National Science Foundation: Discoveries

NSF Discoveries

• How Did Life Begin?
  

  Georgia Tech professor Nicholas Hud and his students discover new evidence advancing the theory that certain small molecules may have acted as "molecular midwives" to help the first RNA and DNA molecules to form
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117380&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Customizing Science Instruction With Digital Libraries
  

  Animations, images and interactive media help engage Denver students in earth science
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117294&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Scientists Take Aim at Website Hackers
  

  With NSF support, a team of computer scientists is using a novel, two-pronged approach to protect websites from hackers
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117354&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• New Gene Sequencing Method Could Reduce Cost, Increase Speed
  

  Researchers are developing a new kind of DNA sequencer that will make the dream of "reading" a person's genetic code for less than $1,000 a reality
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117318&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Soccer Stars Ranked Using Statistics
  

  Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a computer program that objectively measures player performance; the research method also could be used by companies to measure the performance of employees on project teams
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117231&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Scientists Eavesdrop on Bacteria Conversation
  

  The discovery of how bacteria communicate may lead to new types of antibiotics and ways of improving actions of good bacteria
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117183&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Measuring the Intersection of Two Worlds
  

  How "spooky" quantum mechanical laws may affect everyday objects
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117254&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• As Corals Die Off, Scientists Watch for Signs of Evolution
  

  Biologist Mikhail Matz uses next-generation sequencers and a massive, NSF-supported supercomputer to study corals at the genomic level and look for evolutionary changes
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117130&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Insects Inspire Robot Design
  

  With NSF support, Oregon State University professor John Schmitt and his colleagues look to nature’s running machines as locomotion models for future robots that can easily run over rough surfaces
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117087&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Scientists Grow Cells in 3-D Using Magnetic Fields
  

  The new technique yields 3-D cells that more closely resemble those inside the body and could led to improvements in early drug screenings
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117047&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Researchers Hunt Down Antarctic Microbes
  

  Scientists from Louisiana State University look for signs of microbial life in Antarctica's glaciers
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117005&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Mass Animal Extinctions, Not Climate Change, Caused Major Shifts in Plant Communities
  

  NSF-supported researchers investigate a connection between the disappearance of certain plant communities and the late-Pleistocene extinction of large mammal species in North America
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116971&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• 'Lost' Ladybugs Found Again in South Dakota
  

  Research entomologist Louis Hesler takes readers along as he and others search for types of ladybugs that were once common but have become extremely rare in eastern North America
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116926&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Humans Have a Lot to Learn From Bonobos, Scientists Say
  

  Duke University Assistant Professor Brian Hare and colleagues study the behavior of bonobos, apes that are genetically close to humans
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116843&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.
  
  

• Computers Could Make Better Drugs
  

  Using the NSF-funded Ranger supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, Pengyu Ren is working to develop faster, cheaper ways to search for new drugs
  More at http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116881&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1

  
  This is an NSF Discoveries item.