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Scientists at Princeton University used off-the-shelf printing tools to create a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability

primary purpose was to explore an efficient and versatile means to merge electronics with tissue

used 3D printing of cells and nanoparticles followed by cell culture to combine a small coil antenna with cartilage, creating what they term a bionic ear.

people typically blame Southern California's smog on automobiles, a new study suggests that cows may be just as responsible, if not more so

large fraction of the region's smog, especially the particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, is ammonium nitrate

particles form in the atmosphere when ammonia, which is generated by cars with certain types of catalytic converters and by bacteria that consume cattle waste, reacts with nitrogen oxides that are produced in large quantities in automobile emissions

In plants, algae and some types of bacteria and fungi, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in a process we all know as photosynthesis

water and carbon dioxide are also converted to oxygen

Now it appears that a type of aphid, a small insect, is able to do something similar, minus the water and carbon dioxide conversion

When we breathe in foreign particles, sensors in our noses and sinuses detect the objects. The sensors signal the cilia—tiny, hairlike paddles that line our nostrils and sinuses—to move to expel the irritants

burst of air produced by a sneeze not only clears nasal passages but also triggers the cilia sensors to kick the paddles into high gear for an extended period

sneeze works by "resetting the system—like Control-Alt-Delete" on a PC

new Caltech study suggests that specific changes in an overactive immune system can contribute to autism-like behaviors in mice

remained unanswered

whether the immune changes play a causative role in the development of the disease or are merely a side effect

When people say they can smell a storm coming, they're right

Weather patterns produce distinctive odors that sensitive noses sniff out.

Before the rain begins, one of the first odors you may notice

team of

researchers

have discovered a new class of antibiotics to fight

Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and Reading University have demonstrated that, after over 1,500 years frozen in Antarctic ice, moss can come back to life and continue to grow

The team,

observed moss regeneration after at least 1,530 years frozen in permafrost

Leeuwenhoek's animalcules

In 1676, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek applied his hobby of making microscopes from his own handmade lenses to observe some water running off a roof during a heavy rainstorm. He finds that it contains, in his words, “very little animalcules.” The life he has found in the runoff water is not present in pure rainwater. This was a fundamental discovery, for it showed that the bacteria and one-celled animals did not fall from the sky. When a ball of molten glass is inflated like a balloon, a small droplet of the hot fluid collects at the very bottom the bubble. Leeuwenhoek used these droplets as microscope lenses to view the animalcules. Despite their crude nature, those early lenses enabled Leeuwenhoek to describe an amazing world of microscopic life