity
by Catherine Zandonella After several years of planning and more than a year of construction, Princeton University's High-Performance Computing Research Center opened its doors this week.