Science & Tech
Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels
By John Sullivan · Posted May 24, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells.
Geological record shows air up there came from below
By Morgan Kelly · Posted May 23, 2012; 01:00 p.m.
The influence of the ground beneath us on the air around us could be greater than scientists had previously thought, according to new Princeton University research that links the long-ago proliferation of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere to a sudden change in the inner workings of our planet.
FACULTY AWARD: Princeton's Bernevig receives 2012 Blavatnik Award
By Staff · Posted May 21, 2012; 02:00 p.m.
Bogdan Bernevig, the Eugene and Mary Wigner Assistant Professor in Theoretical Physics in Princeton's Department of Physics, is among 11 researchers nationwide to receive a 2012 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists from the New York Academy of Sciences.
Schmidt Fund awards support transformative technologies
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted May 8, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
A nitrogen sensor that can monitor environmental change, a "no-frills" quantum computer and a laboratory small enough to fit inside a single cell are the three technologies selected to receive support this year at Princeton University from the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund.
Cancer collaboration could someday help dogs and their humans
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted May 7, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
In pursuing cancer treatment for her dog, Olga Troyanskaya, a computational biologist at Princeton University, started a research collaboration with canine oncologist Karin Sorenmoto with the potential to learn more about cancer, possibly leading to new treatments for dogs and humans as well.
FACULTY AWARD: Four Princeton faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences
By Staff · Posted May 7, 2012; 10:30 a.m.
Four Princeton University faculty members are among the 84 new members recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences for noted and ongoing achievement in original research: William Bialek; Pablo Debenedetti; John Groves; and Nai Phuan Ong.
Plans for dams on Mekong River could spell disaster for area fisheries
By John Sullivan · Posted April 30, 2012; 12:07 p.m.
A massive expansion of hydropower planned for the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia could have a catastrophic impact on the river's fishery and millions of people who depend on it, according to a new study by researchers including scientists from Princeton University.
With 'Power in a Box,' Princeton students win national competition
By Steven Schultz · Posted April 27, 2012; 04:07 p.m.
Converting a standard shipping container into a sustainable source of energy for remote or disaster-torn regions, a team of Princeton University students took top honors in an 18-month national competition that culminated April 21 and 22 on the Washington, D.C., Mall.
FACULTY AWARD: Three Princeton faculty elected members of the American Philosophical Society
By Staff · Posted April 27, 2012; 10:30 a.m.
Princeton University faculty members Bonnie Bassler, Brent Shaw and Christopher Sims were among 35 new members recently elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS), the nation's oldest scholarly organization.
Expectation of extraterrestrial life built more on optimism than evidence, study finds
By Morgan Kelly · Posted April 26, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers have found that the expectation that life — from bacteria to sentient beings — has or will develop on other planets as on Earth might be based more on optimism than scientific evidence.
Yeast cell reaction to Zoloft suggests alternative cause, drug target for depression
By Morgan Kelly · Posted April 24, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers have observed a self-degradation response to the antidepressant Zoloft in yeast cells that could help provide new answers to lingering questions among scientists about how antidepressants work, as well as support the idea that depression is not solely linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin.
PPPL scientists propose a solution to a critical barrier to producing fusion
By John Greenwald · Posted April 23, 2012; 05:00 p.m.
Physicists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have discovered a possible solution to a mystery that has long baffled researchers working to harness fusion. If confirmed by experiment, the finding could help scientists eliminate a major impediment to the development of fusion as a clean and abundant source of energy for producing electric power.
Persisting in a search for new cancer treatment
By Morgan Kelly · Posted April 18, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Molecular biology major Kristan Scott focused his senior thesis on a mutant gene linked not only to colorectal cancer but also to the cancer’s ability to resist chemotherapy. Working with special yeast cells created in the lab of his thesis adviser, Senior Lecturer Alison Gammie, Scott helped figure out the combination of cancer treatments that restored sensitivity to chemotherapy — a result that suggests a potential new chemotherapeutic approach for treating certain cancers.
Study reveals impact of socioeconomic factors on the racial gap in life expectancy
By Morgan Kelly · Posted April 4, 2012; 01:30 p.m.
A Princeton University report reveals that disparities in socioeconomic characteristics can account for 80 percent of the life-expectancy divide between black and white men, and for 70 percent of the imbalance between black and white women. The study is one of the first to put a number on how much of the divide can be attributed to racial differences in factors such as income, education and marital status.
Princeton, Max Planck Society launch new research center for plasma physics
By John Greenwald · Posted March 30, 2012; 10:04 a.m.
Princeton University and the Max Planck Society of Germany have joined forces in a scientific collaboration that is designed to accelerate progress in cutting-edge research ranging from harnessing nuclear fusion to understanding solar storms.
Koel applies science of surface chemistry to fusion research at PPPL
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted March 26, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
The fusing together of atoms releases vast amounts of energy, but the process can take place only at extremely high temperatures. For fusion to be the basis of the power plant of the future, scientists need to find ways to keep the process from cooling. By using his expertise in surface chemistry, chemical and biological engineering professor Bruce Koel is working with scientists at the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab to address this goal.
Detection of cosmic effect may bring universe's formation into sharper focus
By Morgan Kelly · Posted March 20, 2012; 08:00 a.m.
A project initiated at Princeton made the first observation of a cosmic effect theorized 40 years ago that could provide astronomers with a more precise tool for understanding the forces behind the universe's formation and growth, including the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter.
Princeton scientists identify neural activity sequences that help form memory, decision-making
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted March 14, 2012; 02:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers have used a novel virtual reality and brain imaging system to detect a form of neural activity underlying how the brain forms short-term memories that are used in making decisions.
Alice Chang: Perspective on the future of Princeton mathematics
By Morgan Kelly · Posted March 5, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
In a perspective on the future of mathematics at Princeton, Sun-Yung Alice Chang, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics and chair of the Department of Mathematics, discusses the department's current and burgeoning strengths, its recent popularity with students, and the effort to attract more women to a traditionally male-dominated field.
Natural levels of nitrogen in tropical forests may increase vulnerability to pollution
By Carol Peters · Posted March 5, 2012; 09:33 a.m.
Waterways in remote, pristine tropical forests located in the Caribbean and Central America contain levels of nitrogen comparable to amounts found in streams and rivers flowing through polluted forests in the United States and Europe. This discovery by a Princeton University-led research team raises questions about how tropical forests might respond if they were to become exposed to additional nitrogen through water and air pollution.
Princeton sound lab pushes boundaries of realism in audio with support from Sony
By John Sullivan · Posted February 27, 2012; 04:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers, with support from Sony Corp., are embarking on a three-year effort designed to advance the possibilities of recording technology and realistic sound reproduction.
'Universal' vaccines could finally allow for wide-scale flu prevention
By Morgan Kelly · Posted February 27, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton University-based researchers have found that an emerging class of long-lasting flu vaccines called "universal" vaccines could for the first time allow for the effective, wide-scale prevention of flu by limiting the virus' ability to spread and mutate. A computational model the team developed showed that the vaccines could achieve unprecedented control of the flu virus both seasonally and during outbreaks of highly contagious new strains.
Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief
By John Sullivan · Posted February 23, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
In a development that could assist with disaster relief and water development projects in stricken regions of Africa, researchers at Princeton University have developed a way to use historical records and satellite data to accurately map drought conditions across the continent.
Less is more: Study of tiny droplets could have big impact on industrial applications
By John Sullivan · Posted February 22, 2012; 01:00 p.m.
A study led by researchers at Princeton University has yielded insights into how liquid spreads along flexible fibers, which could allow for increased efficiency in various industrial applications.
'Storm of the century' may become 'storm of the decade'
By Morgan Kelly · Posted February 21, 2012; 12:30 p.m.
Researchers from Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that projected increases in sea level and storm intensity brought on by climate change would make devastating storm surges — the deadly and destructive mass of water pushed inland by large storms — more frequent in low-lying coastal areas. Regions such as the New York City metropolitan area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead become submerged every one or two decades.
