Welcome to CROSCI Science Portal. The main mission of our organisation is to promote and advance scientific work and inspire young generations towards a wide range of careers available in academic and research work.
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In an international climate of rapid change where each day brings new technological and scientific advancements, government funding of education and research in the sciences has never been more critical. In the Republic of Croatia, focus on building a vibrant scientific and technological community is both of primary importance to the country’s economic future and an integral part of the country’s heritage.
The top economic powers in the world today also lead the international community in scientific research and technology. Such nations as Finland, Denmark, Japan, China and the United States encourage work in these areas through judicious funding of research and development of such cutting-edge technologies as alternative energy and minimally invasive medical applications.
Croatia’s Heritage
While Croatia is a relatively new nation — gaining independence in 1991 — it enjoys a rich tradition of scientific discovery through the centuries. Native Croatian son Faust Vrancic (1551-1617), a prolific inventor, is perhaps best remembered for his inventions of the parachute and the suspension bridge. Josip Vucetic (1858-1925) pioneered scientific dactyloscopy, or identification by fingerprints, which was adopted into worldwide usage in the 1920s. Croatian Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), an early developer of wireless and high-frequency technologies, lent his name to the unit for magnetic induction, the Tesla. A leading international expert in thermodynamics, Fran Bosnjakovic was born in Zagreb in 1902. Croatian Eduard Prugovecki (1937-2003) was a major contributor to quantum theory.
NASA’s twin GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) spacecraft has been successfully placed in lunar orbit at 2 P.m PST on January 1st 2012. This GRAIL-A was accompanied by GRAIL-B after 43 minutes (2.43 pm) of the launch of GRAIL-A on the same new year day. These two spacecraft are located near-polar,elliptical orbit and their rotation period is calculated approximately 11.5 hours. As part of equiping these spacecraft for the science phase of the mission that is likely to begin in March 2012, they wil go through a sequence of burns in order to be placed near-polar and near-circular orbit so that the altitude of 34 miles(55 Km) and less than two hours of orbital duration can be attained.
It’s official. Primates aren’t the only animal species besides humans that can learn abstract numerical rules and use them to solve simple math problems. Apparently Pigeons can ace a simple math test and display numerical skills that closely match or even surpass skills that till now were believed to be possessed only by primates, a collection of species closely related to humans that ranges from lemurs to chimpanzees. Many other species show an ability to recognize and utilize numeric values mentally, but apart from humans, only primates showcased any significant ability in reasoning numerically.
Seabirds give us immense pleasure when we visit the regions where they frequent during their breeding seasons. However, their numbers are getting less by the day because of the same creatures that enjoy the scene – the humans. Unfortunately, fishing for human consumption is taking off a big slice from the seabirds’ staple diet – the small fish.
Well documented research work gives us correct and proper information regarding all aspects of life; similarly, research done on seabirds and their breeding habits have startling results. Improper and uncontrolled fishing is leaving less of the fish in the sea for the seabirds to forage and this is adversely affecting their breeding capacity. It has been found that fewer eggs are laid when there is less small fish for the seabirds to dive and catch.
Scientists at the University of Nottingham are attempting to create re-programmable cells inspired by computer operating systems. The research goes beyond the traditional scope of biological inquiry, understanding how living organisms work, to create new biological systems not found in nature.
The project combines the expertise of scientists in a number of different specialties. An important part of the research involves developing better computer models of cell behavior. To accomplish this task, biologists are joined by experts in computer science and informatics in the lab.
The researchers have already successfully programmed individual cells to complete tasks. The next step is to do the same with more complex organisms. Currently, the research is focused on e.coli bacteria.
The multi-disciplinary research is being conducted at the University of Nottingham, under the leadership of Professor Natalio Krasnogor, head of the Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex Systems Research Group.
Professor Krasnogor has been granted a leadership fellowship worth more than £1 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to fund the project. The scientific team in Nottingham is being assisted by a number of colleges from universities in the US, Scotland, Israel and Spain.
Professor Krasnogor describes the goal of the project as creating “a basic operating system for a biological cell.” He hopes that in the near future we will be able to compile, store and execute programs in cells.
