4 April 2010 - Massive Quarks, Nanoprobing, HIV, Space, and Smelly Ants

Happy Easter, if that's your thing  ;)

A lot happened between Thursday and today - it was pretty tough to pick what to write about!

First, a group of researchers have recently nailed down the mass of up and down quarks to a 1.5% certainty - a big jump from the previous 30%!  Using a simulation technique called lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD), they have narrowed down the mass of the up quark to 2.01 MeV give or take 0.14 MeV, and the down quark to 4.79 +/- 0.16 MeV.  Not only is this a pretty impressive accomplishment, it should be very helpful information for current research - especially if it can help the fellows over at the LHC.  It does still need to be challenged and replicated, but it's still pretty exciting!  For details about how they did it, check out the link at the bottom of this post.

Next, in the ever-growing world of nano, a new probe has been created capable of incorporating itself into cells without damaging them.  Mimicking transmembrane proteins, the tip of the probe is coated with two chromium layers with a gold layer in between them, to line up with the hydrophilic and hydrophobic sections of the cell's membrane.  Before, if you wanted to study the internal workings of a cell via probe, you would have to puncture a hole in it for the probe and it would die within a couple of hours.  This 600 nm long silicon probe, however, may be able to remain in place without disturbing a cell for potentially up to a week.  The developers are currently testing it for future uses including medicine delivery, observing signals within and between cells, and monitor therapy responses.

Over at the California Institute of Technology, scientists have discovered key information about a specific protein on the surface of a common variety of HIV.  Called gp120, the protein is commonly utilized in attempts to create vaccines for the virus.  Not only was the protein's structure verified in their experimentation, but they also noticed that an antibody called 21c interacting with the protein on the HIV envelope also simultaneously bound with a CD4 receptor on a T-cell - meaning it's marking the T-cell to get killed as well as the virus.  This is called polyreactivity, and it raises many questions about the use of that antibody and ones like it in the future.  Definitely not what they expected, just looking for the structure of the gp120 protein!

Now, news in space!  Blasting off Friday and docking Sunday, the Russian Soyuz carried one US and two Russian astronauts to the International Space Station for a half year visit.  Following them Monday will be 8 tons of supplies aboard the Discovery, including coolant and equipment for scientific studies.  There was a problem noted with a valve in one of the rockets, but it's been determined to not pose a major risk to the flight.  NASA has only four more flights planned.

Lastly, "odorous" house ants, Tapinoma sessile, are known to take up residence in acorns in the woods of North America and remain in small groups of 50-100 ants.  However, researchers have noticed that when these ants live in urban settings, they form gigantic colonies of more than 5 million ants and interfere with the growth of other colonies.  Scientists are going to start looking toward their genetics for an answer to why the drastic shift.



Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone had a great weekend!  See you Tuesday!
-Miss Mouse



References and Links:
Quarks
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/04/mass-of-the-common-quark-finally.html
Nanoprobe
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-04/stealthy-nanoprobe-slips-seamlessly-cell-walls
HIV Protein and Antibodies
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100402154919.htm

Space
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6310EO20100402
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6330BJ20100404
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6943278.html
Smelly Ants
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/04/scienceshot-country-ants-go-to-t.html