Wildlife and cows can be partners, not enemies, in search for food
By Morgan Kelly · Posted February 20, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers conducted two large-scale studies in Kenya that offer the first experimental evidence that allowing cattle to graze on the same land as wild animals can result in healthier, meatier bovines by enhancing the cows' diet. The findings put to pasture the long-held convention that wild animals compete with cows for food, and could help spare wildlife from encroaching ranches.
Princeton researchers awarded funds to develop promising technologies
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted February 1, 2012; 02:17 p.m.
Five Princeton faculty teams are the new recipients of support from a University fund designed to help propel promising discoveries out of the laboratory into products and technologies that can benefit society.
Survey suggests family history of psychiatric disorders shapes intellectual interests
By Morgan Kelly · Posted January 26, 2012; 05:00 p.m.
Survey results published by Princeton University researchers in the journal PLoS ONE suggest that a family history of psychiatric conditions such as autism and depression could influence the subjects a person finds engaging. Although preliminary, the findings provide a new look at the oft-studied link between psychiatric conditions and aptitude in the arts or sciences.
Choreographing dance of electrons offers promise in pursuit of quantum computers
By John Sullivan · Posted January 11, 2012; 03:00 p.m.
Princeton University engineers Alexei Tyryshkin and Stephen Lyon have choreographed the dance of 100 billion electrons across a silicon crystal — an impressive achievement on its own — and also a stride toward developing the technology for powerful machines known as quantum computers.
PPPL to launch major upgrade of key fusion energy test facility
By John Greenwald · Posted January 9, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is getting an earlier-than-expected start on a $94 million project as the next stage of its mission to chart an attractive course for the development of nuclear fusion as a clean, safe and abundant fuel for generating electricity.
Less knowledge, more power: Uninformed can be vital to democracy, study finds
By Morgan Kelly · Posted December 15, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
A Princeton University-based research team reports in Science that uninformed individuals — as in those with no prior knowledge or strong feelings on a situation's outcome — can actually be vital to achieving a democratic consensus. These individuals tend to side with and embolden the numerical majority and dilute the influence of powerful minority factions who would otherwise dominate everyone else. This finding — based on group decision-making experiments on fish, as well as mathematical models and computer simulations — challenges the common notion that an outspoken minority can manipulate uncommitted voters and can ultimately provide insights into humans' political behavior.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos donate $15 million to create center in Princeton Neuroscience Institute
By Ruth Stevens · Posted December 13, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University alumnus Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com, and alumna MacKenzie Bezos, are donating $15 million to the University to create a center in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. The gift will establish the Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, which will be led by institute co-director David Tank.
Nighttime images help track disease from the sky
By Morgan Kelly · Posted December 8, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
Princeton University-led researchers report in the journal Science that satellite images of nighttime lights normally used to spot where people live can help keep tabs on the diseases festering among them, too.
Hasson brings real life into the lab to examine cognitive processing
By Ushma Patel · Posted December 5, 2011; 12:00 a.m.
Princeton University neuroscientist Uri Hasson strives to make research conditions in his lab as true to real life as possible, using uncommon subject matter —including slapstick comedy and high-school melodrama — in his studies. Hasson, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, is exploring the underlying neural mechanisms of both the processes that allow the brain to integrate information over time and those that facilitate communication between people.
Princeton's new computing research center builds research capacity
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted November 30, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
After several years of planning and more than a year of construction, Princeton University's High-Performance Computing Research Center opened its doors this week. Situated on the Forrestal campus, the facility gives researchers on campus new capacity to tackle some of the world's most complex scientific challenges.
Princeton technique puts chemistry breakthroughs on the fast track
By Morgan Kelly · Posted November 28, 2011; 11:00 a.m.
Scientists can now take that "a-ha" moment to go with a method Princeton University researchers developed — and successfully tested — to accomplish "accelerated serendipity" and speed up the chances of an unexpected yet groundbreaking chemical discovery.
Blocked holes can enhance rather than stop light going through, engineers find
By Steven Schultz · Posted November 22, 2011; 10:00 a.m.
Conventional wisdom would say that blocking a hole would prevent light from going through it, but Princeton University engineers have discovered the opposite to be true. A research team has found that placing a metal cap over a small hole in a metal film does not stop the light at all, but rather enhances its transmission.
Media Advisory: Princeton's Oppenheimer offers comments on IPCC’s special report on extreme events and disasters and new focus on human toll of climate change
By Morgan Kelly · Posted November 18, 2011; 06:00 a.m.
The significant feature of the special report, "Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation," released Nov. 18 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is its focus on governmental responses to climate disasters including those related to climate change, according to Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University professor and a coordinating lead author of the report.
Massive volcanoes, meteorite impacts delivered one-two death punch to dinosaurs
By Morgan Kelly · Posted November 17, 2011; 09:00 a.m.
A cosmic one-two punch of colossal volcanic eruptions and meteorite strikes likely caused the mass-extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period that is famous for killing the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, according to two Princeton University reports that reject the prevailing theory that the extinction was caused by a single large meteorite.
Harm not those strangers that pollinate, study warns
By Morgan Kelly · Posted November 15, 2011; 07:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers found that invasive species can become essential to the very ecosystems threatened by their presence, taking on important biological roles — such as flower pollination — once held by the species the interlopers helped eliminate. As a result, campaigns to curb invasive animal populations should include efforts to understand the role of the invasive species in question and, if necessary, reintroduce missing native animals.
Event foregrounds science education as key to future of New Jersey
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted November 15, 2011; 04:33 p.m.
Science deans and educators from New Jersey's universities and colleges came to Princeton University Monday, Nov. 14, to meet with each other and with business and government leaders to discuss ways to revive the state's economy and create jobs through programs in science, technology, engineering and math.
Erratic, extreme day-to-day weather puts climate change in new light
By Morgan Kelly · Posted November 15, 2011; 03:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers report the first climate study to focus on variations in daily weather conditions, which found that day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet. These swings could have consequences for ecosystem stability and the control of pests and diseases; industries such as agriculture and solar-energy production; and could affect what scientists can expect to see as the Earth's climate changes.
City lights could reveal extraterrestrial civilization
By Staff · Posted November 4, 2011; 05:00 p.m.
Researchers from Princeton and Harvard universities have suggested a straightforward method to aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence — see who's left the light on. A paper submitted to the journal Astrobiology presents a mathematical algorithm to detect and observe from Earth the artificial light that would emanate from alien cities.
Savannas, forests in a battle of the biomes, Princeton researchers find
By Morgan Kelly · Posted October 31, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
Climate change, land use and other human-driven factors could pit savannas and forests against each other by altering the elements found by Princeton University researchers to stabilize the two. Without this harmony, the habitats, or biomes, could increasingly encroach on one other to the detriment of the people and animals that rely on them.
PPPL scientists bring mysterious magnetic process down to earth
By John Greenwald · Posted October 24, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are recreating magnetic reconnection, one of the most common but least understood phenomena in the universe. The experiments seek to unravel the secrets of magnetic reconnection and ultimately provide benefits including improved prediction of solar outbursts and dangerous geomagnetic storms; increased understanding of the formation of the sun and stars; and greater control of the nuclear fusion reactions that PPPL researchers are studying as a clean fuel for generating electric power.
Obama to nominate Princeton's Bassler for National Science Board
By Staff · Posted October 21, 2011; 12:18 a.m.
President Barack Obama will nominate Princeton University molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler to serve as a member of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation, the major source of federal funding for scientific research.
Impact study: Princeton model shows fallout of a giant meteorite strike
By Morgan Kelly · Posted October 19, 2011; 01:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers have developed a new model that can not only more accurately simulate the seismic fallout from a large meteorite striking the Earth, but also help reveal new information about the surface and interior of planets based on past collisions.
'Darkest' world enlightens astronomers about mysterious light-gobbling planet
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 26, 2011; 05:00 p.m.
Recent research involving Princeton astrophysics postdoctoral researcher David Spiegel identifies the "darkest" planet yet observed and sets a new standard in determining just how much light "hot Jupiter" planets -- scorching balls of hydrogen and helium already known for being non-reflective -- can keep to themselves.
