Science & Tech
Media Advisory: Lost in space — Cancellation of NASA's Kepler mission would hinder exploration of extrasolar planets, Princeton's Bakos says
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted May 20, 2013; 01:31 p.m.
The potential cancellation of the NASA Kepler satellite mission would mark the end of an unparalleled source of information about planets and planetary systems outside of Earth's solar system, known as exoplanets, according to Princeton University astrophysicist Gáspár Bakos, who studies exoplanets and has discovered more than 40.
Studying the unseen activity in bacteria chatter and a nation's bereavement
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted May 20, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University senior Sofia Quinodoz took on two theses that pertain to an unseen and not fully understood action that is nonetheless felt by those it afflicts, be it in the form of an infection or the void of a loved one suddenly erased.
Printable 'bionic' ear melds electronics and biology
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted May 8, 2013; 01:30 p.m.
Using 3-D printing tools, scientists at Princeton University have created a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.
New analysis suggests wind, not water, formed mound on Mars
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted May 6, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Researchers based at Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology and Ashima Research suggest that Mars' roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive lake, which would have important implications for understanding Mars' past habitability.
FACULTY HONOR: Tilghman named president-elect of American Society for Cell Biology
By Staff · Posted May 3, 2013; 04:59 p.m.
Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman has been elected by the American Society for Cell Biology to serve as the society's president in 2015. A member of the society since 1991, Tilghman received the Women in Cell Biology Senior Award in 2000. She will take office as president for a term of one year in January 2015.
FACULTY AWARD: Three Princeton faculty members elected to the National Academy of Sciences
By Staff · Posted May 1, 2013; 11:38 a.m.
Three Princeton University faculty members are among the 84 newly elected members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are Manjul Bhargava, the Brandon Fradd, Class of 1983, Professor of Mathematics; Susan Fiske, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology, and professor of psychology and public affairs; and Juan Maldacena, a visiting lecturer with the rank of professor in physics.
Physicists, biologists unite to expose how cancer spreads
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted April 26, 2013; 01:00 p.m.
A multi-institutional study including researchers from Princeton University's Physical Sciences-Oncology Center found that cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive and nimble than nonmalignant cells.
PPPL and Princeton scientists developing novel system for verifying nuclear warheads
By John Greenwald, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · Posted April 23, 2013; 01:15 p.m.
Scientists at Princeton University and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are developing a unique process to verify that nuclear weapons to be dismantled or removed from deployment contain true warheads. The system would do so without measuring classified information that could lead to nuclear proliferation if the data were to be leaked.
Princeton neuroscientists ready to play leadership role in federal BRAIN Initiative
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted April 18, 2013; 02:45 p.m.
Princeton University neuroscientists are poised to play a leading role in revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain as outlined in President Barack Obama's BRAIN Initiative.
Bad decisions arise from faulty information, not faulty brain circuits
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted April 15, 2013; 12:30 p.m.
Princeton University researchers have found that bad decisions might be the fault of faulty information, rather than errors in the brain's decision-making process.
Subconscious mental categories help brain sort through everyday experiences
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted April 10, 2013; 12:08 p.m.
Princeton University researchers found that the brain breaks experiences into the "events," or related groups that help us mentally organize the day's many situations, using subconscious mental categories it creates. These categories are based on how the considers people, objects and actions are related in terms of how they tend to — or tend not to — pop up near one another at specific times.
Student work fuels effort to make smartphones smarter
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted April 1, 2013; 09:30 a.m.
Most term papers are evaluated by one or two people, but Carlee Joe-Wong's will be checked by hundreds. The paper, completed in 2010 as part of a junior-year independent project at Princeton University, has evolved into a research project involving wireless operators like AT&T and 1,000 participating wireless customers with mobile data plans. Along the way, it has also led to the development of a popular free app.
Princeton's Polyakov wins 2013 Fundamental Physics Prize
By Staff · Posted March 22, 2013; 11:30 a.m.
