[Editors] MIT Research Digest - December 2003

[MIT News Office]

MIT RESEARCH DIGEST - December 2003

A monthly tip-sheet for journalists of recent research
advances at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Web version: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/rd
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For more information on Research Digest items, contact:
Elizabeth Thomson, MIT News Office
Phone: (617) 258-5402  *  mailto:thomson at mit.edu

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IN THIS ISSUE:  Fishy Discovery  *  Heart Attack Risk
Education Arcade  *  Data Mining for Materials
Super Supramolecules  *  Multiplying Stem Cells
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FISHY DISCOVERY
Using a tank designed to mimic a turbulent waterway, scientists have 
found that fish use a unique and clever swimming motion to harness 
the energy of eddies in flowing water. By essentially hitching a ride 
and letting these vortices propel them along, the scientists say, 
fish can swim against a current with considerably less exertion than 
is required in calmer settings. The work, reported in the November 28 
issue of Science by researchers from MIT and Harvard, could have many 
engineering applications, from the design of better fish ladders and 
passageways at hydroelectric dams to autonomous underwater vehicles 
capable of negotiating turbulent flows in natural habitats.
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/fish.html

HEART ATTACK RISK
Individuals with a common genetic variation in one of two known 
estrogen receptors have a threefold increase in the risk of having a 
heart attack, MIT researchers reported in the Journal of the American 
Medical Association. Estrogens activate the estrogen receptors, which 
in turn regulate genes for several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk 
factors. The estrogen receptors affect gene expression by both 
estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent mechanisms. Relatively 
little is known, however, about the impact of inherited variation in 
the estrogen receptor genes on CVD risk. This work was supported by 
the NIH (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/heart.html

EDUCATION ARCADE
The Education Arcade, a new initiative involving MIT researchers, 
aims to transform the way video and computer games are used in the 
classroom. The project, led by MIT's Comparative Media Studies 
program (CMS) and the University of Wisconsin's School of Education, 
will develop and coordinate research by scholars, international game 
designers, publishers, educators and policymakers.
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/educade.html

DATA MINING FOR MATERIALS
A computational technique used to predict everything from books that 
a given customer might like to the function of an unknown protein is 
now being applied by MIT engineers and colleagues to the search for 
new materials. The team's ultimate goal: a public online database 
that could aid the design of materials for almost any application, 
from nanostructure computer components to ultralight, high-strength 
alloys for airplanes.
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/datamining.html

SUPER SUPRAMOLECULES
Large molecules composed of subunits designed to perform specific 
tasks can detect pollutants in water, help jets maneuver at high 
speeds and improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines, 
Professor of Chemistry Daniel Nocera said at an MIT Earth System 
Initiative seminar recently. Nocera's laboratory creates novel 
techniques and devices based on these supramolecules for chemical and 
physical sensing from the nanoscale to the megascale.
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/nocera.html

MULTIPLYING STEM CELLS
In a finding that may help create unlimited quantities of 
therapeutically valuable adult stem cells,  MIT professor James 
Sherley fortified adult rat liver stem cells with a metabolite that 
allows them to multiply like embryonic stem cells. In the absence of 
the metabolite, the cells revert to acting like normal adult stem 
cells, which produce differentiating cells without increasing their 
own numbers. Embryonic stem cells can become virtually any human 
tissue or organ, offering potentially powerful treatments for damaged 
or diseased organs, spinal injuries, and more.
MORE: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/sherley.html

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Published by the News Office  *  Massachusetts Institute of Technology