TOP TEN FROM SCIENCE '95
By Sean Henahan, Access Excellence
WASHINGTON, D.C.- (12/21/95)
The envelope please...and this year's top research advance,
according to Science magazine, is...the Bose-Einstein
condensate, a new form of matter created by chilling a group of
atoms to a temperature only a hair above absolute zero.
The new form of matter is named after physicists Albert Einstein
and Satyendra Bose. The existence of this form of matter was
postulated by Einstein 70 years ago based on previous work by
Bose. Using lasers and magnetic fields, researchers at the
National Institutes of Standards and Technology and the
University Colorado were able to chill rubidium atoms to so low
a temperature that they virtually stopped moving. In this state
the atoms move synchronously, at the same speed and in the same
direction.
The discovery is expected to advance the state of understanding
of the early universe. In addition, practical applications could
include superconductors and a new kind of laser that would allow
scientists to etch single atoms onto semi-conductors.
"The selection of the Bose-Einstein condensate as Molecule of
the Year exemplifies the intellectual chain of progress that
underlies virtually all of science: the interweaving of
individual contributions on a worldwide scale and the emergence
at certain key points of critical experimental data that gives
insight into old unknowns, generates important new questions,
and provide new ways to create new products," commented
Science's Editor-in-Chief Dr. Floyd Bloom.
The remaining advances given top ten status were:
The discovery of a master control gene, 'eyeless', that
controls the entire genetic program for making eyes. Swiss
researchers demonstrated the discovery by activating the gene in
various parts of the Drosophila genome, causing the flies to
sprout eyes on their wings, antennae and knees. While the
experiment was conducted with flies, the gene is common to
mammals as well.
The complete DNA sequencing of two bacterial genomes- H.
influenzae and Mycoplsma genitalium. These accomplishments are
the first ever of their kind and are expected to advance
research in areas ranging from bacterial evolution to human
disease.
The discovery of the leptin protein produced by the "obese
gene". Experiments showed that injecting genetically obese mice
with leptin made them lose weight. The search is now on to find
the neuroreceptor for the protein.
The isolation of key components of telomerase, the enzyme
that synthesizes telomeres, the structures that terminate
chromosomes. The research could one day yield important findings
in about how cancer develops in humans.
The creation of self-assembling molecular structures.
Mimicking nature, chemists were able to harness molecular forces
in such a way that molecular components assembled themselves.
This accomplishment is expected to lead to cheaper
microelectronics and new drug delivery techniques.
The Internet. Science dedicated an entire issue to the
explosion of research resources available on the Internet. From
the GenBank gene library and the Visible Human Project, to the
electronic publication of countless technical journals,
scientists are relying increasingly on the Internet for fast
access to data. And let's not forget Access Excellence, now
celebrating it's first complete year on the World-Wide-Web.
During that time, AE has received recognition by Science, Yahoo,
USA Today and others, and has recently been recognized as being
among the top five percent of all web sites.
Noninvasive brain imaging techniques. New techniques such as
functional magnetic resonance imaging and
magneto-encephalography have allowed researchers to observe the
association between mind and brain with increasing precision.
One experiment detailed the neural process of musical training.
Discovery of a planet around a distant sun, the first ever.
A Swiss team reported observing a star with an unusual wobble
believed to denote the presence of a planetary satellite.
The role of sulfuric acid and global warming. New research
convincingly demonstrated that man-made pollution had been
contributing to global-warming for 100 years. The conclusion was
reached after taking into consideration an aerosol haze of
sulfuric acid found over most of the developed world.
The above mentioned research is highlighted in Sci
ence 12/22/95.
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