The study reveals the spatial compactness of the event, with a 250-kilometer-long fault experiencing significant slip, and high- and low-frequency seismic waves coming from different areas of the fault. This information will help scientists improve infrastructure and prevent loss of life through better application of seismological data.
A team of researchers from Caltech and UCLA used an electrode array to stimulate a paralyzed man's spinal cord, allowing him to stand, step, and regain voluntary leg movements. The treatment improved autonomic functions such as bladder control, temperature regulation, and muscle tone over time.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a new method for processing metallic glass, utilizing inexpensive processes used to produce plastic parts. The new technique allows for the creation of strong, tough parts in just a few milliseconds.
Researchers at Caltech have found a specific brain region, the dorsal striatum, to be involved in reinforcement-learning behaviors and the gambler's fallacy. This discovery provides insight into how people make decisions in real-world situations.
Researchers found that beneficial gut bacteria like Bacteroides fragilis hijack immune cells to prevent inflammation. The bacteria produce a molecule that tricks the immune system into activating regulatory T cells, preventing autoimmune reactions.
Researchers used GPS satellite systems to measure tide-induced displacements and estimate density and elastic moduli, revealing an abnormal low-density asthenosphere under the western United States and eastern Pacific Ocean. The study provides new directions for understanding Earth's chemical and mechanical dynamics.
Researchers have developed conceptual tools to visualize warped space-time, discovering vortex lines and tendex lines that describe gravitational forces. These tools allow for a better understanding of black holes, gravity, and the universe, enabling predictions of gravitational waves and solving long-standing mysteries.
Researchers at Caltech propose that an entirely different mechanism is at play in Tibet, with a strong lower crust originating from India. This new understanding of the processes shaping the Himalaya Mountains and Tibet improves our knowledge of tectonic activity and earthquakes in the region.
Researchers at Caltech found that warm ocean waters off the eastern coasts of these continents heat the air above it, forming atmospheric waves that draw in cold air from the northern polar region. This process explains why the northeastern United States and eastern Canada experience colder winters than similar latitudes in Europe.
Caltech graduate student Guoan Zheng received the 2011 Lemelson-MIT Caltech Student Prize for his on-chip microscopy imaging technology with potential applications in malaria and blood-borne diseases. Meanwhile, Wendian Shi's portable lab-on-a-chip system for determining white blood cell counts won a $10,000 award.
At this year's AAAS meeting, Caltech researchers will present topics ranging from solar and renewable energy solutions to the latest advancements in bioengineering. Nathan Lewis will discuss strategies for achieving clean energy goals and generating clean fuels from sunlight and water.
Researchers find that weak electrical fields in brain help neurons fire together, even if they're not physically connected. The findings suggest an additional form of neural communication through extracellular space.
Researchers discovered a direct link between Late Ordovician mass extinction and cooling climate, contradicting previous theories. They used new paleothermometer method to determine average temperatures during glacial periods, marking the first time overcoming ice-volume effect for ancient ocean analysis.
A new reactor converts solar energy into fuels by concentrating sunlight and using cerium oxide to convert carbon dioxide and water. The reactor achieves high rates of CO2 dissociation, demonstrating potential for efficient production of fuels.
A Caltech-led team has developed a new alloy that combines the strengths of metals and glasses, demonstrating unprecedented level of combined toughness and strength. The palladium-based alloy shows high toughness and strength, making it suitable for biomedical implants such as dental implants.
Researchers have identified 16 binary systems consisting of supermassive black holes that are hundreds to thousands closer together than previously observed. This discovery sheds new light on how these cosmic behemoths and their host galaxies merge, a crucial aspect of understanding the universe's evolution.
Researchers at Caltech have demonstrated quantum entanglement for a four-part quantum state stored in four spatially distinct atomic memories. The team successfully created quadripartite entanglement by entangling the spin waves among four collections of Cesium atoms, which were then transferred to four beams of light.
Scientists at Caltech have identified a delicate balance in the brain that controls fear output from the amygdala. Two neural subtypes act like a seesaw to regulate fear levels, with PKCδ+ neurons forming one end and inhibiting outflow from the region.
A team of scientists from Caltech and JPL have characterized a key chemical reaction affecting smog formation, suggesting current models underestimate ozone levels by 5-10%. Their findings likely impact air quality predictions, emissions regulation, and health assessments.
Researchers have found that individuals can rapidly and voluntarily control neurons deep in their brains, allowing them to manipulate images on computer screens. The study uses epilepsy patients with electrodes implanted in their brains to record individual neuron activity in response to specific images.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $11.5 million to a consortium of research institutions led by the California Institute of Technology for a center focused on studying membrane-protein structures, aiming to shed new light on basic biology and potential treatments for disease.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a new type of material made out of silicon that could lead to more efficient thermoelectric devices. The material is composed of a thin film with a grid-like arrangement of tiny holes, which slows down phonons and lowers its thermal conductivity.
The center will focus on developing innovative ways to reduce the risks and costs of natural hazards. THOR will unify efforts from various academic disciplines to study critical societal issues such as global climate change, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and extreme weather events.
A team of Caltech researchers discovered that consumers assign higher values to goods they can physically interact with. In experiments, subjects bid an average of 50% more for tactile experiences than visual or text-based presentations.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a simple technique using graphene to visualize the structure of molecules at the atomic scale. The technique reveals new details about how water coats surfaces, including its structure and properties.
Researchers recreated high pressures using a diamond-anvil cell and found unusual properties in iron-rich magnesium-iron oxide minerals. These findings suggest that ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs) at the core-mantle boundary may be composed of solid, compositionally distinctive rocks rather than liquid-bearing materials.
