01-06-2012 09:45 In COD MW2 you have different kinds of people. I'll show you in this video what I mean. Clanbattle? check and challenge us! Probably you guys won't even dare, so... MUSIC: Rap song on the background: e-dubble - Sidelines Dubstep song with the BOSS ecosystem: Modestep - Sunlight
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KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Looking for a new crossover vehicle with eco-friendly and fuel-efficient features? Introducing the new Mazda CX-5 which offers a pleasant driving experience without compromising safety or sustainability. First in its generation, the CX-5 is using the Mazda’s newly-developed SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY: re-engineered engines, ...
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Feelings of betrayal dividing friends, lovers, and political allies have provided grist for Shakespeare and Verdi, among other great scrutinizers of the human condition.
It's intriguing to ponder what they would have made of the breakup between the Natural Resources Defense Council and Anschutz Entertainment Group, the would-be developer of a downtown Los Angeles football stadium.
Last September, the NRDC's Los Angeles office did the stadium developers a big favor by throwing its weight behind a gift bill streamlining the environmental review process for the stadium project, and only for the stadium project. The bill, SB 292, eliminated one whole level of court review otherwise provided for by the California Environmental Quality Act. For this project alone, litigation would have to start at the Court of Appeal level, rather than in the lower courts, and the judges would face tight deadlines. That was a big giveaway to the developers, for whom time is money.
The NRDC's involvement in the stadium project grows out of its interest in promoting mass transit and energy efficiency in urban communities, and therefore in seeing that the stadium be "green" in its construction and operational phases, and not encourage more automobile traffic. But its dalliance with the developers roiled environmentalists, many of whom are concerned about the impact of the huge project and anticipated going to court, if necessary, to make sure their views would be heard. The NRDC explained that it had negotiated several safeguards into SB 292, including the commitments from AEG.
"It was our assumption that some form of this would pass whether we liked it or not," NRDC Senior Attorney David Pettit, director of its Southern California air program, said at the time. "So we made the decision to be at the table rather than just say no. At the end of the day, we got what we wanted."
Plainly, NRDC now feels it did not get what it wanted. Earlier this month, Pettit complained in a letter to the city that the draft environmental impact report submitted by AEG for the stadium project lacks numerous commitments the builders had made to the group.
Studies that AEG promised to conduct of alternatives to bringing fans to the stadium by car were missing, for instance. Promises AEG made to the Clinton Global Initiative, a climate change program sponsored by the former president, were mysteriously scaled back; AEG told the Clinton group it would recycle 90% of solid waste produced during construction, NRDC says, but the draft report promises only 50%.
"We also have concerns about air quality, health risk, green construction practices and sustainability relating to the project," NRDC wrote.
"The letter does accurately portray that we're disappointed in what we see in the [draft environmental impact statement]," Pettit told me last week, "when you compare it to what AEG promised to do in connection with SB 292." This sounds like a tactful way of saying "we got rooked," though Pettit says he still favors the stadium project.
But he also acknowledges that the absence of some studies AEG had committed to conducting for the report means leaving the public in the dark about many of AEG's environmental plans. That's something that Pettit thought he had negotiated into SB 292 in return for shutting the courthouse door to the public at the ground floor.
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Health officials in Nassau and Suffolk counties temporarily closed beaches after heavy rainfall, citing a risk of large amounts of bacteria in the water.
Suffolk county officials have closed nearly all of their beaches on the south and north shore, and Nassau county has closed 19 beaches, included four along the Atlantic Ocean and 15 along the Long Island Sound.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 4:23 PM, June 2, 2012
Posted: 12:27 PM, June 2, 2012
UNIONDALE Health officials have temporarily banned swimming at 19 Long Island beaches after heavy rain raised concerns about bacteria in the water.
Nassau County's health department says it has closed 14 beaches to bathing on Long Island Sound and five on the Atlantic coast.
Storm water runoff after heavy rains can wash all kinds of things into the water, but health authorities are especially concerned about bacteria from sewage.
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Nassau County Beach (credit: Mona Rivera/1010 WINS)
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Due to heavy rainfall, the Nassau County Department of Health has decided to close 19 beaches on Saturday for precautionary reasons.