More than a sign of sleepiness, yawning may cool the brain
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 19, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
A Princeton-led study is the first involving humans to show that yawning frequency varies with the season, a dispartity that indicates that yawning could serve as a method for regulating brain temperature.
Black hole, star collisions may illuminate universe's dark side
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 19, 2011; 11:00 a.m.
Princeton and New York University research reported in the journal Physical Review Letters this month presents a ready-made method for detecting the collision of stars with an elusive type of black hole that is on the short list of objects believed to make up dark matter, the invisible substance thought to constitute much of the universe. Such a discovery could serve as observable proof of dark matter and provide a much deeper understanding of the universe's inner workings.
Gene flux can foretell survival for trauma patients, Princeton study finds
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 13, 2011; 05:00 p.m.
Princeton research reported in the Sept. 13 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine shows for the first time that people recovering from a serious injury -- regardless of age, gender or previous health -- exhibit similar gene activity as their condition changes, which doctors can use to predict and prepare for a patient's deterioration.
Word association: Princeton study matches brain scans with complex thought
By Morgan Kelly · Posted August 31, 2011; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton researchers have for the first time matched images of brain activity with categories of words related to the concepts a person is thinking about. Reported in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the results could lead to a better understanding of how people consider meaning and context when reading or thinking.
In the early life of an embryo, a monster lurks
By Morgan Kelly · Posted August 22, 2011; 11:00 a.m.
Research based at Princeton University has revealed that newly fertilized cells only narrowly avoid degenerating into fatal chaos. At the same time, scientists have discovered that embryos have acquired a mechanism to contain this dangerous instability, a finding that could help biologists unravel other mysteries about the first hours of life.
Scientists shed light on the private lives of electrons
By Chris Emery · Posted July 18, 2011; 03:05 p.m.
A Princeton University researcher and his international collaborators have used lasers to peek into the complex relationship between a single electron and its environment, a breakthrough that could aid the development of quantum computers.
Photonic neuron may compute a billion times faster than brain circuits
By Chris Emery · Posted July 18, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
Seven Princeton undergraduate students have participated in a research collaboration between Princeton University and Lockheed Martin, the aerospace and defense technology corporation, to produce fiber optic-based computational devices that work similarly to neurons, but are a billion times faster.
High social rank comes at a price, researchers find
By Nick DiUlio · Posted July 14, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
Being at the very top of a social hierarchy may be more costly than previously thought, according to a new study of wild baboons led by a Princeton University ecologist. A new study has found that in wild baboon populations, the highest-ranking, or alpha, males have higher stress-hormone levels than the highly ranked males below them, known as beta males -- even during periods of stability.
Onstott's discovery of worms in Earth's depths raises questions about life in space
By Nick DiUlio · Posted July 11, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
After digging holes in the Earth's crust for nearly two decades, Princeton University geoscientist Tullis Onstott is now making headlines for unearthing "worms from hell." Onstott's research team, which he led with Gaetan Borgonie of the University of Ghent in Belgium, recently made a startling discovery: microscopic roundworms known as nematodes living nearly two-and-a-half miles beneath the Earth's surface in several South African gold mines.
Engineers work to ease Internet data flow as demand for video grows
By Chris Emery · Posted June 30, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
Demand continues to soar for movies, television shows, amateur videos, and video calls delivered via the Internet and mobile networks. Over the past few years, Princeton electrical engineer Mung Chiang and his team have methodically pieced together a replica of the global Internet and mobile networks to develop new ideas and systems that will help ensure that the networking infrastructure of the future will meet consumer demand.
Princeton researchers solve problem filling space -- without cubes
By Gale Scott · Posted June 27, 2011; 12:00 a.m.
Princeton University chemist Salvatore Torquato and colleagues have solved a conundrum that has baffled mathematical minds since ancient times -- how to fill three-dimensional space with multi-sided objects other than cubes without having any gaps. The discovery could lead to scientists finding new materials and could lead to advances in communications systems and computer security.
Shostack gives $10 million to endow Project X fund, giving freedom to 'tinkerers'
By Steven Schultz · Posted June 16, 2011; 10:10 a.m.
Seeking to provide "tinkerers" with freedom to explore hunches and passions, businesswoman and philanthropist Lynn Shostack has given $10 million to permanently endow the Project X innovation fund in Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Researchers find new 'molecular motors' that bacteria use to transport proteins
By Staff · Posted June 13, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
Joshua Shaevitz, an assistant professor from the Department of Physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, along with Mingzhai Sun, a postdoctoral associate at Princeton, and scientists from the Université Aix-Marseille in France, have discovered a new type of molecular machine used by bacteria for intracellular protein transport and gliding motility.
Perspective on: The future of fusion
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 12, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
Stewart Prager, director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, discusses the lab's new initiatives and the challenges involved in the effort to create fusion energy.
Report: Direct removal of carbon dioxide from air likely not viable
By Steven Schultz · Posted May 9, 2011; 12:40 p.m.
Technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are unlikely to offer an economically feasible way to slow human-driven climate change for several decades, according to a report issued by the American Physical Society and led by Princeton engineer Robert Socolow. The report "Direct Air Capture of CO2 with Chemicals," was issued by a committee of 13 experts co-chaired by Socolow and Michael Desmond, a chemist at BP.
Princeton engineers make breakthrough in ultrasensitive sensor technology
By Chris Emery · Posted March 28, 2011; 01:30 p.m.
Princeton researchers have invented an extremely sensitive sensor that opens up new ways to detect a wide range of substances, from biological markers of cancer to hidden explosives.
Aging rates similar across primates, study finds
By Staff · Posted March 14, 2011; 03:15 p.m.
Members of a research team that included Princeton's Jeanne Altmann, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology emeritus, led by scientists from Duke University and Iowa State University, and brought together by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) says the team has conducted the first-ever multi-species comparison of human aging patterns against those in wild chimps, gorillas and other primates, and their findings suggest that the human data on aging falls within the primate continuum. The findings were published in the March 11 issue of the journal Science.
Quantum engineers remove roadblock in developing next-generation technologies
By Staff · Posted March 8, 2011; 02:00 p.m.
Alireza Shabani, a postdoctoral research associate in chemistry at Princeton University, and an international team of scientists have removed a major obstacle in the quest to engineer quantum systems that will play a major role in the computers, communication networks and biomedical devices of the future. Through a method known as compressive sensing, the researchers say they could drastically simplify the measurement of quantum systems.
From wind power to electric cars, engineer Powell helps industry chart energy resources
By Chris Emery · Posted March 4, 2011; 10:09 a.m.
Warren Powell, a professor of operations research and financial engineering at Princeton University, has used his expertise in applied mathematics to help the U.S. freight industry streamline the movement of goods and services around the country, making American companies more competitive and environmentally friendly. Now, as concerns about the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use have grown and new technologies have emerged, Powell has shifted his focus to study problems related to energy.
Researchers develop improved method to visualize biologic molecules, reinstate classic model
By Staff · Posted March 1, 2011; 05:00 p.m.
Princeton researchers have developed a new method to better understand how an embryo's basic molecular makeup helps ensure that the embryo's development occurs reliably every time. A team led by Thomas Gregor, an assistant professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, and Shawn Little, a visiting postdoctoral research associate in the laboratory of Professor Eric Wieschaus in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton, has published in the March 1 issue of the journal PLoS Biology results of research into the fruit fly Drosophila that introduces a method for making precise measurements of biologic units (so-called mRNA molecules) that play a key role in development.
Math may help calculate way to find new drugs for HIV and other diseases
By Chris Emery · Posted February 7, 2011; 04:15 p.m.
Using mathematical concepts, Princeton researchers have developed a method of discovering new drugs for a range of diseases by calculating which physical properties of biological molecules may predict their effectiveness as medicines.
Scientists discover mechanism involved in breast cancer's spread to bone
By Gale Scott · Posted February 3, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
In a discovery that may lead to a new treatment for breast cancer that has spread to the bone, a Princeton University research team has unraveled a mystery about how these tumors take root. What the Princeton research has uncovered is the exact mechanism that lets traveling tumor cells disrupt normal bone growth.