Researchers developed new algorithms to simulate global mantle flow, plate tectonics, and individual fault zones, achieving a resolution of about one kilometer near the plate boundaries. The model accurately predicted plate movements, including anomalous rapid motion of microplates in the western Pacific.
Caltech researchers found that flies regulate altitude by tracking horizontal edges, not the motion beneath them. This mechanism is similar to steering and was tested using an automated flight chamber with multiple cameras.
Researchers at Caltech have identified a novel group of microRNAs that regulate the production of hematopoietic stem cells, which produce blood cells. The study found that one particular miRNA enhances the production of mature blood cells but can also induce aggressive leukemia when overexpressed.
A new brain-imaging study by Caltech researchers found that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is linked to how well subjects believe they performed on tasks, regardless of actual performance. This suggests that optimistic and pessimistic brains show different patterns of neural activity when planning movements.
The Caltech-Canadian Space Agency partnership aims to detect signs of microbial life and geological activity on Mars. The MATMOS instrument will analyze gases in the Martian atmosphere with high sensitivity.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists, led by Caltech's Nathan S. Lewis, will partner with institutions like Berkeley Lab to develop a method to produce fuels directly from sunlight. The goal is to simulate nature's photosynthetic apparatus for practical energy production.
A Caltech team has found structurally bound hydroxyl groups, indicating the presence of water in a lunar mineral. The discovery is significant for understanding the moon's composition and its history.
A study by Caltech researchers found that specific intestinal bacteria can induce MS-like symptoms in animals, suggesting a link between gut microbes and the disease. The bacteria, from the segmented filamentous bacteria group, were able to replicate and cause inflammation in both the gut and central nervous system.
Astronomers have discovered the first case of a distant galaxy being magnified by a quasar, allowing them to measure the masses of these host galaxies. This breakthrough provides new insights into galaxy formation and evolution, enabling scientists to better understand the relationship between quasars and their host galaxies.
Researchers have discovered changes in lake levels on Titan, with the southern hemisphere experiencing a 1-meter-per-year drop in lake depth. The decrease is attributed to seasonal evaporation of liquid methane from lakes, which are composed mainly of this substance.
T cells decide on their identity when they begin expressing the Bcl11b gene, which acts as a transcription factor to control other genes. The activation of Bcl11b is crucial for T cells to maintain their identity and undergo the conversion process in the thymus.
Researchers found that female immune cells actively produce specific T regulatory cells in response to fetal antigens, protecting the fetus from rejection. This active immune tolerance is essential for successful pregnancies and may provide insights into pregnancy-related conditions such as preeclampsia.
A team of researchers used aerial photographs and field measurements to analyze the Canyon Lake flood, which excavated a 2.2-kilometer-long canyon in just three days. The study offers insight into ancient megafloods on both Earth and Mars, with findings that challenge traditional views of river canyon formation.
Researchers pinpointed molecular changes that enabled Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 flu viruses to replicate and spread globally. The study revealed two secondary mutations in the neuraminidase gene of resistant strains, allowing them to overcome previous inhibitory effects of Tamiflu.
Researchers at Caltech identified two learning strategies associated with unique neural signatures, model-free and model-based learning. Model-free learning relies on trial-and-error comparisons, while model-based learning generates cognitive maps of environments, enabling adaptability in novel situations.
A Caltech-led team has developed a new method for measuring the body temperatures of extinct vertebrates using rare isotopes in bones, teeth, and eggshells. This technique allows scientists to reconstruct ancient climates and understand how warm-bloodedness emerged in dinosaurs and other species.
Researchers identified two genes, leucokinin neuropeptide and receptor, that regulate meal sizes and frequency in fruit flies. In normal flies, the stretch receptors signal to the brain when the gut is full, but in mutants or brain center destruction, this signal is not relayed, leading to excessive eating.
Researchers at Caltech have found a way to improve the efficiency of wind farms by using vertical-axis turbines in strategic arrays. By studying the vortices left behind by schools of fish, they discovered that alternating turbine rotations and staggering their placement can increase energy extraction up to 10 times.
A team of scientists led by Caltech biologists found that cell-cycle length and chromosome duplication without division play key roles in determining sepal cell sizes in Arabidopsis thaliana. This probabilistic development process results in unique patterns and proportions among sepals.
Researchers have created autonomous molecular 'robots' made of DNA that can be programmed to follow a track, start, move, turn and stop. The development could lead to molecular systems used in medical therapeutic devices and reconfigurable robots.
Scientists discovered that aseismic slip in the Nazca tectonic plate can prevent earthquakes from propagating through certain areas. By analyzing GPS data and aftershock patterns, researchers found a 'patchwork' pattern of aseismicity, with some areas always slipping slowly and others rarely experiencing seismic activity.
Researchers at Caltech have discovered a crucial balance between beneficial and potentially harmful gut microbes that can either promote health or lead to diseases like IBD. The study reveals how altering this balance can affect the host's immune system, leading to inflammation.
A Caltech-led team has engineered a simple yet versatile material that bends light in the 'wrong' direction, making it ideal for efficient light collection in solar cells. The novel negative-index metamaterial can handle light with any polarization over a broad range of incident angles.
Researchers at Caltech develop a nonlinear acoustic lens producing highly focused sound bullets for advanced medical imaging, nondestructive evaluation, and potentially even cancer treatment. The device exploits particle contacts to create compact acoustic pulses with high amplitude and low distortion.