Tag Archives: lasers

There’s more to gene expression than biochemistry

At a guess, ninety-nine percent of biologists’ attention to DNA and gene expression is based on biochemistry. That’s good, since the biochemistry is obviously important and difficult enough to analyze. However, there is something else – it’s called physics. Cells, cell components, and DNA all exist in the physical world and therefore are also affected [...]
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The labile laser: multibeam and multifunction

One of the major uses of laser technology is in sensor devices. Typically, a beam of laser light (usually of a single wavelength) is passed through a medium such as air and various properties can be measured by spectroscopic techniques such as absorption, emission, or scattering. This type of sensor can be used for monitoring [...]
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Lasers make nanoyarn

Add another ‘nano’ contraction to the list: Nanoyarn. In this case, the ‘yarn’ is composed of nanotubes created from boron nitride. (Boron nitride is what makes ‘clown white’ white.) The word yarn is suggestive of possible uses and reasonably accurate. The new nanoyarn, manufactured for the first time by the U.S. Department of Energy Jefferson [...]
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