Show Plans Laser Tribute
Special events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the invention of the laser, including a "Cirque du Lasaire" reception, will mark SPIE Photonics West's first year in San Francisco. The primary photo...
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T-ray Tool Up and Running
A new $500,000 instrument recently went about its work emitting and reading high-speed pulses of silent and invisible terahertz rays. As it did, Thomas Chiou explained how the technology would allow I...
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Scope-Headed Rats Roam Free
By building a tiny laser microscope small enough to mount on a rat's head, researchers found a way to solve the puzzle of recording meaningful signals from brain cells that calculate perception and at...
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T Cell Trigger: Sheer Force
An array of techniques including optical tweezers have been used to find the "switch" that can swiftly change a T cell – a white blood cell that patrols the bloodstream and organs for signs of disease...
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Shrimp Eyes That Polarize
Mantis shrimp, found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, have the most remarkable and complex vision systems known to science. They can see in 12 colors – humans see in only three – and can distin...
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Linear Nanowires Kinked
Taking nanomaterials to a new level of structural complexity, scientists have determined how to introduce kinks into arrow-straight nanowires, transforming them into zigzagging two- and three-dimensio...
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Optical Trap Holds Viruses
A Spain-Canada research collaboration has developed a new method to gently trap, manipulate and study tiny, active objects as minuscule as viruses without inflicting any damage. The partnership betwee...
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Fraunhofer USA Turns 15
Germany’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest institution for applied research, is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its subsidiary, Fraunhofer USA, on Oct. 22.Today six Fraunhofer centers are...
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Molecules Made Mini Lasers
A new optical microscopy technique squeezes photons out of nonfluorescent molecules to provide 3-D images of living cells and tissues for applications in medical imaging and biological research. The m...
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Lasers Twist Fly Memories
Light has been used to manipulate the memories of fruit flies, allowing them to learn from mistakes they never made and scientists to pinpoint the nerve cells that regulate such actions. The work coul...
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Small (and Big) Talk at FiO
The superbig and the supersmall were the subjects of two plenary sessions Monday at Frontiers in Optics 2009. In the first session, Andrea M. Ghez, professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA, a leadin...
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FiO Hot Topics: Hot Optics
New types of research that explore new avenues in medical imaging, solar power, communications and vision were presented during "What's Hot in Optics Today?" during Frontiers in Optics 2009 (FiO) Sund...
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Quantum Signatures of Chaos
Until now, no one has produced experimental evidence that chaos (defined as extreme sensitivity to infinitesimally small tweaks in the initial conditions) occurs in the quantum world – the world of ph...
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Seeing Inside a Living Cell
Electron microscopes are the most powerful type of microscope, capable of distinguishing even individual atoms. However, these microscopes cannot be used to image living cells because the electrons de...
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Graphite Proves Ferromagnetic
In what could be promising results for new applications in nanotechnology, such as biosensors and detectors, researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology show for the first time why ordinary grap...
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3-D TV, Bio-optics Hot at FiO
The future of 3-D TV, laser fusion and exawatt lasers, bio-optics breakthroughs and illumination-aware imaging for producing better robotic vision are just a few of the hot topics to be discussed duri...
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1st Atomic-scale QD Map Made
The first atomic-scale maps of quantum dots have been created by a team of physicists at the University of Michigan, who say it is a major step toward producing “designer dots” that can be tailored fo...
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Science Medalists Named
Pioneers in the fields of astronomical telescope building, computer simulation, and medical imaging have each been chosen to receive the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the US...
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Implant Stimulates Sight
Inspired by the success of cochlear implants that can restore hearing to some deaf people, researchers at MIT are developing a retinal implant that could one day help blind people regain a useful leve...
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Bling Boosts Raman Lasers
A new technology that uses man-made diamonds to enhance the power and capabilities of lasers has been realized by a group of researchers in Australia. They have demonstrated the first laser built ...
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Light Reveals Neuron Function
With a flash of light, scientists have zeroed in on the type of neural cell that controls swimming in larval zebra fish. Using innovative light-activated proteins and gene expression techniques, the s...
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Corning Acquires Labware Firm
Specialty glassmaker Corning Inc. announced today that it has acquired labware maker Axygen BioScience Inc. for about $400 million in cash and will integrate the business into its Life Sciences segmen...
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Cells Respond to Laser Light
A hybrid protein has been created that causes mouse cells to move in response to laser light. Such cells can be trained to follow a light beam or stop on command. This is the first time researchers ha...
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Artificial Nose Knows Toxins
An artificial nose for detecting toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) that works by visualizing odors has been developed and, according to Kenneth Suslick and his team at the University of Illinois, it’s...
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NKT Photonics Opens US Unit
NKT Photonics A/S of Denmark said it has opened a subsidiary, NKT Photonics Inc., in Morganville, N.J., to serve its growing North American market. “We have done this successfully before in central Eu...
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Blue Bananas Linked to Cell Death
Bright blue luminescent rings found under UV light on the peels of very ripe bananas hold promise for studying how organisms rid themselves of dying cells, according to chemists in the US and Austria....
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LEDs, Tea Better Than Botox?
A new noninvasive technique for treating facial wrinkles by combining high-intensity LED light and a lotion made of green tea extract could become an alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery. The new...
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‘Lit’ Bacteria Tracks Virus
By attaching light-emitting genes to infectious bacteria in an experimental system, researchers at University College, Cork, Ireland, have been able to track where in the body the bacteria go – giving...
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Medical Laser Makers Merging
Israel-based Syneron Medical Ltd. and Candela Corp. of Wayland, Mass., announced today that they will merge in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $65 million. The new company will have a...
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Lasers Generate Sound in H2O
A new technology that uses flashes of laser light to remotely create underwater acoustics is being developed by scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory. The new acoustic source has the potential t...
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Vital signs at a distance and in a hurry
By combining camera video technology with standoff laser vibration measurement techniques, researchers hope to help first responders save lives. The chances of success, though, depend on being able to...
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Molecular probe may signal cure for Alzheimer’s
Understanding Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease that robs its sufferers of their personalities and normal brain functioning, has eluded the scientific community. What is known is that the condi...
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Treating cancer lightly
Photodynamic therapy, which uses light-activated drugs to kill cells, is being investigated as a cancer treatment that is less damaging to the patient’s overall health than chemotherapy or radiation t...
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Hologic Inc.
Hologic Inc. of Bedford, Mass., has received FDA clearance for its R2 DigitalNow HD software application. The software is designed to process digitized screen-film mammograms for comparison purposes, ...
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Life Technologies Corp.
Life Technologies Corp. of Carlsbad, Calif., has signed an agreement to sell its SQL*LIMS business, which provides laboratory information management systems. The business has been purchased by LabVant...
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