Researchers have uncovered the three-dimensional structure of a key protein found on the surface of a specific HIV-1 subgroup, providing valuable insights for vaccine design. The discovery reveals unusual autoreactivity between an anti-HIV antibody and the CD4 receptor, raising questions about potential autoimmune responses.
Researchers demonstrate targeted nanoparticle delivery of siRNA to cancer cells, turning off an important gene using RNA interference. The study opens the door for future genetic therapies that can attack cancer and other diseases at a molecular level.
Researchers at Caltech and UCSD discovered a way to induce natural reproductive behavior in medicinal leeches by injecting a specific hormone, hirudotocin. The hormone mimics the action of human hormones vasopressin and oxytocin in regulating mating behavior.
The California Institute of Technology has received over $33 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support a wide range of research projects. These grants will fund more than 90 jobs and contribute to breakthroughs in fields such as neuroeconomics, jet noise, and genomic sciences.
Researchers found that the brain responds more strongly to a poor person receiving a financial reward than a rich person, even if the brain being studied belongs to the rich individual. This study suggests that the human brain is wired to respond to inequality, contradicting the prevailing view of human nature as solely self-interested.
Researchers identified a distributed neural system for general intelligence, with specific brain regions and connections linked to performance on various tests. The study's findings support an existing theory about intelligence as a whole-brain function, integrating different processing abilities such as working memory.
At the AAAS Meeting, Caltech researchers presented on various topics including linear colliders, climate change, and earthquake science. Caltech's Alice Huang will be installed as the next president of the AAAS. Researchers discussed the Second Law of Thermodynamics and its implications for our understanding of time.
A team of scientists from Caltech has created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell uses only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional solar cells, making it potentially cheaper to produce.
Researchers at Caltech have recorded brain-cell activity in actively flying fruit flies, revealing that the visual system becomes more sensitive during flight. The study suggests that this increased sensitivity is linked to a neurochemical release that sets the animal's brain in a different state.
The California Institute of Technology has received a $3.9 million estate gift from Edward and Ruth Hughes, which will be used to fund highly innovative research proposals and eight graduate research fellowships. The gift is supported by a matching grant of $2 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Matching Program.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a way to make brittle materials ductile by reducing their size, creating materials that are stronger than ever. The new materials could be used in aerospace vehicles and naval vessels, providing improved strength and durability.
Researchers found that the amygdala structure in the brain is critical for triggering caution when making gambles with potential losses. This study provides new evidence for the role of the amygdala in fear and anxiety, shedding light on economic behavior and emotional decision-making.
H. Jeff Kimble, a Caltech professor of physics, has been awarded a $4.2 million National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship to conduct unclassified research on topics of interest to the DoD. The grant will support his research program exploring quantum networks and phenomena in quantum information science.
Astronomers from Caltech and other institutions have detected an extrasolar planet, HD 156668b, with a mass just four times that of Earth. The discovery highlights the potential for finding Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone, making it a promising lead in the search for life beyond our solar system.
Dr Andrew Benson and Dr Nick Devereux's research reveals the evolutionary history of the universe, explaining galaxy shapes and numbers. Their 'Lambda Cold Dark Matter' model suggests that dark matter haloes drive galaxy evolution, with elliptical galaxies resulting from multiple mergers.
Researchers at Caltech propose a new approach to observe quantum behavior in small mechanical systems by levitating the object with intense laser beams. This allows for dramatic reduction of environmental noise, enabling observation of diverse manifestations of quantum behavior even at room temperature.
Researchers found evidence of fog at Titan's south pole, using Cassini data to isolate clouds and prove an active methane hydrological cycle. The discovery provides insight into Titan's atmosphere and its potential for liquid methane and ethane on the surface.
Researchers at Caltech have challenged the long-held theory on fruit-fly development, showing that a key transcription factor's influence is less widespread and varies over time. The study reveals a more complex system where cells respond to changing signals from the transcription factor Dorsal.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a technique to image photons of nanoscale structures and visualize their architecture using 4D electron microscopy. The method allows for the observation of fleeting changes in the structure of nanoscale matter, enabling new insights into fields such as plasmonics and photonics.
The Joint Center for Translational Medicine aims to transform science into new therapies for debilitating diseases. Researchers from Caltech and UCLA will collaborate on projects like a potentially revolutionary treatment for late-stage melanoma.
Researchers identify pheromone-detecting neurons in the fly's antenna that promote aggression, leading to increased fighting among males. The discovery provides insight into how aggression is hardwired into the brain by an animal's genes.
Researchers from Caltech have developed a new method to view the process of adding ubiquitin chains to cell-cycle proteins, revealing that enzymes add ubiquitins one at a time. This discovery could lead to the development of targeted cancer therapies by understanding how ubiquitin ligases work.
Researchers suggest that the planet's oblong orbit exposes different areas of Titan to varying amounts of sunlight, affecting precipitation and evaporation cycles. This leads to an uneven distribution of lakes in the northern and southern polar regions.
Researchers found that a mutation in a dopamine receptor causes flies to exhibit exaggerated hyperactivity and hypersensitivity to air puffs. The study suggests a link between dopamine regulation and ADHD symptoms, as well as learning disabilities. Flies without the mutation learn to associate an odor with an electric shock quickly.
Researchers used DNA origami to create molecular breadboards, solving the challenge of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. The innovative technique exploits DNA's sequence-recognition properties and stickiness to 'stick' carbon nanotubes onto its surface.