Storm water runoff can have a negative impact by elevating bacterial levels, the Nassau County Department of Health said, and can affect bathing water quality.
WCBS 880s Sophia Hall reports
This is routine through the bathing season, Nassau Health Department Spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain told 1010 WINS. We start monitoring the beaches beginning in April through September, so this is as a precautionary measure because storm water runoff can impact the water quality.
The following beaches are closed:
Nassau County North Shore beaches *Centre Island Sound *Creek Club *Lattingtown Beach *Laurel Hollow Beach *Morgan Sound *North Hempstead Beach Park *Piping Rock Beach Club *Prybil Beach *Ransom Beach *Roosevelt Beach *Sea Cliff Village Beach *Soundside Beach *Stehli Beach *Tappen Beach
Nassau County South Shore beaches *Biltmore Beach Club *Hewlett Point Beach *Island Park Beach *Merrick Estates Civic Association *Philip Healey Beach
Nassau County residents, that should put a bit of a damper on some of your days. Sound off with your thoughts and comments in the section below
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Nassau County Department Of Health Closes 19 Beaches For Precautionary Reasons
I was recently interviewed by Zane Claes and Mark Shore of "Let Us Present" and they’ve posted the segment on their site . We talk about where NASA is now and where it’s going, and how things like SpaceX play into that. I’m still trying to figure this all out myself; we’re in a funny time in the history of space exploration, where it’s hard to say exactly where we’ll be in a few years. If you ...
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The vastness of space and the puzzling nature of the cosmic objects that occupy it provides no shortage of material for astronomers to ponder.
To round up some of the most enduring mysteries in the field of astronomy, the journal Science enlisted help from science writers and members of the Board of Reviewing Editors to choose eight puzzling questions being asked by leading astronomers today.
As Robert Coontz, deputy news editor at Science, writes in his introduction to the series, the participants decided that, "true mysteries must have staying power," rather than being questions that might be resolved by research in the near future. In fact, while some of the topics discussed may one day be solved through astronomical observations, others may never be solved, he added.
In no particular order, here are eight of the most compelling mysteries of astronomy, as presented by the journal Science:
What is dark energy?
In the 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is not static, but rather is expanding. In 1998, the Hubble Space Telescope, named for the astronomer, studied distant supernovas and found that the universe was expanding more slowly a long time ago compared with the pace of its expansion today.
This groundbreaking discovery puzzled scientists, who long thought that the gravity of matter would gradually slow the universe's expansion, or even cause it to contract. Explanations of the universe's accelerated expansion led to the bizarre and hotly debated concept of dark energy, which is thought to be the enigmatic force that is pulling the cosmos apart at ever-increasing speeds.
While dark energy is thought to make up approximately 73 percent of the universe, the force remains elusive and has yet to be directly detected.
"Dark energy might never reveal its nature," Science staff writer Adrian Cho wrote. "Still, scientists remain optimistic that nature will cooperate and that they can determine the origins of dark energy."
How hot is dark matter?
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After more than a decade of unsuccessful efforts to obtain DNA testing of evidence collected at the scene of a 1993 Pampa murder that sent him to death row, Henry Skinner won a major battle Friday when Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott recommended to a state appeals court that the testing take place.
In a filing with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which is considering Skinner's latest request for the tests, Abbott said the state and Skinner's lawyers have reached a "preliminary understanding" to do the testing. The court still must approve the lawyers' agreed order.
Skinner, 50, was sentenced to die for the 1993 New Year's Eve murder of his girlfriend and her two adult sons. The convicted killer has argued that he had lost consciousness after consuming alcohol and codeine and, therefore, was not able to bludgeon the woman or stab her sons.
While some evidence had been subjected to DNA testing, clothing, knives and biological samples, including specimens from a rape examination, have not been tested.
Skinner has had at least two execution dates set. Last November, the appeals court issued a stay to ascertain how revised laws regarding such testing may apply to his case.
In his filing, Abbott said the state dropped its objections to testing "in the interest of justice." The attorney general also told the court the state will request testing of additional items submitted by prosecutors.