'Air laser' may sniff bombs, pollutants from a distance
By Chris Emery · Posted January 31, 2011; 02:15 p.m.
Princeton University engineers have developed a new laser-sensing technology that may allow soldiers to detect hidden bombs from a distance and scientists to better measure airborne environmental pollutants and greenhouse gases.
State-of-the-art Frick Chemistry Lab, now open, advances new frontier of research
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 13, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
There is a fresh buzz of excitement surrounding the new Frick Chemistry Laboratory, and it isn't just the building's striking facade that has people talking. Princeton researchers say the new home of the University's Department of Chemistry presents the perfect staging area to break scientific ground, to engage students by actively involving them in cutting-edge work, and -- according to the department's leader -- to provide "the best education in undergraduate chemistry in the world."
Princeton scientists construct synthetic proteins that sustain life
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 6, 2011; 11:45 a.m.
In a groundbreaking achievement that could help scientists "build" new biological systems, Princeton University scientists have constructed for the first time artificial proteins that enable the growth of living cells.
Inaugural Schmidt Fund awards enable innovative explorations in sensors and electronics
By Hilary Parker · Posted December 17, 2010; 03:00 p.m.
A project that could enable the development of revolutionary electronics and a separate project that could dramatically improve diabetes monitoring and treatment are the first two research efforts to be supported at Princeton University from the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund. Google CEO and Princeton alumnus Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, created the $25 million endowment fund at Princeton in 2009.
Scientists find gene linked to congenital heart defect
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 5, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
A gene that can cause congenital heart defects has been identified by a team of scientists, including a group from Princeton University. The discovery could lead to new treatments for those affected by the conditions brought on by the birth defect.
Princeton named cybersecurity hub by national security agencies
By Chris Emery · Posted November 22, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
The federal government granted Princeton University special status as a hub for cybersecurity research. Universities with this status are designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research. The program is administered by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
Carbon Mitigation Initiative receives $11 million through extended partnership with BP
By Pascale Poussart · Posted November 18, 2010; 09:00 a.m.
In a continuing research partnership to identify ways to tackle the world's climate problem, Princeton’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative (CMI) has received a commitment of $11 million from BP as part of an extension of their partnership first announced in October 2008.
Linking geometric problems to physics could open door to new solutions
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 16, 2010; 03:13 p.m.
A Princeton scientist with an interdisciplinary bent has taken two well-known problems in mathematics and reformulated them as a physics question, offering new tools to solve challenges relevant to a host of subjects ranging from improving data compression to detecting gravitational waves.
New study finds common brain organization among disparate mammals
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 8, 2010; 11:36 a.m.
Matthias Kaschube, a lecturer in physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, has published in the Nov. 4 online edition of Science Express results of research into the factors determining development of the brain's neural circuits.
Unique duality: Princeton-led team discovers 'exotic' superconductor with metallic surface
By Hilary Parker · Posted November 2, 2010; 02:09 p.m.
A new material with a split personality -- part superconductor, part metal -- has been observed by a Princeton University-led research team. The discovery may have implications for the development of next-generation electronics that could transform the way information is stored and processed.
Font focus: Making ideas harder to read may make them easier to retain
By Elisabeth Donahue · Posted October 28, 2010; 03:20 p.m.
Publishing ideas in a hard-to-read typeface may make concepts harder to learn but easier to retain, according to a new study by researchers from Princeton University and Indiana University.
Wild Scottish sheep could help explain differences in immunity
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 28, 2010; 02:00 p.m.
Strong immunity may play a key role in determining long life, but may do so at the expense of reduced fertility, a Princeton University study has concluded.
Genetics work could lead to advances in fertility for women
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 22, 2010; 10:11 a.m.
Princeton scientists have identified genes responsible for controlling reproductive life span in worms and found they may control genes regulating similar functions in humans.
Wake-up call: Researchers find sleepy fibroblasts are surprisingly lively
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 19, 2010; 05:00 p.m.
After years of research, a team of Princeton University scientists has discovered that cells known as fibroblasts when in "sleep" mode are working much harder than previously thought to fend off destructive chemicals. The findings of a new study suggest that other cells may be similarly misunderstood and more important to the human body's longevity than scientists have realized.
New sensor derived from frogs may help fight bacteria and save wildlife
By Chris Emery · Posted October 19, 2010; 03:46 p.m.
Princeton engineers have developed a sensor that may revolutionize how drugs and medical devices are tested for contamination, and in the process also help ensure the survival of two species of threatened animals.
Biologists find that a gene's location affects evolutionary change
By Staff · Posted October 18, 2010; 02:35 p.m.
A gene's location on a chromosome plays a significant role in shaping how an organism's traits vary and evolve, according to findings by scientists at Princeton University and New York University.
WMAP project completes satellite operations
By combined NASA and staff reports · Posted October 13, 2010; 09:45 a.m.
After nine years of scanning the sky, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) space mission has concluded its observations of the cosmic microwave background, the oldest light in the universe. The spacecraft not only has given scientists their best look at this remnant glow, but also firmly established the scientific model that describes the history and structure of the universe.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu visits PPPL
By Patti Wieser · Posted September 27, 2010; 06:55 p.m.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu discussed with staff at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) Sept. 27 how scientists must come to the country's aid in times of need, and how nuclear energy -- both fission and fusion -- could be solutions to the world's energy challenges. The Nobel-Prize winning scientist described the lab as being at the center of the intellectual "birth" and "coming of age" of plasma and fusion science.
Video simulations of real earthquakes made available to worldwide network
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 22, 2010; 01:36 p.m.
A Princeton University-led research team has developed the capability to produce realistic movies of earthquakes based on complex computer simulations that can be made available worldwide within hours of a disastrous upheaval.
3-D computer simulations help envision supernovae explosions
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 16, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
A Princeton-led team has found a way to make computer simulations of supernovae exploding in three dimensions, which may lead to new scientific insights.
Emily Carter, prominent scientist and engineer, selected to lead Andlinger Center
By Steven Schultz · Posted September 13, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Emily Carter, a Princeton professor of engineering and applied mathematics, and eminent physical chemist, has been appointed the founding director of the University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.
Princeton researchers join nationwide project to boost energy efficiency of buildings
By Chris Emery and Patti Wieser · Posted September 9, 2010; 01:01 p.m.
Princeton University researchers will participate in a $122 million research project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop technologies and educational programs to make buildings more energy efficient.
Elements of new Frick lab join to create 'best infrastructure' for chemistry
By Ruth Stevens · Posted September 8, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Gazing skyward from the first floor of the four-story atrium, visitors to Princeton University's newly completed Frick Chemistry Laboratory observe reflections of light playing with shadow.
Sculpture in chemistry lab bonds science and art
By Ruth Stevens · Posted September 2, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Kendall Buster has delved into art and science over the course of her career. The work she created for Princeton University's new Frick Chemistry Laboratory has emerged from both of her worlds.
Campus sustainability efforts expand over summer
By Emily Aronson · Posted August 30, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Along streams and lakes and inside offices and classrooms, Princeton students, faculty and staff could be found working this summer to help the University meet its long-term sustainability goals.
Princeton builds research ties with historically black universities
By Chris Emery · Posted August 26, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Collaborating with a Princeton engineering professor this summer, Max Fontus realized that working with scientists from other fields of research results in a cross-pollination of ideas that lays the foundation for great progress in science. Fontus and two other visiting junior faculty were paired up with Princeton engineering faculty this summer as part of the Leadership Development Institute, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported project intended to bolster research capacity and strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics research and education at historically black colleges and universities.
Possible discovery of earliest animal life pushes back fossil record
By Hilary Parker · Posted August 17, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
In findings that push back the clock on the scientific world's thinking about when animal life appeared on Earth, Princeton scientists may have discovered the oldest fossils of animal bodies, suggesting that primitive sponge-like creatures were living in ocean reefs about 650 million years ago. The shelly fossils, found beneath a 635 million-year-old glacial deposit in South Australia, represent the earliest evidence of animal body forms in the current fossil record by at least 70 million years.
Princeton-led team comes up with new insights on malaria cycle
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 5, 2010; 04:25 p.m.