Contemporary Medicine reveals Ancient Secrets
The mummy of a young child has travelled the world for a number of decades and recently been the center of interest of a group of historians and medical professionals who have utilized top of the line diagnostic technology to unveil its secrets, without unveiling its wrapping or cutting into it. Their findings were then discussed by a number of distinguished experts in the field at a symposium on Nov. 2 at the museum in Urbana, Illinois. Supporters of the event included: ATAM, Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Speaker Series, and the Richard and Barbara Faletti Gallery of African Cultures Fund.
The mummy initially underwent a series of X-rays and CT scans, as well as other tests which included analyzing cloth fragments, insects and hardened resins. The second round of diagnostic tests proved even more helpful with the incredible technological advances the medical field has experienced over the last few years.
NMA’s vision of a Google-X – Google’s secret laboratory, is full of humor regardless of whether they are talking about the phone booth that has the possibility of teleportation, or about the tube that leads from Google the Idea Machine to “Tech Internets.”
Researchers at Empa and their Dutch co-workers have developed the smallest electrical car in the world. The 4-wheel drive vehicle is noiseless and does not produce any harmful gases or pollutants as it travels on a copper surface on four wheels driven by electricity. It measures approximately 4 by 2 nanometers and consists of one molecule.
Background of the Vehicle
Typically, engines are used to transform electrical, thermal and chemical energy into kinetic energy. Nature uses motor proteins, such as actin in muscles and kinesin, in cells to perform the same motion. These proteins move alongside other similar proteins, much like trains do on a track. In the process, the proteins burn adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which is a type of chemical fuel needed to make the motions happen.
Chemists are using the same concepts to design small molecular transport devices and machines that will carry out tasks on a much smaller scale. Researchers have successfully developed a way to synthesize a molecule from four wheels that have the ability to travel straight ahead. The car does not require the use of gasoline fuel or rails; it moves simply by using electricity. Researchers also boast that the smallest car in the world even has 4-wheel drive.
“Now we’re able to measure something that’s never been measured before: The force that one molecule applies to another molecule across the entire surface of a living cell, and as this cell moves and goes about its normal processes. And we can visualize these forces in a time-lapsed movie.”
– Khalid Salaita, assistant professor of biomolecular chemistry at Emory University
Salaita, together with graduate students Daniel Stabley and Carol Jurchenko, and undergraduate senior Stephen Marshall, have invented a new technique for visualizing the interaction of molecules at the cell membrane. Unlike previous methods, this polymer-based technique is non-invasive, and can be performed using a standard fluorescent microscope.
In this new process, a flexible polymer is modified chemically, placing a fluorescent emitting sensor at one end and a fluorescent absorbing sensor at the other end. The absorbing end is anchored to the slide, while the emitting end binds to a receptor on the cell’s surface. When force is applied by the cell, the polymer stretches out. As it extends, the light absorbing and light emitting ends move away from each other, letting more light escape from the polymer. By measuring this light, scientists are able to estimate the amount of force being exerted.
International scientists have observed a black hole swallowing up a quasar accretion disc. The quasar disc is approximately 100-300 billion kilometers across and is identified by its brightly glowing matter. Although the disc lays billions of light-years away from Earth, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope was recently used in an innovative way to observe phenomena normally too small to be seen even by the powerful Hubble.
As the Hubble focuses on distant galaxies, scientists utilize gravitational lensing – a process by which the beams of light behind an object are “bent” like a lens by the gravity of the object, essentially magnifying what is behind the object. This precise method allows scientists to determine the size and temperature variations of the disc. Until the utilization of gravitational lensing, the sheer distance of quasars has prevented any direct observation and scientists have consequently relied on theoretical extrapolations.
Scientists noticed subtle color differences which indicate differing temperatures within the quasar disc. As the quasar moves closer to the black hole, the matter reflected becomes bluer and, therefore, is hotter. The scientific team was able to measure the hot diameter as well as other temperature variations further from the hole.
You might have noticed recently that in many supermarkets, milk prices dropped to around one dollar a litre. There hasn’t been any new technology that makes milk cheaper to produce, and many supermarkets weren’t making much money on a litre of milk, even before the price drop. Some supermarkets actually buy the milk for more than $1 per litre, meaning they lose money on each sale. So why do they sell milk for so little?
Many supermarkets want people to think that their prices are low. However, a supermarket will have hundreds, or even thousands, of different products, and it’s almost impossible to advertise every single one. Even if they could, many people don’t remember the price of a mousetrap or a jar of anchovies. Most people buy milk regularly, so they are more likely to know when it’s a good deal.
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