Lab
Wonders Make
Periodic Table Obsolete
By
Andrea Widener
A
note to high school students trying to memorize the
periodic table: Look out, it's getting longer. Scientists
from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and a Russian nuclear
research facility announced this week they have created
two new elements, the most recent efforts in the highly
competitive race to add to the periodic table. The elements,
named 115 and 113 for the number of protons in their
nuclei, are so rare they were seen just four times in
a month of collecting data at the Russian Joint Institute
for Nuclear Research. Kenneth Gregorich,
who heads a competing nuclear elements team at Berkeley
Lab, said he was particularly struck by the long life
of element 105, the last element in the chain before
it fell apart in a fission eruption. Full
story.
Fluidigm
Gets Sublicense
For Crystallization Patent
Fluidigm
Corporation and Syrrx, Inc. today announced that Fluidigm
has obtained from Syrrx license rights directed to the
submicroliter crystallization of proteins. The terms
of the agreement were not disclosed. Through its exclusive
license with Berkeley Lab, Syrrx obtained
broad patent protection for the crystallization of proteins
in submicroliter volumes. Fluidigm's non-exclusive license
with Syrrx provides it with freedom to operate relative
to this significant family of patents. Full
story.
Texas
May Pursue
Los Alamos Contract
The
University of Texas has taken a first step toward pursuing
a contract to manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory,
the birthplace of the atomic bomb. "We see this
as an opportunity for service to our state as well as
service to our country and its national security,"
UT Chancellor Mark Yudof said Wednesday. Full
story.
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