Manuel Llinás, an assistant professor of molecular biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, and members of his laboratory have published results of new research into the metabolism of the malarial parasite, published on Thursday, Aug. 5 in Nature.
Princeton-led team finds new building block in cells
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 5, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
Zemer Gitai, an assistant professor of molecular biology at Princeton University, members of his laboratory, and scientists from the California Institute of Technology have published results in Nature Cell Biology of new research into how a metabolic enzyme in bacteria forms cytoplasmic filaments that affect bacterial cell shape. The study was published online July 18.
Redundant genetic instructions in 'junk DNA' support healthy development
By Hilary Parker · Posted July 22, 2010; 09:00 a.m.
Seemingly redundant portions of the fruit fly genome may not be so redundant after all. New findings from a Princeton-led team of researchers suggest that repeated instructional regions in the flies' DNA may contribute to normal development under less-than-ideal growth conditions by making sure that genes are turned on and off at the appropriate times. If similar regions are found in humans, they may hold important clues to understanding developmental disorders.
Computers intersect with sociology to sift through 'all our ideas'
By Chris Emery · Posted July 19, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Sociologist Matthew Salganik has teamed up with Princeton computer scientists to develop a new way for organizations to solicit ideas from large groups of people and simultaneously have those same people vote on the merit of the ideas generated by the group. Called "All Our Ideas," the survey tool melds concepts from sociology and computer science to allow an organization to quickly set up a free website where large numbers of people can contribute and rank ideas. The system could help governments tap into public opinion and provide sociologists with a new research tool.
Princeton scientists find unusual electrons that go with the flow
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 14, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
On a quest to discover new states of matter, a team of Princeton University scientists has found that electrons on the surface of specific materials act like miniature superheroes, relentlessly dodging the cliff-like obstacles of imperfect microsurfaces, sometimes moving straight through barriers.
Gubser looks to strings for answers, bringing the public along, too
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 12, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Steven Gubser, a Princeton professor of physics, is one of the world's leading experts in string theory, a dazzlingly complex and still controversial branch of modern theoretical physics. Gubser's cool, relaxed style and straightforward manner mask a fierce determination to make sense of the world and to bring along on his journey of discovery those who may not be privy to his knowledge.
Project X innovation fund supports bold thinkers and 'tinkerers'
By Steven Schultz · Posted July 6, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Project X, a fund provided by Lynn Shostack in memory of her late husband David Gardner, a 1969 Princeton graduate, is intended to give faculty members in the engineering school the freedom to pursue hunches and unconventional ideas, even if those ideas are outside their direct expertise.
Perspective on: Imagination and optimism in scientific discovery
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 28, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Roberto Car, the Ralph W. Dornte *31 Professor in Chemistry and a faculty fellow of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, discusses how he developed a theory that changed the course of research in computational science. He also focuses on how he came to love science and how he uses imagination, optimism and creativity in his work.
Virus 'explorers' probe inner workings of the brain
By Hilary Parker · Posted June 28, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Imagine an exceedingly complex circuit board. Wires often split -- seemingly at random -- and connect in strange and unexpected ways. This is how Princeton University researchers developing a new method for studying brain connectivity see the brain.
Discovery of subatomic particles could answer deep questions in geology
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 21, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
An international team including scientists from Princeton University has detected subatomic particles deep within the Earth's interior. The discovery could help geologists understand how reactions taking place in the planet's interior affect events on the surface such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Someday, scientists may know enough about the sources and flow of heat in the Earth to predict events like the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Dual focus on the environment: Mauzerall connects climate change, pollution in search for solutions
By Ushma Patel · Posted June 10, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
In her research and teaching, Princeton Professor Denise Mauzerall employs both scientific and regulatory perspectives in analyzing the effects of air pollution on climate change, human health and agricultural production. She has emerged as a leader in efforts to track the flow of pollution through atmospheric models, helping to identify where reductions of harmful emissions would have the largest benefit.
Princeton awarded $1.5 million for biology education
By Nick DiUlio · Posted May 20, 2010; 01:46 p.m.
Princeton has been awarded $1.5 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to help support the University's efforts to improve education in the biological sciences. The grant will support an annual two-week workshop for high school science teachers and a large summer research program for college students.
Scientists discover the molecular heart of collective behavior
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 20, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
A group of scientists seeking the answer to the mystery of collective motion has found strong evidence pointing to a third possibility -- collective behavior can arise in cells that initially may not be moving at all, but are prodded into action by an external agent such as a chemical.
Extending lifespan has mixed effects on learning and memory
By Hilary Parker · Posted May 19, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Decreasing the intake of calories and tweaking the activity of the hormone insulin are two methods long known to increase lifespan in a wide range of organisms. Now, a team of Princeton biologists has found the first evidence that these mechanisms also have an impact on cognitive function.
Energy is focus of 'Art of Science' exhibition
By Teresa Riordan · Posted May 17, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
The fourth annual "Art of Science" exhibition, featuring "found art" images made by Princeton University community members during the course of scientific research, is on view in the Friend Center and in an online gallery.
Princeton researchers develop disaster relief technologies for Haiti
By Hilary Parker · Posted May 14, 2010; 09:15 a.m.
Even before the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated Haiti, killing more than 200,000 people and leaving more than 1 million homeless, the citizens of the Caribbean nation were in desperate need of access to clean drinking water and electricity. After the disaster the need skyrocketed, inspiring a team of Princeton researchers to launch a one-year effort to develop, deploy and test two novel disaster-relief technologies.
In focus: PPPL makes strides in the uncharted science of fusion energy
By Patricia Wieser · Posted May 13, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
Research being conducted along the frontier of fusion science makes the DOE Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) a destination for young scholars and community members interested in the field of fusion energy.
Andlinger plans blend technical, aesthetic goals for new energy research hub
By Steven Schultz · Posted May 12, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Architects for Princeton's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment have completed initial plans for laboratory, classroom and garden spaces that support the center's mission while creating an inviting new presence at the eastern edge of campus. The design provides for specialized facilities for research related to sustainable energy use and production.
Biologists discover extra layer of protection for bacterial spores
By Staff · Posted May 6, 2010; 11:31 a.m.
Scientists have found that bacterial spores, the most resistant organisms on Earth, carry an extra coating of protection that has gone undetected until now.
Global glaciation snowballed into giant change in carbon cycle
By Hilary Parker · Posted April 30, 2010; 03:03 p.m.
For insight into what can happen when the Earth's carbon cycle is altered -- a cause and consequence of climate change -- scientists can look to an event that occurred some 720 million years ago.
Princeton-led center focuses on the future of computer system design
By Chris Emery · Posted April 28, 2010; 08:00 a.m.
Princeton engineers are leading a research center that brings together scientists and engineers from multiple universities to determine how to improve the speed, reliability and energy-efficiency of tomorrow's computer systems while reducing their cost.
Senior Karp wins $250,000 Hertz Fellowship for graduate study
By Chris Emery · Posted April 21, 2010; 11:15 a.m.
Princeton senior David Karp has parlayed a passion for the aerodynamics of supersonic jets and race cars into $250,000 in no-strings-attached research funding. The mechanical and aerospace engineering major is one of 15 students nationwide to receive a prestigious fellowship from the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation that provides funding for five years of doctoral study, during which he can tackle whatever scientific challenges he chooses.
Forum drives University innovations toward marketplace
By Chris Emery · Posted April 14, 2010; 04:18 p.m.
The fifth annual Innovation Forum showcased Princeton research that has the potential to be commercialized. Scientists and engineers extolled their innovations to an audience of investors, members of the University community and a panel of judges that, after hearing the quick presentations, allotted more than $40,000 to the top three entries.
Genetic patterns rise from huge yeast samples
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 14, 2010; 01:00 p.m.
Princeton University scientists have developed a new way to identify the hidden genetic material responsible for complex traits, a breakthrough they believe ultimately could lead to a deeper understanding of how multiple genes interact to produce everything from blue eyes to blood pressure problems.
Birds of a feather don't always respond together to infection
By Staff · Posted April 13, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
A Princeton University-led research team is the first to have documented that different populations of the same animal species respond differently with fever when fighting infection in the wild.