Skinner's lawyer, Rob Owen, visiting professor at Northwestern School of Law, said prosecutors had "squandered" an opportunity to test the items 12 years ago by barring defense counsel from a role in the deciding the issue.
"Texans expect accuracy in this death penalty case, and the procedures to be employed must ensure them confidence in the outcome," Owen said in an email. "To that end, all determinations about how and by whom the evidence will be handled and tested must be entirely transparent with both parties involved in every step."
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AG agrees to DNA tests in convicted killer's case
Harvard biologists have brought new meaning to the term "fine print" by devising microscopic tiles made of DNA that self-assemble into letters, Chinese characters, emoticons and other shapes.
More than mere doodling, their advance, detailed this week in the journal Nature, could make it easier and cheaper to build tiny DNA devices capable of delivering drugs or aiding the study of biochemistry, scientists said.
"This technique will accelerate the research field of DNA nanotechnology," said Ebbe Sloth Andersen, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark who collaborated on an editorial that accompanied the report.
In its usual role as a warehouse for storing genetic information, DNA helps build humans and hummingbirds, maple trees and meerkats all sorts of complex organisms. But as a building material for machines smaller than the smallest bacterium, it has been tough to control.
Since the early 1980s, engineers have experimented with a variety of approaches to create structures out of DNA, including the use of tiles small bricks woven together out of several strands of DNA that could stick to one another and self-assemble into shapes.
But when researchers tried to construct precisely defined shapes, they ran into trouble, said Peng Yin, a systems biologist at Harvard's Wyss Institute in Boston and senior author of the Nature study. The tiles tended to stick together incorrectly, resulting in incomplete structures.
"People thought this couldn't work," Yin said.
But he and his collaborators pressed on, ultimately designing bricks out of single rather than multiple strands of DNA.
The strands each had four sequences of 10 or 11 bases, which could bind to complementary sequences of 10 or 11 bases on other tiles. If all four sequences on the edges of a tile bind with their matching counterparts on neighboring tiles, the tile assumes a rectangular shape.
The scientists programmed the tiles to stack up in a staggered formation, like a miniature brick wall. Then they created shapes by leaving out tiles at certain locations of their 64-by-103-nanometer "molecular canvas."
Continued here:
Biologists construct self-assembling tiles of DNA
Chyler Leigh
Lexie Grey may have met a painful death on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, but behind the scenes, Chyler Leigh says her departure was a peaceful one.
In a statement to TVLine, Leigh explains her shocking exit from the show after more than five years playing Meredith Grey's half-sister. The 30-year-old actress says she and show creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes collaborated on how Lexie's story ended.
Photos: Remember TV characters we lost this season
"Earlier this year, I made the decision that Season Eight would be my last on Grey's Anatomy. I met with Shonda and we worked together to give Lexie's story appropriate closure. I am very lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for five seasons. My experience on Grey's Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans. Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey."
Leigh was one of two cast members who exited the medical drama in the Season 8 finale. Rhimes confirmed that Kim Raver, whose character was fired from Seattle Grace, would not be returning for Season 9.
"I love Chyler and I love the character of Lexie Grey. She was an important member of my Grey's family. This was not an easy decision. But it was a decision that Chyler and I came to together," Rhimes wrote online hours after Leigh's on-screen death. "We had a lot of thoughtful discussion about it and ultimately we both decided this was the right time for her character's journey to end. As far as I'm concerned Chyler will always remain a part of the Shondaland family and I can't wait to work with her again in the future."
Will you miss Lexie Grey?
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Grey's Anatomy's Chyler Leigh: I Made the Decision to Leave
A nose. That's all that separated Real Quiet from racing immortality. He was beaten by the smallest of margins in the 1998 Belmont Stakes, the longest and toughest leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
Affirmed was the last to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, 34 years ago. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two only to come up short in the Belmont, felled by a safety pin picked up in a stall, a stumble out of the gate or a jockey's judgment.
Now it's I'll Have Another's turn to try to become the 12th Triple Crown winner.
The chestnut colt chased down pacesetter Bodemeister in the final 100 yards to win the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Two weeks later, he surged past Bodemeister a few yards from the finish line in the Preakness to win by a neck.