Alexander Polyakov, Princeton University's Joseph Henry Professor of Physics, was honored with the 2013 Fundamental Physics Prize for his lasting work in field and string theory. The $3 million prize was presented during a March 20 ceremony in Geneva by the Fundamental Physics Foundation.
Bacterial byproduct offers route to avoiding antibiotic resistance
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted March 21, 2013; 12:10 p.m.
As public health officials sound the alarm about the global spread of drug-resistant bacteria, researchers are working to develop more effective antibiotics to counter this dangerous trend. Now, results from a team including a Princeton University scientist offer a possible solution that uses the bacteria's own byproducts to destroy them.
Where the wild things go … when there's nowhere else
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted February 28, 2013; 02:00 p.m.
The presence of endangered cats and primates in swamp forests might be seriously overlooked. Princeton research concludes that swamp forests beg further exploration as places where endangered species have preserved their numbers — and where humans could potentially preserve them into the future.
March of the pathogens: Parasite metabolism can foretell disease ranges under climate change
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted February 25, 2013; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers developed a model that can help determine the future range of nearly any disease-causing parasite under climate change, even if little is known about the organism. Their method calculates how the projected temperature change for an area would alter the creature's metabolism and life cycle.
Genomic detectives crack the case of the missing heritability
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted February 22, 2013; 09:00 a.m.
Despite years of research, the genetic factors behind many human diseases and characteristics remain unknown, and has been called the "missing heritability" problem. A new study by Princeton University researchers, however, suggests that heritability in humans may be hidden due only to the limitations of modern research tools, but could be discovered if scientists know where (and how) to look.
The effective collective: Grouping could ensure animals find their way in a changing environment
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted January 31, 2013; 03:30 p.m.
Princeton University researchers report in the journal Science that collective intelligence is vital to certain animals' ability to evaluate and respond to their environment. The results should prompt a close examination of how endangered group or herd animals are preserved and managed because wild animals that depend on collective intelligence for migration, breeding and locating essential resources could be imperiled by any activity that diminishes or divides the group, such as overhunting and habitat loss.
Reconcilable differences: Study uncovers the common ground of scientific opposites
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted January 30, 2013; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers developed a mathematical framework that strips away the differences between scientific laws and theories to reveal how the ideas are compatible. In a recent report in the journal Physical Review Letters, the authors explain how the mathematical model finds common ground between the famously at-odds physics equations that govern classical and quantum mechanics.
From dark hearts comes the kindness of mankind
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted January 28, 2013; 02:00 p.m.
The kindness of mankind most likely developed from our more sinister and self-serving tendencies, according to Princeton University and University of Arizona research that suggests society's rules against selfishness are rooted in the very exploitation they condemn.
Don't read my lips! Body language trumps the face for conveying intense emotions
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted January 15, 2013; 11:25 a.m.
Be it triumph or crushing defeat, exhilaration or agony, body language more accurately conveys intense emotions, according to Princeton University research that challenges the predominance of facial expressions as an indicator of how a person feels.
Nursing gerbils unravel benefit of multiple mothers in collective mammals
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted January 10, 2013; 03:39 p.m.
In mammals such as rodents that raise their young as a group, infants will nurse from their mother as well as other females, a dynamic known as allosuckling. Ecologists have long hypothesized that allosuckling lets newborns stockpile antibodies to various diseases, but the experimental proof has been lacking until now.
PPPL teams with South Korea on the forerunner of a commercial fusion power station
By John Greenwald, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory · Posted December 21, 2012; 11:20 a.m.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has joined forces with researchers in South Korea to develop a pre-conceptual design for a pioneering fusion facility in that Asian nation. The proposed device, called K-DEMO, could be completed in the mid- to late 2030s as the final step before construction of a commercial fusion power plant that would produce clean and abundant energy for generating electricity.
Embracing data 'noise' brings Greenland's complex ice melt into focus
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted November 27, 2012; 03:00 p.m.