Engineers turn noise into vision
By Chris Emery · Posted April 1, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
A new technique for revealing images of hidden objects may one day allow pilots to peer through fog and doctors to see more precisely into the human body without surgery.
Plastic electronics could slash the cost of solar panels
By Chris Emery · Posted March 30, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
A new technique developed by Princeton University engineers for producing electricity-conducting plastics could dramatically lower the cost of manufacturing solar panels.
A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain
By Hilary Parker · Posted March 22, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.
Scientists urge treaty panel to reject ivory sale by Tanzania, Zambia
By Staff · Posted March 16, 2010; 10:59 a.m.
The fate of many African elephants, according to a group of scientists, hinges on a decision to be made this week in Qatar by a host of countries operating under an international agreement.
Princeton scientists say Einstein's theory applies beyond the solar system
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted March 12, 2010; 10:10 a.m.
A team led by Princeton University scientists has tested Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity to see if it holds true at cosmic scales. And, after two years of analyzing astronomical data, the scientists have concluded that Einstein's theory, which describes the interplay between gravity, space and time, works as well in vast distances as in more local regions of space.
Chemical competition: Research identifies new mechanism regulating embryonic development
By Hilary Parker · Posted March 9, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
A Princeton University-led research team has discovered that protein competition over an important enzyme provides a mechanism to integrate different signals that direct early embryonic development. The work suggests that these signals are combined long before they interact with the organism's DNA, as was previously believed, and also may inform new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer.
New Chemistry Building reflects its environment
By Ruth Stevens · Posted February 25, 2010; 09:00 a.m.
While the sheer size of Princeton's new Chemistry Building is striking, the structure at the same time has a way of fusing with its surroundings -- its glass façade reflecting the nearby woodlands and stream valley leading to Lake Carnegie.
Scientists find an equation for materials innovation
By Chris Emery · Posted February 25, 2010; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton engineers have made a breakthrough in an 80-year-old quandary in quantum physics, paving the way for the development of new materials that could make electronic devices smaller and cars more energy efficient.
Research team targets self-cannibalizing cancer cells
By Hilary Parker · Posted February 11, 2010; 12:00 p.m.
A team of scientists from Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has embarked on a major new project to unravel the secret lives of cancer cells that go dormant and self-cannibalize to survive periods of stress. The work may help produce new cancer therapies to stem changes that render cancer cells dangerous and resistant to treatment.
Princeton scientists win grants under new program tied to recovery funding
By Staff · Posted February 8, 2010; 10:00 a.m.
Three Princeton scientists working at the frontiers of physics have been notified they will receive awards under a new program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that is designed to boost the American economy.
Princeton scientist makes a leap in quantum computing
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted February 5, 2010; 12:14 p.m.
A major hurdle in the ambitious quest to design and construct a radically new kind of quantum computer has been finding a way to manipulate the single electrons that very likely will constitute the new machines' processing components or "qubits."
Electrons on the brink: Fractal patterns may be key to semiconductor magnetism
By Hilary Parker · Posted February 5, 2010; 10:34 a.m.
Just as the heartbeats of today's electronic devices depend on the ability to switch the flow of electricity in semiconductors on and off with lightning speed, the viability of the "spintronic" devices of the future -- technologies that manipulate both the flow and magnetic "spin" of electrons -- will require similarly precise control over semiconductor magnetism.
Energy-harvesting rubber sheets could power pacemakers, mobile phones
By Chris Emery · Posted January 28, 2010; 01:27 p.m.
Power-generating rubber films developed by Princeton University engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.
The 'sultan of slime': Biologist continues to be fascinated by organisms after nearly 70 years of study
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted January 21, 2010; 10:55 a.m.
At age 89, Bonner, the George M. Moffett Professor Emeritus of Biology, is one of the world's leading experts on cellular slime molds, found in soils the world over. He has led the way in making "Dictyostelium discoideum" a model organism central to examining some of the major questions in experimental biology. Science magazine describes him as "the current patriarch of the slime mold community."
Designing a course, crafting a business
By Ushma Patel · Posted January 13, 2010; 02:04 p.m.
Since childhood, junior Jason Baum has been aware of environmental issues, switching off lights when leaving a room and turning off the water while brushing his teeth. After a year of planning with the Program in Environmental Studies and lecturer and entrepreneur Gregory van der Vink, Baum was among the 22 students taking the seminar "Environmental Entrepreneurship" this past fall.
'Civic technologies' developed at Princeton shed light on government issues
By Chris Emery · Posted January 4, 2010; 01:33 p.m.
Edward Felten and Stephen Schultze use computers as flashlights. The Princeton computer scientists recently oversaw the launch of two Web-based technologies to illuminate the workings of government by making court records and the federal government's "newspaper," the Federal Register, easily accessible online.
Scientists use bacteria to power simple machines
By Argonne National Laboratory · Posted December 23, 2009; 10:23 a.m.
A scientist from Princeton University, working with researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, has discovered that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution, providing insights for design of bio-inspired dynamically adaptive materials for energy.
Showcasing Princeton inventions
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 21, 2009; 12:47 p.m.
The University's rich research tradition and guiding spirit of intellectual curiosity was celebrated Friday, Dec. 18, at an event that showcased faculty members' cutting-edge ideas in a broad range of disciplines.
From terrorism to HIV, it's all about the network
By Steven Schultz · Posted December 18, 2009; 09:49 a.m.
Similarities between webs of terrorists and networks of rescue personnel may seem unlikely. To an eclectic collaboration of engineers and social scientists, the connections are not only possible, but a potential source of deep insights.
Study: Earth's polar ice sheets vulnerable to even moderate global warming
By Steven Barnes · Posted December 16, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
A new analysis of the geological record of the Earth's sea level, carried out by scientists at Princeton and Harvard universities and published in the Dec. 16 issue of Nature, employs a novel statistical approach that reveals the planet's polar ice sheets are vulnerable to large-scale melting even under moderate global warming scenarios. Such melting would lead to a large and relatively rapid rise in global sea level.
Cellular postmasters: Biological tethers direct cargo delivery
By Hilary Parker · Posted December 15, 2009; 03:04 p.m.
The precise distribution of materials within a cell is essential for life, but the way the movements of cellular cargo are choreographed is largely unknown. Taking an unprecedented look at special biological tethers that help transport materials within cells, a Princeton-led team of biologists has provided the first detailed glimpse at how these tethers coordinate cargo delivery, suggesting they play a far more comprehensive role in the process than previously imagined.
Going underground for a climate solution
By Chris Emery · Posted December 14, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
Hoping to help fix the Earth's atmosphere, Catherine Peters recently found herself 4,100 feet underground. Peters, a Princeton associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, rode an elevator down a deep shaft into the Homestake Mine, a defunct South Dakota gold mine being transformed into an underground science laboratory. She toured the mine to plan for a research project that will explore whether factories that emit carbon dioxide, the gas primarily responsible for global warming, could instead safely pump it into the ground.
Princeton scientists find way to catalog all that goes wrong in a cancer cell
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 10, 2009; 01:26 p.m.
A team of Princeton University scientists has produced a systematic listing of the ways a particular cancerous cell has "gone wrong," giving researchers a powerful tool that eventually could make possible new, more targeted therapies for patients.
Perspective on: Climate change
By Chris Emery · Posted December 7, 2009; 04:17 p.m.
Robert Socolow, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, discusses solving the climate change problem.
Team using Subaru Telescope makes major discovery
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted December 3, 2009; 02:00 p.m.
An international team of scientists that includes an astronomer from Princeton University has made the first direct observation of a planet-like object orbiting a star similar to the sun.
Visualization Lab helps make data come alive
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 30, 2009; 09:57 a.m.
If patterns of globalization over decades could be plotted on a world map, what might they look like and what deeper insights might they reveal, wondered Miguel Centeno. Adam Burrows, confronted with a massive data set representing a simulation of the last moments of an exploding star, speculated that he could learn so much more if he could really just "see" it. Centeno and Burrows may hail from different departments and disciplines. But they have become equally convinced of the importance of scientific visualization as a cutting edge research tool, and they have sought out the same new place on campus -- the the Princeton Institute for Computational Science and Engineering's Visualization Laboratory -- in which to launch their queries.
Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted November 18, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine.
Groves wins Fischer Career Award in Porphyrin Chemistry
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 13, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
John Groves, the Hugh Stott Taylor Chair of Chemistry, has been selected to receive the 2010 Hans Fischer Career Award in Porphyrin Chemistry by the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines.
Car wins IEEE Fernbach Award
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted November 12, 2009; 03:40 p.m.
Roberto Car, the Ralph W. Dornte *31 Professor in Chemistry at Princeton and a faculty fellow of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, has been named a winner of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society 2009 Sidney Fernbach Award.
Princeton takes significant steps toward achieving sustainability goals
By Ruth Stevens · Posted November 11, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
In its first report since adopting a Sustainability Plan in February 2008, Princeton University states that on-campus greenhouse gas emissions have decreased for the first time since the University's energy-efficient cogeneration plant was installed in 1996. While the decrease in carbon dioxide from July 2008 to July 2009 has been modest at nearly 1 percent, "it is a significant step in the right direction," according to the report, considering that the University added nearly 164,000 square feet to its physical plant during the same time period.
NCI awards $15.2 million to create Princeton Physical Sciences-Oncology Center
By Hilary Parker · Posted October 26, 2009; 08:00 a.m.
Princeton University physical scientists will partner with researchers at four other institutions to explore the driving forces behind the evolution of cancer under a five-year, $15.2 million award from the National Cancer Institute.
Study: Accounting error undermines climate change laws
By Staff · Posted October 22, 2009; 02:00 p.m.
An important but fixable error in legal accounting rules used to measure compliance with carbon limits for bioenergy could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging deforestation, according to a new study by 13 prominent scientists and land use experts published in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Science.
Four Princeton professors honored by American Physical Society
By Ushma Patel · Posted October 22, 2009; 10:18 a.m.
Four Princeton professors have been recognized with awards from the American Physical Society.
Professor calculates a cooler planet
By Chris Emery · Posted October 20, 2009; 10:31 a.m.
Some people fight global warming by driving fuel-efficient cars. Others weatherproof their houses or plant trees. Princeton's René Carmona does math.
Poor elected a fellow of the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering
By Chris Emery · Posted October 14, 2009; 07:55 p.m.
H. Vincent Poor, the dean of Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected an international fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the United Kingdom, a professional organization composed of Britain's most eminent and distinguished engineers.
Like humans, monkeys fall into the 'uncanny valley'
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 13, 2009; 11:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers have come up with a new twist on the mysterious visual phenomenon experienced by humans known as the "uncanny valley." The scientists have found that monkeys sense it too.
Schmidt Fund to advance science through support for transformative technology
By Staff · Posted October 13, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, have created a $25 million endowment fund at Princeton University for the invention, development and utilization of cutting-edge technology that has the capacity to transform research in the natural sciences and engineering.
Gunn, Fuchs receive National Medals of Science in White House ceremony
By Staff · Posted October 7, 2009; 06:55 p.m.
James Gunn, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astronomy at Princeton, received the National Medal of Science in a ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the White House.
Princeton paleomagnetists put controversy to rest
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted October 2, 2009; 11:03 a.m.
Princeton University scientists have shown that, in ancient times, the Earth's magnetic field was structured like the two-pole model of today, suggesting that the methods geoscientists use to reconstruct the geography of early land masses on the globe are accurate. The findings may lead to a better understanding of historical continental movement, which relates to changes in climate.
Portable and precise gas sensor could monitor pollution and detect disease
By Chandra Shekhar · Posted September 25, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
A team of Princeton and Rice University researchers has demonstrated a new method of identifying the nitric oxide using lasers and sensors that are inexpensive, compact and highly sensitive. Such a portable device, suitable for large-scale deployment, could be of great value to atmospheric science, pollution control, biology and medicine.
Sigman, Zoli win MacArthur 'genius grants'
By Kitta MacPherson and Chris Emery · Posted September 22, 2009; 12:00 a.m.
Daniel Sigman, a Princeton University biogeochemist who has conducted pioneering work exploring the large-scale systems that have supported life on the planet throughout the millennia, has been selected as a 2009 MacArthur Fellow. Also chosen was Theodore Zoli, a 1988 alumnus and a visiting lecturer in Princeton's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 2003. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced that they are among 24 trailblazing artists, writers, scientists and others who each will receive a $500,000 no-strings-attached grant over a five-year period.
Gunn wins National Medal of Science
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 17, 2009; 03:57 p.m.
James Gunn, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Astronomy at Princeton University, has been chosen to receive a National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor, for his sweeping contributions to modern stargazing, from theory to observation to gadget-building.
Princeton engineering professor named top young innovator
By Chris Emery · Posted September 4, 2009; 01:51 p.m.
Andrew Houck, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and a past Princeton valedictorian, was named to Technology Review magazine's list of the top 35 young innovators for 2009.
Denitrification, its importance once diluted, may be back on top, Princeton-led team says
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted September 2, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
After more than a decade of inquiry, a Princeton-led team of scientists has turned the tables on a long-standing controversy to re-establish an old truth about nitrogen mixing in the oceans.
Princeton team learns why some drugs pack such a punch
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 20, 2009; 11:00 a.m.
By studying the intricate mechanisms at work in protein production, a Princeton-led team has discovered why certain kinds of antibiotics are so effective. In doing so, they also have discovered how one protein protects against cell death, shedding light on a natural cancer-fighting process.
Car wins Dirac Medal
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 13, 2009; 09:36 p.m.
Roberto Car, the Ralph W. Dornte *31 Professor in Chemistry at Princeton and a faculty fellow of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, has been named a winner of the 2009 Dirac Medal for his significant contributions to physics.
From top to bottom, Butler will be a living environmental laboratory
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 13, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
When 283 Princeton undergraduates move into Butler College this September, they will be entering a 113,000-square-foot complex integrating sustainability features from top to bottom, including the green roofs on more than half of its buildings and a stormwater cistern that will collect and recycle rainwater to irrigate courtyard landscaping.
Princeton pair sets world record in packing puzzle
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted August 12, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
Finding the best way to pack the greatest quantity of a specifically shaped object into a confined space may sound simple, yet it consistently has led to deep mathematical concepts and practical applications, such as improved computer security codes. Two Princeton University researchers have made a major advance in addressing a twist in the packing problem, jamming more tetrahedra -- solid figures with four triangular faces -- and other polyhedral solid objects than ever before into a space.
Report maps the future of U.S. energy technology
By Chris Emery · Posted August 11, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
The United States could meet projected growth in energy demand through 2030 with existing technologies, but the nation's long-term energy sustainability will require an enduring commitment, by both the public and private sectors, to developing, demonstrating and deploying new technologies and energy sources, according to a National Academy of Sciences committee chaired by Princeton Professor and President Emeritus Harold T. Shapiro.
Princeton scientists discover, visualize exotic electrons on surfaces of unique insulators
By Hilary Parker · Posted August 10, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
In two separate studies, Princeton-led teams of scientists have found a new type of "light-like" electron and visualized for the first time another type that doesn't bounce back when material imperfections are encountered on the surface of special insulators. The discoveries advance the fundamental understanding of condensed matter physics and may have implications for the development of computing devices millions of times faster than today's most powerful computers.
Princeton quantitative biology center awarded $15 million renewal grant
By Ushma Patel · Posted August 6, 2009; 09:00 a.m.
The Princeton Center for Quantitative Biology will receive $15.54 million over the next five years to continue its research and teaching in biological processes from aging to malaria by developing improved quantitative models, data sets and computational analysis equipment and methods.
Astronomers find hyperactive galaxies in the early universe
By Space Telescope Science Institute and Gemini Observatory · Posted August 5, 2009; 01:00 p.m.
Looking almost 11 billion years into the past, astronomers have measured the motions of stars for the first time in a very distant galaxy and clocked speeds upward of 1 million miles per hour, about twice the speed of the sun's revolution through the Milky Way.