Bodemeister won't be back to challenge I'll Have Another in the Belmont. But 10 other rivals are likely, including Derby also-rans Dullahan, Optimizer and Union Rags. The others are horses that skipped one or both of the first two legs, leaving them well-rested for the 1 1-2 mile run around the deep, sandy dirt track.
''It ain't like the old days where everyone used to run in all three,'' said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who is 1 for 13 in the Belmont. ''It's taxing on the horse to run in all three. If somebody is hiding behind the bushes waiting to jump you when they're all fresh, they can beat you.''
Smith will be aboard one of the fresh ones in next Saturday's Belmont. He'll ride Paynter, who skipped the Derby and Preakness.
Nineteen times since 1944 horses have come to the Belmont with a chance to win the Triple Crown.
Big Brown was the last horse to take a shot in 2008. But he bombed out in the Belmont, mysteriously getting eased at the top of the stretch and leaving nearly 95,000 fans stunned at the sight of the colt with the bad feet failing to finish.
The final 1 1-2 miles on the Triple Crown trail can do a number on a horse, trainer and jockey.
Continued here:
Triple Crown bids often come undone in Belmont
Saturday June 2, 2012
BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer
A nose. That's all that separated Real Quiet from racing immortality. He was beaten by the smallest of margins in the 1998 Belmont Stakes, the longest and toughest leg of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.
Affirmed was the last to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, 34 years ago. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two only to come up short in the Belmont, felled by a safety pin picked up in a stall, a stumble out of the gate or a jockey's judgment.
Now it's I'll Have Another's turn to try to become the 12th Triple Crown winner.
The chestnut colt chased down pacesetter Bodemeister in the final 100 yards to win the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Two weeks later, he surged past Bodemeister a few yards from the finish line in the Preakness to win by a neck.
Bodemeister won't be back to challenge I'll Have Another in the Belmont. But 10 other rivals are likely, including Derby also-rans Dullahan, Optimizer and Union Rags. The others are horses that skipped one or both of the first two legs, leaving them well-rested for the 1 1-2 mile run around the deep, sandy dirt track.
"It ain't like the old days where everyone used to run in all three," said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who is 1 for 13 in the Belmont. "It's taxing on the horse to run in all three. If somebody is hiding behind the bushes waiting to jump you when they're all fresh, they can
Smith will be aboard one of the fresh ones in next Saturday's Belmont. He'll ride Paynter, who skipped the Derby and Preakness.
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Racing immortality fleeting at Belmont
When they move in together this summer, the residents of Wolf Willow plan to share cars and weekly dinners. They will walk to the theatre together and to the farmers market on Saturday morning and, perhaps, start their own yoga class in the courtyard. If someone falls and breaks a hip, theres a guest room for a caregiver, and a shower that fits a wheelchair. They will bring meals to each other during illness, and collect mail when anyones away. In the evenings, there will be jam sessions in the music room.
The 36 soon-to-be residents of this Saskatoon residence range in age from the mid-50s to 80, and none of them wanted to go to a retirement home where strangers would live next door and a for-profit company would make the rules. They certainly wanted to avoid a nursing home for as long as possible. So they designed and built their own place to age; this August, Wolf Willow will become the first senior co-housing development in Canada.
Many of us have come through looking after our parents. For many, that meant nursing homes and wrenching demands on all sides, says Margo Day, 64, who with her husband, Ken Wiggins, 61, will leave their acreage outside Saskatoon for Wolf Willow in a couple months. We hope that our senior years might be a little more graceful.
In co-housing arrangements, residents have private apartments and share communal space and resources. The movement began in Denmark in the 1960s, and today Canada has about a dozen family-oriented co-housing locations. But as baby boomers begin to worry about the loneliness and limitations of old age, the burdens they may place on their adult children and even their own ecological footprints, senior co-housing has begun cropping up across Europe and North America. In addition to Wolf Willow, projects are under way in the Sooke community on Vancouver Island, as well as in Chilliwack and Smithers, B.C.
