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Monday January 14, 2013 Daily edition   News and Blog Headlines How to convert connective tissue directly into neurons Largest spiral galaxy in known universe Have astronomers found chemical precursor to life in gas clouds? First nanodiamond arrays created by biological molecules Latest News How to convert connective tissue directly into neurons January 14, 2013   Repression of a single protein in ordinary fibroblasts (connective tissue) is sufficient to directly convert them into functional neurons, scientists in the U.S. and China have discovered. The findings could have far-reaching implications for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In recent years, scientists have dramatically advanced the ability to … more… Largest spiral galaxy in known universe January 14, 2013   Astronomers have crowned the spectacular barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 the largest-known spiral galaxy in the known universe, based on archival data from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, on loan to the California Institute of Technology, By analyzing the distribution of energy by wavelength, the team uncovered a distinct pattern of stellar age along … more… Have astronomers found chemical precursor to life in gas clouds? January 14, 2013   Astronomers have found tentative traces of a precursor chemical to the building blocks of life near a star-forming region about 1,000 light-years from Earth, Space.com reports. The signal from the molecule, hydroxylamine, which is made up of atoms of nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, still needs to be verified. But, if confirmed, it would mean scientists … more… First nanodiamond arrays created by biological molecules January 14, 2013   An international team has used biological self-assembly to build nanodiamond arrays, MIT Technology Review reports. One of the most promising ways to capture, generate and manipulate photons for quantum computing is with tiny diamonds. The secret is to create nanodiamonds with a defect in their structure where a nitrogen atom has taken the place of … more… Visit KurzweilAI.net You are currently subscribed to the KurzweilAI.net newsletter as *|EMAIL|* To unsubscribe, please click here. To change your email preferences, please click here. *|LIST:ADDRESS|*.