Princeton University researchers developed an enhanced approach to capturing changes on the Earth's surface via satellite that could provide a more accurate account of how geographic areas are changing as a result of natural and human factors. In a first application, the technique revealed sharper-than-ever details about Greenland's massive ice sheet, including that the rate at which it is melting might be accelerating more slowly than predicted.
Synthetic fuels could eliminate entire U.S. need for crude oil, create 'new economy'
By John Sullivan, Office of Engineering Communications · Posted November 27, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
The United States could eliminate the need for crude oil by using a combination of coal, natural gas and non-food crops to make synthetic fuel, a team of Princeton researchers led by chemical and biological engineering professor Christodoulos Floudas has found.
Quick, high-volume test offers fast track in search for Alzheimer's drugs
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted November 15, 2012; 12:30 p.m.
Princeton University researchers report that an efficient, high-volume technique developed at Princeton for testing potential drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease uncovered an organic compound that restored motor function and longevity to fruit flies with the disease.
In financial ecosystems, big banks trample economic habitats and spread fiscal disease
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted November 14, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
Researchers from Princeton University, the Bank of England and the University of Oxford applied methods inspired by ecosystem stability and contagion models to banking meltdowns and found that large national and international banks wield an influence and potentially destructive power that far exceeds their actual size. As a result, the capital that current regulations require large banks to maintain should be based on the institution's systemic importance.
John Templeton Foundation grant supports Princeton neuroscientists to study cognitive control
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted November 8, 2012; 04:00 p.m.
Princeton neuroscientists have been awarded a $4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to explore how the human brain enables us to pursue goals and juggle priorities in an environment full of distractions.
Princeton researchers identify unexpected bottleneck in the spread of herpes simplex virus
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted November 5, 2012; 11:00 a.m.
New research suggests that just one or two individual herpes virus particles attack a skin cell in the first stage of an outbreak, resulting in a bottleneck in which the infection may be vulnerable to medical treatment.
Far from random, evolution follows a predictable genetic pattern, Princeton researchers find
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted October 25, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Princeton University research suggests that knowledge of a species' genes — and how certain external conditions affect the proteins encoded by those genes — could be used to determine a predictable evolutionary pattern driven by outside factors. Scientists could then pinpoint how the diversity of adaptations seen in the natural world developed even in distantly related animals.
Synthetic liver enzyme could result in more effective drugs with fewer side effects
By Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research · Posted October 9, 2012; 10:30 a.m.
Medicines could be made to have fewer side effects and work in smaller doses with the help of a synthetic enzyme developed at Princeton University that makes drug molecules more resistant to breakdown by the human liver.
Slow-moving rocks better odds that life crashed to Earth from space
By Morgan Kelly, Office of Communications · Posted September 24, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Microorganisms that crashed to Earth embedded in the fragments of distant planets might have been the sprouts of life on this one, according to new research from Princeton University, the University of Arizona and the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) in Spain. The researchers provide the strongest support yet for "lithopanspermia," the idea that life came to Earth — or spread from Earth to other planets — via meteorite-like planetary fragments cast forth by disruptions such as volcanic eruptions and collisions with other matter.
Leland named University's first director of research integrity and assurance
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 20, 2012; 11:30 a.m.
Stuart Leland has been named Princeton University's first director for research integrity and assurance, to which he brings 20 years of experience in laboratory research and in research compliance. His appointment was effective Aug. 15.
Bakos: Perspective on the hunt for extrasolar planets
By Morgan Kelly · Posted September 3, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Gáspár Bakos, Princeton University assistant professor of astrophysical sciences, brings his research on exoplanets and small telescopes together with a network of six, fully automated telescopes he developed that scan the sky every night for planets outside Earth's solar system — with 41 planets and counting discovered so far.
Princeton study reveals the brain's mysterious switchboard operator
By Morgan Kelly · Posted August 17, 2012; 01:30 p.m.