Researchers at Caltech have shown that a highly specific intrabody can stall the development of Huntington's disease in various mouse models. The treatment successfully attenuated symptoms and increased life span by targeting an amino-acid sequence unique to the mutant huntingtin protein.
Researchers at Caltech have created a nanoscale crystal device that confines both light and sound vibrations in the same tiny space. This enables the manipulation of sound and light waves with frequencies as high as tens of gigahertz, opening up potential applications in lightwave communication systems, biosensors, and more.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a fluid-dynamical model that reveals nanopillars form through thermocapillary flow, not pressure fluctuations. This discovery paves the way for a new 3D lithography method with high precision and potentially limitless patterns.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a robot called CYCLOPS that simulates the visual experience of blind individuals with implanted visual prostheses, refining design and enhancing its effectiveness. The robot's camera system processes images, allowing scientists to test various enhancements without relying on actual blind users.
Researchers at Caltech have discovered that methane-consuming archaea are actively fixing nitrogen and sharing it with their bacterial neighbors. This finding may help explain the discrepancy between known sources and sinks of fixed nitrogen in the global nitrogen cycle.
Cells in developing tissue consider their history of signaling exposure to determine location, challenging the widely held hypothesis that morphogens are the primary source of positional information. Researchers found that cells require a 'memory' of past exposure to morphogen signals to adopt specific gene expression patterns.
Researchers used state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques to study chemoreceptors in bacteria, finding a consistent lattice structure with hexagonal symmetry across 13 different species. This discovery may provide insights into complex signaling pathways and the evolution of bacterial cells.
Researchers apply brain imaging techniques to create efficient and fair solutions to the public-goods provision problem. By analyzing fMRI data, individuals are incentivized to truthfully value public goods, reducing free-riding behavior.
Researchers identified the amygdala as the brain structure responsible for our sense of personal space. The discovery sheds light on the neural mechanisms involved in social behavior and offers new perspectives on autism and other disorders where social distance is an issue.
The LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration have set the most stringent limits yet on the amount of gravitational waves that could have come from the Big Bang. The analysis of data taken over a two-year period has constrained current theories about universe formation, including models of cosmic strings and superstrings.
Researchers at Caltech have pinpointed two groups of neurons in fruit fly brains that regulate fat stores, mirroring mammalian brain function. Silencing these neurons led to obese flies, while overactivating them produced lean ones, offering a promising model for studying human obesity and developing new treatments.
Scientists at Caltech and IBM's Almaden Research Center have developed a technique to orient and position self-assembled DNA shapes on surfaces compatible with semiconductor manufacturing equipment. This allows for the precise assembly of computer-chip components, enabling smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient chips.
Researchers from Caltech have observed a large system of storm clouds on Titan, revealing clouds near the equator for the first time. The discovery has significant implications for understanding the hydrological cycle on Titan and challenges previous speculations about cloud formation in dry regions.
The Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) provides a standardized visual language for representing biological information, making it easier to exchange complex information. The new standard will benefit systems biologists working on various biochemical processes, including gene regulation, metabolism, and cellular signaling.
Researchers at Caltech have identified epoxides as a key player in atmospheric chemistry, finding that these chemicals can form secondary organic aerosol. This process has significant implications for human health and climate change.
Researchers from Caltech have discovered a mechanism that explains how tiny swimming animals can affect the ocean environment, creating instability and mixing large scales. The impact of biogenic ocean mixing is estimated to be comparable to wind forcing and tidal forcing.
Researchers at Caltech have created a nanoscale mass spectrometer that can instantly measure the mass of an individual molecule. The device uses tiny nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) resonators to detect changes in vibration frequency, allowing for precise mass determination.
A Caltech-led team demonstrates how partial penetrance enables evolution to make large developmental leaps by allowing genetic mutations to have varying effects on different organisms, leading to twin spores in bacteria that normally produce only singletons. This process involves random fluctuations and noise working alongside partial ...
Researchers from Caltech and JPL found evidence that ancient stromatolites were built with the help of equally ancient microorganisms, providing insight into the earliest record of life on Earth. The discovery may also provide a new avenue for exploration in the search for signs of life on Mars.
Researchers create highly stable chemical compounds that can bind to proteins with high affinity and selectivity, replacing traditional antibodies used in medical diagnostic tests. The technique involves a stepwise approach using in situ click chemistry, allowing for the creation of complex molecules in a relatively simple process.
Researchers create tiny NEMS resonator and superconducting qubit to probe quantum behavior in ordinary objects. The experiment enables measurements of discrete energy levels predicted by quantum mechanics.
Researchers from Caltech found that contact inhibition is a tunable system influenced by growth factors like EGF. They discovered a threshold of sensitivity to EGF that can be manipulated to control cell division and tissue growth.
Researchers at Caltech discovered a material that does not expand when heated, like most metals, and behaves like a metal with an entirely different chemical composition. By applying high pressure, they created nonexpanding metal alloys by forcing electrons into new states.
Researchers propose reducing atmospheric pressure to extend Earth's lifespan by 1.3 billion years, doubling the chances of finding intelligent life elsewhere. This mechanism could occur on any extrasolar planet with an atmosphere and biosphere.
Researchers have discovered that maple seeds generate lift by creating a vortex, similar to insects and animals, which allows them to be carried aloft by the wind. The study suggests that plants and animals have converged on this aerodynamic solution for improving flight performance.