Effective control of invasive weeds can help attempts at reforestation in Panama

Saccharum spontaneum is an invasive grass that has spread extensively in disturbed areas throughout the Panama Canal watershed, where it has created a fire hazard and inhibited reforestation efforts. The weed originally believed to be originally from India, is perfectly adapted to the conditions in Panama and produces excessive amounts...

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Critical protein discovered for healthy cell growth in mammals

A team of researchers from Penn State University and the University of California has discovered a protein that is required for the growth of tiny, but critical, hair-like structures called cilia on cell surfaces. The discovery has important implications for human health because lack of cilia can lead to serious diseases such as polycystic...

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Getting a charge from changes in humidity

A new type of electrical generator uses bacterial spores to harness the untapped power of evaporating water, according to research conducted at the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. Its developers foresee electrical generators driven by changes in humidity from sun-warmed ponds and harbors. The...

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New genes spring and spread from non-coding DNA

"Where do new genes come from?" is a long-standing question in genetics and evolutionary biology. A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, published Jan. 23 in Science Express, shows that new genes are created from non-coding DNA more rapidly than expected. "This shows very clearly that genes are being born from ancestral sequences all the time," said David Begun, professor of evolution and ecology...

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Engineers teach old chemical new tricks to make cleaner fuels, fertilizers

University researchers from two continents have engineered an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst for the production of molecular hydrogen (H2), a compound used extensively in modern industry to manufacture fertilizer and refine crude oil into gasoline. Although hydrogen is abundant element, it is generally not found as...

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World's first magma-enhanced geothermal system created in Iceland

In 2009, a borehole drilled at Krafla, northeast Iceland, as part of the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), unexpectedly penetrated into magma (molten rock) at only 2100 meters depth, with a temperature of 900-1000 C. The borehole, IDDP-1, was the first in a series of wells being drilled by the IDDP in Iceland in the search for high-temperature geothermal resources. The January 2014 issue of the international journal...

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Humans can use smell to detect levels of dietary fat

New research from the Monell Center reveals humans can use the sense of smell to detect dietary fat in food. As food smell almost always is detected before taste, the findings identify one of the first sensory qualities that signals whether a food contains fat. Innovative methods using odor to make low-fat foods more palatable could someday aid public health efforts to reduce dietary fat intake. "The human sense of smell...

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Staying cool in the nanoelectric universe by getting hot

As smartphones, tablets and other gadgets become smaller and more sophisticated, the heat they generate while in use increases. This is a growing problem because it can cause the electronics inside the gadgets to fail. Conventional wisdom suggests the solution is to keep the guts of these gadgets cool. But a new University at Buffalo...

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Milky Way May Have Formed 'Inside-Out:' Gaia Provides New Insight Into Galactic Evolution

 A breakthrough using data from the Gaia-ESO project has provided evidence backing up theoretically predicted divisions in the chemical composition of the stars that make up the Milky Way's disc -- the vast collection of giant gas clouds and billions of stars that give our Galaxy its 'flying saucer' shape. By tracking...

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Cinta dan Waktu

Alkisah di suatu pulau, tinggallah berbagai macam benda-benda abstrak, ada cinta, kesedihan, kekayaan, kegembiraan dan sebagainya. Mereka hidup berdampingan dengan baik. Akan tetapi, suatu ketika datanglah bencana badai yang menghempaskan pulau itu. Air laut tiba-tiba naik dan menenggelamkan pulau tersebut. Semua penghuni mencoba menyelamatkan...

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Harga Putus Asa

Pada suatu saat, iblis membuat iklan bahwasanya ia akan mengobral alat-alat kerjanya. Kemudian tiba saatnya di hari H, seluruh alatnya dipajang untuk dilihat calon pembeli dan lengkap dengan harga jualnya. Bayangkan seperti halnya kita masuk ke supermarket, barang yang dijual sangat menarik dan tiap barang sangat berguna sesuai fungsinya....

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Surat Dari Tuhan

 Saat kau bangun di pagi hari, Aku memandangmu, Berharap, kau akan berbicara kepada-Ku. Meski hanya sepatah kata untuk minta pendapat-Ku atau sekedar bersyukur kepada-Ku atas sesuatu hal yang indah yang terjadi dalam hidupmu hari ini dan kemarin. Namun, Aku melihatmu begitu sibuk mempersiapkan diri untuk pergi bekerja. Aku kembali...

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Cekungan Air Tanah Sumatera

PENDAHULUAN Pemanfaatan air tanah di Pulau (P.) Sumatera menunjukkan kecenderungan yang terus meningkat seiring dengan pesatnya pembangunan di berbagai sektor, baik sebagai sumber pasokan air bersih penduduk maupun industri, serta pertanian dan peternakan. Kemajuan...

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