Princeton University researchers report that a mysterious region deep in the human brain could be where we sort through the onslaught of stimuli from the outside world and focus on the information most important to our behavior and survival.
Upgrading the Internet for the mobile age
By John Sullivan · Posted July 31, 2012; 01:00 p.m.
A team of Princeton University researchers, led by Assistant Professor of Computer Science Michael Freedman, has released a plan to cut through that tangle and provide a simple solution to many of the problems involved with the Internet's growing pains. Called Serval, the system makes a small change to the way programs download and manage data that could have a big impact on the future development of the Web.
Four Princeton researchers receive inaugural Simons Investigators award
By Morgan Kelly · Posted July 27, 2012; 11:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers Sanjeev Arora, Manjul Bhargava, Amit Singer and Frans Pretorius netted four of the 21 inaugural Simons Investigators awards recently presented to outstanding scientists nationwide in mathematics, physics and computer science. Princeton received the most awards of any institution.
Innovation promises to cut massive power use at big data companies in a flash
By John Sullivan · Posted July 18, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
A team of Princeton University engineers has a solution that could radically cut power use. Through a new software technique, researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science have opened the door for companies to use a new type of memory in their servers that demands far less energy than the current systems.
Princeton researchers contribute to search for elusive Higgs particle
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted July 4, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
A team of Princeton University physicists and students have made major contributions to the hunt for the Higgs boson, a particle much smaller than an atom theorized to be crucial to understanding the nature of the world around us.
Media Advisory: Princeton experts offer comments on CERN's quest for the Higgs boson
By Morgan Kelly · Posted July 2, 2012; 03:25 p.m.
On July 4, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) will announce the latest results in the multinational search for the Higgs boson, a particle thought to be a key to understanding how fundamental particles such as quarks and electrons acquire mass. Princeton University researchers involved in the search for the Higgs boson are available to comment on the announcement and provide background on the project.
Princeton researchers working at forefront of 'exascale' supercomputing
By Gale Scott · Posted June 28, 2012; 12:00 p.m.
Scientists at Princeton University are composing the complex codes designed to instruct a new class of powerful computers that will allow researchers to tackle problems that were previously too difficult to solve. These supercomputers, operating at a speed called the "exascale," will produce realistic simulations of dazzlingly complex phenomena in nature such as fusion reactions, earthquakes and climate change.
Nanotechnology breakthrough could dramatically improve medical tests
By Steven Schultz · Posted June 25, 2012; 02:00 p.m.
A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to Princeton University researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology.
Out of the mouths of primates, facial mechanics of human speech may have evolved
By Morgan Kelly · Posted June 20, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
Two recent studies based at Princeton University suggest that the oral-facial component of human speech evolved from lip smacking, a friendly back-and-forth gesture performed by primates such as chimpanzees, baboons and macaques. The studies suggest a separate neural control for facial mechanics in primates that could help illuminate the neurological basis of speech disorders in humans.
Got mass? Princeton scientists observe electrons become both heavy and speedy
By Catherine Zandonella · Posted June 13, 2012; 02:00 p.m.
A Princeton University-led team of scientists has shown how electrons moving in certain solids can behave as though they are a thousand times more massive than free electrons, yet at the same time act as speedy superconductors.
To spread, nervous system viruses sabotage cell, hijack transportation
By Morgan Kelly · Posted May 30, 2012; 09:00 a.m.
Princeton University researchers have found that herpes and other viruses that attack the nervous system may thrive by disrupting cell function in order to hijack a neuron's internal transportation network and spread to other cells.
Wireless 'tooth tattoo' detects harmful bacteria
By John Sullivan · Posted May 29, 2012; 10:00 a.m.
Using silk strands pulled from cocoons and gold wires thinner than a spider's web, researchers at Princeton University have created a removable tattoo that adheres to dental enamel and could eventually monitor a patient's health with unprecedented sensitivity.
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.
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.
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.