Channel 42
Science is the answer to everything.

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world’s most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom. The new aluminum clock would neither gain nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years, according to measurements to be reported in Physical Review Letters.

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Online programs that provide information and tips about fruits and vegetables may be the key to getting more Americans to eat healthier, say researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

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An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation.

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Chemists at Oregon State University have discovered and synthesized a new compound that in laboratory and animal tests appears to be similar to, but may have advantages over one of the most important antidepressant medications in the world.

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The American Psychological Association urged both the Pentagon and Congress today to move swiftly to end the restrictions on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, noting that there are decades of scientific research demonstrating no threat to military readiness or morale.

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The increasing acidity of the world’s oceans — and that acidity’s growing threat to marine species — are definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively affecting the marine environment, says world-renowned Antarctic marine biologist Jim McClintock, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biology.

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Researchers from the University of Minnesota have found that the hydrodynamic environment of fish can shape their physical form and swimming style.

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In a finding that overturns conventional wisdom, scientists are reporting the first discovery of the female sex hormone progesterone in a plant. Until now, scientists thought that only animals could make progesterone. A steroid hormone secreted by the ovaries, progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and maintains pregnancy. The discovery is reported in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication.

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Clues to how the first land plants managed to avoid drying out might be provided by bryophytes, a group that includes the mosses, many of which retain remarkable drought tolerance. Some mosses can become so dry they crumble in the hand, but, if remoistened, will begin making proteins within minutes. Research published in the Jan. 29 issue of the journal Science, reveals several components of the signaling pathway that underlies the moss’ Lazarus-like behavior.

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Prof. Dan Zakay of the Department of Psychology at Tel Aviv University is presenting empirical evidence to show businesses how to use waiting time to their best advantage. His recent research, published in the journal NeuroQuantology, suggests that businesses can often keep customers from leaving with a few simple strategies.

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