“Diesel engines emit countless carbon nanoparticles into the air, slipping through government regulation and vehicle filters. A new…simulation shows that these nanoparticles can get trapped in the lungs and inhibit the function of a fluid that facilitates breathing.

Lung surfactant is a fluid containing protein and lipid molecules. It reduces surface tension in the lungs, prevents them from collapsing and helps transport foreign particles that will ultimately be expelled from the lungs.

Inhaled carbon nanoparticles, however, appear to behave differently than most foreign particles. Computer simulations indicated that they wouldn’t be expelled, but would become trapped in the surfactant, entangled with fatty lipid molecules that wrapped their tails around the nanoparticles and into their central cavities….” Full Slice

Tom Thurman: What do you want written on your tombstone, Jerry?
Jerry Wexler: Two words: More bass.

A nice little writeup here

“…a team…has studied lake mud, which contains microbial communities even more complex than those in seawater, and homed in on bacteria that perform the ecological task of eating methane. The study…shows a way to sequence unidentified life.

“This work demonstrates that we can get a complete genome for a totally unknown organism,”…” Full Slice

“The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells. Researchers…found an association between the disorder and variation in two genes that make components of channels that manage the flow of the elements into and out of cells, including neurons.

“A neuron’s excitability – whether it will fire – hinges on this delicate equilibrium,”…” Full Slice

“A research team…has developed a new superlattice material that improves ionic conductivity near room temperature by a factor of almost 100 million…The new material, represents “a colossal increase in ionic conduction properties,”…The material could lead to more efficient and lower temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), among other applications….” Full Slice