Research Magazine

mars update thumbWhen the Phoenix Mars spacecraft reached the Red Planet, fields of giant boulders threatened to destroy the lander on touchdown. ASU Mars researchers helped guide the lander to a safe, boulder-free spot using the Thermal Emissions Imaging System (THEMIS).

Direct democracy is all about asking the public to decide which programs are worthy of funding and which are not. But Daniel Sarewitz says this is an absurd way to fund science. --by Nicholas Gerbis

So you want to build a better baseball player. How do you proceed? Maybe you'd combine the hitting eye of Alex Rodriguez with the fielding range of Derek Jeter. ASU robotics expert Tom Sugar is building a better ballplayer with a four-wheel drive transmission and a camera with a zoom lens. --by Skip Derra

Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot! Everyone remembers the childhood rhyme. But is it true? ASU nutritionist Donna Winham tested the theory. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry

If you want to understand how likely doctors are to use information technology, look at how they get paid. --by Carrie Barnett

A male jumping spider cannot hide his intentions. A brilliant red face signals that the spider is in search of a mate.

Daphnia eat algae, and fish eat daphnia. Big fish eat the little fish, and people eat the big fish. If there are pollutants in the water, they can build up with each successive meal. The process is called bioaccumulation. ASU researchers want to know if nanomaterials are subject to this buildup. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry

Plants need sunlight to produce energy, but too much light can injure or kill them. Plants use a sophisticated process to defend against this damage. ASU scientists designed a molecule that mimics this process in order to understand adaptive self-regulation, a critical feature for advancing nanotechnology. --by Skip Derra

In the world of birds, where fancy can be as fleeting as flight, the color of the bird apparently has a profound effect on more than just its image. A new study of barn swallows reveals it also affects the bird's physiology. --by Skip Derra

Could nanomaterials be toxic to humans? ASU scientists are using a filter membrane system that mimics the small intestine to find out. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry