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The Year in Science and Engineering |
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Genomes,
Cosmos, and Nano Among NSF Science Highlights from 2002
Looking back on 2002, research supported by the National Science
Foundation continued to make headlines and expand the horizons of
science and education in the United States and around the world.
NSF's science success was also recognized in the year's Nobel Prizes
-- five of the eight Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and economics
received NSF funding during their careers. Other notable results
of NSF support ran the gamut from the completion of the rice genome
to the discovery of 3,000-year-old microbes living deep below the
ice of Antarctica's Lake Vida.
More... (posted
January 6, 2003)
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The waveguide as it appears within the femtosecond
laser amplifier system. Image courtesy of the University of
Colorado and NSF. |
Breakthrough
Brings Laser Light to New Regions of the Spectrum
Combining concepts from electromagnetic radiation research and fiber
optics, researchers have created an extreme-ultraviolet, laser-like
beam capable of producing tightly-focused light in a region of the
electromagnetic spectrum not previously accessible to scientists.
Between 10-100 times shorter than visible light waves, the extreme-ultraviolet
(EUV) wavelengths will allow researchers to "see" tiny features
and carve miniature patterns, with applications in such fields as
microscopy, lithography and nanotechnology. The achievement is based
on a new structure called a "waveguide," a hollow glass tube with
internal humps that coax light waves into traveling along at the
same speed and help the waves reinforce each other. A report on
the work, which is part of a continuing project supported by the
National Science Foundation, appears in the January 2 issue of the
journal Nature.
More... (posted
January 6, 2003)
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The orb-weaving spider, Metepeira incrassata,
is one of only a very few species of spiders that reside in
social colonies. Credit: George Uetz, University of Cincinnati. |
Spider
vs. Fly: Specialized Deception, Attack and Defense Rule the Conflict
It seems quite simple: Spider spins web. Fly gets caught in web.
Spider spins silk lunch box around fly, feasting on the treat at
a later time. End of story. Not so, according to scientists studying
the relationship between some spiders and flies under an NSF research
award. It's more of a full-blown engagement involving specialized
attacks, defenses, and purposeful deception. Biologist George Uetz
and fellow researchers examined the postures of the social orb-weaving
spider, Metepeira incrassata, in relation to the sarcophagid
fly, Arachnidomyia lindae (a specialized predator of Metepeira
spider eggs) and the non-predatory domestic housefly, Musca
domestica. The study, published in the journal Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology, suggests that a highly specialized
predator's attacks may cause the evolution of predator-specific
defensive responses in the prey.
More... (posted January
6, 2003)
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Public
Comment Sought
on Draft Infrastructure Report
The National Science Board (NSB) solicits public comment on its
draft report, Science and Engineering Infrastructure for the 21st
Century: the role of the National Science Foundation. The report
is based on a study conducted by the NSB Task Force on Science and
Engineering Infrastructure (INF).
More...
(posted December 11, 2002)
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