PASADENA, Calif.-A quarterly review of research at the California Institute of Technology:
Structural Biologists Get First Picture of Complete Bacterial Flagellar Motor
Biologists using new technology have obtained a 3-D image of the assembly of a complete flagellum, a tiny motor that some bacteria use to propel themselves. Understanding this complex natural structure could help engineers design their own "nanomachines."
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12882.html
Interdisciplinary Team Demonstrates New Technique for Manipulation of "Light Beams"
Researchers have learned how to rein in light pulses to maintain a beam of constant average diameter. The light beams produced could be useful for optical lithography and sensors, and for future generations of devices involving optical switching and information processing.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12881.html
Researchers Announce New Way to Assess How Buildings Would Stand Up in Big Quakes
A supercomputer simulation has projected the impact of 7.9-magnitude earthquakes on structures in the Los Angeles and San Fernando basins by combining models from both seismology and earthquake engineering. Such interdisciplinary hazard analyses could help developers, building owners, city planners, and emergency managers make better, more informed decisions about building safety.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12883.html
Caltech Researchers Announce Invention of the Optofluidic Microscope
By combining chip technology with microfluidics, researchers have created a microscope chip that may allow a top-quality microscope to fit into a package the size of an iPod. Such a device would be cheaper and easier to transport than lab microscopes and would allow physicians in third-world countries to draw a drop of blood from a patient in the field and analyze it immediately, avoiding lab delays.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12888.html
Jupiter-Sized Transiting Planet Found by Astronomers Using Novel Telescope Network
Using a network of small, automated telescopes consisting mostly of amateur-astronomy components and off-the-shelf 4-inch camera lenses, an international team of astronomers has detected a planet slightly larger than Jupiter, that is 500 light-years from Earth. It passes in front of (or transits) its star every two-and-a-half days and is the largest transiting planet yet discovered.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12890.html
The Dwarf Planet Formerly Known as Xena Has Officially Been Named Eris, IAU Announces
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has renamed Xena, which was recently reclassified as the largest dwarf planet, after Eris, the Greek goddess of discord. Eris's moon will be known as Dysnomia, the daughter of Eris and the demon goddess of lawlessness.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12893.html
"Champagne Supernova" Challenges Ideas about How Supernovae Work
Astronomers have discovered a supernova that is more massive than previously believed possible and potentially offers new insights into the inner workings of supernovae. This unusual object challenges efforts to make precision tests of the mysterious "dark energy" responsible for accelerating the expansion of the cosmos.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12894.html
Caltech Researchers Reveal Three Distinct Modes of Dynamic Friction Rupture with Implications for Earthquake Behavior
For the first time, experimenters have been able to generate and visualize modes of rupture failure proposed to occur along earthquake fault lines but never directly confirmed in the lab. The results of this research could potentially help mitigate massive earthquake damage.
http://pr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR12897.html
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