PPPL will receive $13.8 million in Recovery Act funding
By Staff · Posted August 4, 2009; 04:17 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will receive a two-year federal grant of $13.8 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Whether Sioux Falls or Sant'Angelo, love of science is bond
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 30, 2009; 05:14 p.m.
They come from two different parts of the world, more than 5,000 miles apart. Yet, working on a challenge to identify a gas through its basic characteristics, two groups of students from South Dakota and a central region of Italy joined forces on a rainy summer afternoon in Princeton's McDonnell Hall to ferret out the answer.
Summer academy energizes future scientists
By Chris Emery · Posted July 24, 2009; 03:36 p.m.
As she surveyed two arrays of solar panels on an upper deck of Princeton's Engineering Quadrangle one recent morning, 12-year-old Olivia honed her skills of skeptical inquiry by peppering her tour guide with questions. A seventh-grader at Grice Middle School in Hamilton, she was among 11 students from Princeton-area middle schools who toured the solar facility as part of a pilot outreach program of the Princeton University Materials Academy.
Super tiny technology could power superfast airplanes
By Chris Emery · Posted July 17, 2009; 12:26 p.m.
Supersonic aircraft may get a boost in speed from the tiniest of manmade particles. An interdisciplinary team of scientists led by Princeton engineers has been awarded a $3 million grant to study how fuel additives made of tiny particles known as nanocatalysts can help supersonic jets fly faster and make diesel engines cleaner and more efficient.
Biofuels 'done right' can curb greenhouse gas emissions and provide other benefits
By Chris Emery · Posted July 16, 2009; 04:08 p.m.
Biofuels derived from renewable sources can be produced in large quantities and address many problems related to fossil fuels, including greenhouse gas emissions, but only if they are made from certain sources, according to a new article by a team of scientists and policy experts that included several Princeton researchers.
Three Princeton scientists receive Presidential Award
By Staff · Posted July 14, 2009; 03:57 p.m.
U.S. President Barack Obama has named three Princeton scientists as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the federal government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Shaevitz named as Pew Scholar
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 10, 2009; 02:53 p.m.
Joshua Shaevitz, an assistant professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton, has been named a Pew Scholar for demonstrating excellence and innovation in his research.
New Princeton method may help allocate carbon emissions responsibility among nations
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted July 6, 2009; 05:00 p.m.
Just months before world leaders are scheduled to meet to devise a new international treaty on climate change, a research team led by Princeton University scientists has developed a new way of dividing responsibility for carbon emissions among countries.
Rodriguez-Iturbe to receive Bowie Medal
By Chris Emery · Posted July 2, 2009; 02:46 p.m.
Princeton's Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will receive the 2009 William Bowie Medal, the highest honor awarded by the American Geophysical Union.
Homeward bound: Princeton engineers promote science in their native countries
By Chris Emery · Posted July 2, 2009; 12:31 p.m.
The stories that Edgar Choueiri and Winston Soboyejo tell of their native countries and of their own careers are strangely similar. These two Princeton engineering professors came from societies where science blossomed for a time and then atrophied. Both left their native countries to earn their scientific credentials. And now both men find themselves drawn home again to give something back to the societies where they were first inspired.
Weinan E to receive Kleinman Prize for mathematics
By Staff · Posted July 1, 2009; 04:09 p.m.
Weinan E, a professor of mathematics and applied and computational mathematics at Princeton, has been selected by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) to receive the Ralph E. Kleinman Prize for his work connecting mathematics with applications outside the field.
Research offers new insights, and a new angle, on high-temperature superconductivity
By Hilary Parker · Posted June 29, 2009; 02:18 p.m.
A Princeton-led research team has revealed surprising information about how electron behavior influences the conduction of electricity in a class of high-temperature superconductors. An increased understanding of this mechanism could one day transform a number of technologies, including the transmission of electrical power.
Forever young: Murphy's worm studies may lead to new treatments to stop aging
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 24, 2009; 09:36 p.m.
Coleen Murphy is no daydreamer. Yet, this practical-minded biologist possesses the boldest of visions, one she insists is rooted in solid science. It may be technologically possible, she believes, to someday stall aging sufficiently so that people can live in their adult prime bodies until they die.
Noted Princeton husband-and-wife team wins Kyoto Prize
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted June 19, 2009; 03:00 a.m.
Princeton University's Peter and Rosemary Grant, whose legendary explorations on the bleak Galapagos island of Daphne Major over nearly four decades have produced an array of dazzling insights into evolutionary theory, have been named recipients of the Kyoto Prize.
New website to help translate genetic data into medical therapies
By Chris Emery · Posted June 10, 2009; 05:20 p.m.
Princeton researchers have created a Rosetta Stone for the human body, a website that offers clues to the role DNA plays in aging and disease by helping scientists make sense of the vast jumble of information emerging from genetics research.
Princeton researchers to lead major Pentagon-funded initiatives
By Steven Schultz · Posted May 27, 2009; 10:38 a.m.
The U.S. Department of Defense has selected Princeton engineers to lead two new multi-institutional research initiatives, one aimed at transforming wireless telecommunications networks and the other at inventing materials that adapt themselves to changing loads and environments.
Research team finds important role for junk DNA
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 20, 2009; 12:08 p.m.
Scientists have called it "junk DNA." They have long been perplexed by these extensive strands of genetic material that dominate the genome but seem to lack specific functions. Why would nature force the genome to carry so much excess baggage? Now researchers from Princeton University and Indiana University who have been studying the genome of a pond organism have found that junk DNA may not be so junky after all.
Plasma physics lab device has second life in homeland security
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 18, 2009; 09:39 a.m.
In 1999, faced with the task of decommissioning the legendary Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR), officials at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) realized they needed something that didn't yet exist -- a way to detect exactly what "hot" elements were lacing the inner vessel of the doughnut-shaped reactor. So they asked a team from the lab to invent a device that would identify each element in the reactor and how much was there. Ten years later, the group not only has successfully tackled that challenge, but it has won national recognition for a system that offers practical applications for homeland security and deterring radiological terrorist attacks.
Princeton team's analysis of flu virus could lead to better vaccines
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 12, 2009; 02:39 p.m.
A team of Princeton University scientists may have found a better way to make a vaccine against the flu virus.
Seven faculty members among inaugural group of SIAM fellows
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 11, 2009; 09:45 a.m.
Seven Princeton faculty members have been elected to the inaugural group of fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
Hopfield wins IEEE's Rosenblatt Award
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 8, 2009; 10:23 a.m.
John Hopfield, the Howard A. Prior Professor Emeritus in the Life Sciences, will receive the 2009 Frank Rosenblatt Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his seminal contributions to the understanding of information processing in biological systems.
Princeton to receive $20 million to establish Energy Frontier Research Center
By Chris Emery · Posted May 5, 2009; 12:03 p.m.
Princeton University will be home to a new $20 million energy research center for combustion science as part of a federal initiative to spur discoveries that lay the groundwork for an economy based on clean replacements for fossil fuels.
Princeton geoscientist offers new evidence that meteorite did not wipe out dinosaurs
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted May 4, 2009; 10:00 a.m.
A Princeton University geoscientist who has stirred controversy with her studies challenging a popular theory that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs has compiled powerful new evidence asserting her position. Gerta Keller, whose studies of rock formations at many sites in the United States, Mexico and India have led her to conclude that volcanoes, not a vast meteorite, were the more likely culprits in the demise of the Earth's giant reptiles, is producing new data supporting her claim.
Gould honored by Royal Society for brain research
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 30, 2009; 10:11 a.m.
Elizabeth Gould, a Princeton professor of psychology, has been awarded the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Medal by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce for her groundbreaking brain research.
Two elected to National Academy of Sciences
By Kitta MacPherson · Posted April 29, 2009; 10:42 a.m.
Two Princeton faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. They are among 72 new members and 18 foreign associates chosen in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Chyba, two alumni named to Obama's science and technology council
By Staff · Posted April 28, 2009; 12:42 p.m.
President Barack Obama has named Christopher Chyba, professor of astrophysical sciences and international affairs at Princeton, to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).