The numbers revealed this week from the 2011 census emphasized how quickly Canada is going grey and how many more Canadian will live into extreme old age. More than a quarter of seniors and nearly half of all Canadian women over the age of 65 live on their own, which research has consistently linked to a higher risk of health problems, particularly falls that lead to lengthy hospital stays or expensive home care.
Research has shown that most elderly Canadians could live independently for longer with just a little help getting groceries, for instance, or a daily check-in, the kind of assistance that an overwhelmed home-care system and faraway adult children often struggle to provide.
Everyone wants to age in place, says Margaret Critchlow, professor emeritus at York University who studies communal living and will be part of the senior co-housing project in Sooke. Ultimately, she says, the draw is building community into her retirement plans. Think how much people devote to their finances. What if we put a similar amount of effort into developing our social portfolios?
We have a lot of seniors who are increasingly cast adrift and warehoused, says Charles Durrett, a California architect who has helped to spearhead the North American co-housing trend and recently published The Senior Co-Housing Handbook. He cites Danish research that has shown that seniors in co-housing eat better and are more active and socially connected factors that can help them live independently for eight to 12 years longer than their more isolated and sedentary peers.
If the government ever wanted to do something to save themselves billions of dollars, Mr. Durrett says, they would help catalyze new projects. Unfortunately, they arent that forward-looking. Governments do boost co-housing initiatives in Denmark and Sweden.
Co-housing projects are specifically designed to construct an instant neighbourhood. The Wolf Willow complex is shaped like a horseshoe, to create casual contact between residences, Mr. Wiggins explains. The 21 accessible and green-friendly private residences open into an airy courtyard; the shared laundry room is beside the communal kitchen so that people can meet serendipitously for coffee. (Unlike in most retirement homes, residents are permitted up to two pets, and there are guest rooms for visiting family members.) The residents will already know each other well they have worked together for four years to design the project.
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Better aging with (social) chemistry
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Optivia Biotechnology Inc., a leader in transporter sciences and in vitro transporter assay services, proudly announces that it has received the 2012 CRO Leadership Award from Life Science Leader Magazine, winning Productivity, Reliability, Regulatory and Accessibility award categories.
Life Science Leader Magazine based the awards upon extensive customer surveys and in-depth interviews of more than 2600 outsourcing-facing biopharmaceutical executives, that were independently conducted by Nice Insight on a quarterly basis to assess the relative qualities of over 100 CROs.
Optivia is honored to receive this award as a validation of our leadership in the increasingly important field of Transporter Sciences, said Yong Huang, Ph.D., president and Chief Executive Officer of Optivia Biotechnology, Optivia has strived to deliver innovation, quality assay service and uncompromised customer support in meeting client needs. It is extremely gratifying that our efforts have been recognized by members of the biopharmaceutical industry we serve.
Optivia is the right company at the right time, added Dominique Bridon, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Optivia, The field of transporter sciences is rapidly growing in light of increasing recognition of its utility in multiple aspects of drug discovery and development, especially in accessing drug-drug interactions (DDI) as evidenced by the recent FDA DDI Guidance (draft).
Optivia will continue to invest in innovation and business practice, delivering clients best-in-class assay services, value-added solution and remarkable client experience," Dr. Huang added.
About Transporter Sciences
Transporter sciences study membrane transporter proteins and their roles in (patho)physiology and pharmacology. Transporters are a class of 300 to 400 membrane proteins that act as natures gatekeepers, regulating trafficking of important endogenous substances and drugs in the body. As such, transporters not only play a vital role in drug response and safety, they can be pursued as therapeutic targets for various diseases.
About Optivia Biotechnology
Based in Menlo Park, CA, Optivia Biotechnology, Inc. is a leader in transporter research and transporter assay services. Optivia develops and provides an array of transporter assays, database and models to help in the discovery and development of drugs with improved safety and efficacy. For more information, visit http://www.optiviabio.com
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Optivia Wins CRO Leadership Award from Life Science Leader
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI), a development stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that results from an ongoing Phase I clinical trial of its lead drug candidate PB272 (neratinib) given in combination with the anticancer drugs paclitaxel and trastuzumab in patients with metastatic HER-2 positive breast cancer were presented in a poster presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2012 Annual Meeting. This trial was sponsored by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), a clinical trials cooperative group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
A phase I dose-escalating study evaluating weekly paclitaxel with neratinib and trastuzumab in women with metastatic HER-2 positive breast cancer, NSABP FB-8.
The goal of the Phase I clinical trial was to determine the maximum tolerated dose of PB272 that could be given in combination with paclitaxel and trastuzumab to patients with metastatic HER-2 positive breast cancer. The study enrolled patients with confirmed HER-2 positive metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer, and documented disease progression following prior treatment with trastuzumab and taxane chemotherapy. Patients were administered PB272 at doses of 120 mg, 160 mg, 200 mg or 240 mg per day, respectively, in combination with paclitaxel given intravenously at a dose of 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 28 day cycle until disease progression and trastuzumab administered intravenously weekly using a 4 mg/kg loading dose, then 2 mg/kg weekly until disease progression.
The results of the study showed that of the 120 mg PB272 dose group, 1 of 3 patients developed a dose limiting toxicity (DLT) consisting of grade 3 diarrhea. Three additional patients were enrolled and none experienced DLT. At PB272 dose levels of 160 mg and 200 mg, there were no DLTs. At the PB272 240 mg dose level, 2 of 3 patients had DLTs involving grade 3 diarrhea. The efficacy results from the trial showed that for the 15 evaluable patients, 8 patients showed clinical activity. This included 1 patient with a complete response (CR) as per the RECIST criteria; 1 patient with non-measurable metastatic disease (skin metastases) who demonstrated a complete resolution of disease; 4 patients with a partial response as per the RECIST criteria; and 2 patients with ongoing stable disease, of whom 1 has been ongoing for over 4 months and 1 has been ongoing for over 10 months.
Alan H. Auerbach, Chief Executive Officer and President of Puma Biotechnology, said, "We are pleased to present the results of this Phase I trial at the ASCO Annual Meeting and to see such a strong indication of efficacy for PB272. In trials of other anti-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitors given in combination with paclitaxel and trastuzumab, the dose of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor needed to be greatly reduced, by as much as 50%, from the dose typically given as a single agent due to tolerability issues.
Based on the results of this trial it appears that we may be able to administer PB272, when it is given in combination with paclitaxel and trastuzumab, at doses very close to the dose typically used when PB272 is administered as a single agent. This could position the drug well against other anti-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitors in various settings, including the neoadjuvant setting. We look forward to continuing to study this combination as we continue to advance PB272 into further development in the HER-2 positive breast cancer population.
About Puma Biotechnology
Puma Biotechnology, Inc. is a development stage biopharmaceutical company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of various forms of cancer. The Company focuses on in-licensing drug candidates that are undergoing or have already completed initial clinical testing for the treatment of cancer and then seeks to further develop those drug candidates for commercial use. The Company is initially focused on the development of PB272 (oral neratinib), a potent irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer.
Further information about Puma Biotechnology can be found at http://www.pumabiotechnology.com.
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Puma Biotechnology Presents Positive PB272 Clinical Data at ASCO 2012 Annual Meeting
Harvard biologists have brought new meaning to the term "fine print" by devising microscopic tiles made of DNA that self-assemble into letters, Chinese characters, emoticons and other shapes.
More than mere doodling, their advance, detailed this week in the journal Nature, could make it easier and cheaper to build tiny DNA devices capable of delivering drugs or aiding the study of biochemistry, scientists said.
"This technique will accelerate the research field of DNA nanotechnology," said Ebbe Sloth Andersen, a researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark who collaborated on an editorial that accompanied the report.
In its usual role as a warehouse for storing genetic information, DNA helps build humans and hummingbirds, maple trees and meerkats all sorts of complex organisms. But as a building material for machines smaller than the smallest bacterium, it has been tough to control.
Since the early 1980s, engineers have experimented with a variety of approaches to create structures out of DNA, including the use of tiles small bricks woven together out of several strands of DNA that could stick to one another and self-assemble into shapes.
But when researchers tried to construct precisely defined shapes, they ran into trouble, said Peng Yin, a systems biologist at Harvard's Wyss Institute in Boston and senior author of the Nature study. The tiles tended to stick together incorrectly, resulting in incomplete structures.
"People thought this couldn't work," Yin said.
But he and his collaborators pressed on, ultimately designing bricks out of single rather than multiple strands of DNA.
The strands each had four sequences of 10 or 11 bases, which could bind to complementary sequences of 10 or 11 bases on other tiles. If all four sequences on the edges of a tile bind with their matching counterparts on neighboring tiles, the tile assumes a rectangular shape.
The scientists programmed the tiles to stack up in a staggered formation, like a miniature brick wall. Then they created shapes by leaving out tiles at certain locations of their 64-by-103-nanometer "molecular canvas."
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Biologists construct self-assembling tiles of DNA
Chyler Leigh
Lexie Grey may have met a painful death on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, but behind the scenes, Chyler Leigh says her departure was a peaceful one.
In a statement to TVLine, Leigh explains her shocking exit from the show after more than five years playing Meredith Grey's half-sister. The 30-year-old actress says she and show creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes collaborated on how Lexie's story ended.
Photos: Remember TV characters we lost this season
"Earlier this year, I made the decision that Season Eight would be my last on Grey's Anatomy. I met with Shonda and we worked together to give Lexie's story appropriate closure. I am very lucky to have worked with this amazing cast and crew for five seasons. My experience on Grey's Anatomy is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I want to take this time to say thank you to the fans. Your unconditional love and support have made these last five years very special for me. I look forward to my next chapter and I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey."
Leigh was one of two cast members who exited the medical drama in the Season 8 finale. Rhimes confirmed that Kim Raver, whose character was fired from Seattle Grace, would not be returning for Season 9.
"I love Chyler and I love the character of Lexie Grey. She was an important member of my Grey's family. This was not an easy decision. But it was a decision that Chyler and I came to together," Rhimes wrote online hours after Leigh's on-screen death. "We had a lot of thoughtful discussion about it and ultimately we both decided this was the right time for her character's journey to end. As far as I'm concerned Chyler will always remain a part of the Shondaland family and I can't wait to work with her again in the future."
Will you miss Lexie Grey?
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Grey's Anatomy's Chyler Leigh: I Made the Decision to Leave
After the postponement of Berlin's new airport, travel fans will have to make do with the maiden voyage of Carnival Breeze this weekend. Then, it's two major Pride events, in Sao Paulo and the World Pride Festival in London, beginning June 17.
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Bands performing at this weekends Wakarusa festival come from all over the world all points of the United States, Israel, Scandinavian countries and more. And as a result, they also have a very complicated travel schedule.
To get artists from the various states and foreign countries to the remote festival grounds, a fleet of nine vehicles and 24 drivers are assembled for the task.
Its a 24-hour per day job, said Nina Carter, the festivals assistant artist transportation director.
Trips from local airports are coordinated to the minute to ensure that artists arrive at the mountainside site on time. A trip to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is 90 minutes round trip, and shuttles usually 15-passenger vans are in constant motion to get to artists to that airport or those in Fort Smith or Little Rock.
Trips are coordinated in attempt to bring as many musicians in the same shuttle as can be arranged.
We try to plan ahead as best as possible, says Carter, who has worked in the music business for years. Although shes at a festival where some 150 bands will perform about 200 sets of music, shell be lucky if she sees one act onstage.
Like an air traffic controller, constant radio updates help her plan a course of action and spreadsheets indicate which band is to be picked up from where.
Even with careful coordination, problems are common. One driver broke his foot, rendering him unable to drive and leaving the transportation team down a man. And after watching last nights first round of artists, at least one band decided to stay and party instead of catching their appointed departure time. Or, perhaps the same can be said about the volunteer drivers, who are spread out along the festival grounds.
Volunteers can oversleep, Carter said, And we dont always know where they camp.
About 50 of the festivals bands require transportation services, as many arrive in tour buses. Still even some of those travelers take advantage of the transportation services, such as the bus drivers, who often drive to the festival site and then sleep in a hotel in Ozark while their bands perform at the festival.
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