A team of multinational scientists developed a technique to produce tiny, nano-sized optical lenses, a breakthrough that may open new possibilities in microscopy and bio-imaging, the researchers said Wednesday. In a study published in peer-review journal Nature, the researchers, led by Kwang Kim, a researcher from the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), said they found that cup-shaped organic molecules, called calyx hydroquinone (CHQ), self-assemble into a lens shape when placed on a surface. The nano-lenses produced in this way could push lens-based magnification to resolve..

Professor Suk Bong Hong (School of Environmental Science and Engineering) and his research group have discovered that PST-1 (POSTECH number 1), the newly named synthetic small-pore zeolite molecular structure, selectively adsorbs hydrogen.The zeolites’ ability to discriminate between molecules of different sizes and shapes has long been recognized. However, examples of selective adsorption of the smallest gases in zeolites are scarce.PST-1, the synthetic small-pore zeolite with the natrolite topology and a potassium gallosilicate composition, was discovered to adsorb only the smallest ga..

In the Steven Spielberg movie A.I., robots not only resemble humans in looks but read their facial expressions, reacting accordingly. With the new technology developed by Professor Daijin Kim (Department of Computer Science and Engineering) and his group, the movie may soon become reality.Automatic expression analysis is difficult because people’s faces vary so much. Existing software could effectively recognize only extreme expressions, which is not particularly helpful in real-life situations. But the system developed by Professor Kim’s team recognizes even slight facial movement..

Astudy revealed that thermosensory neurons of ectotherms affect lifespan at warm temperature by changing the activity of a steroid-signaling pathway that regulates longevity.Professor Seung-Jae Lee (Department of Life Science, School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Division of IT Convergence Engineering) and his team, in collaboration with University of California, San Francisco, discovered that thermosensory neurons of C. elegans (Caenorhabditis elegans), an ectotherm, actively regulates the temperature dependence of lifespan.Many ectotherms, including C. elegans, have sho..

Professor Kyo Han Ahn (Department of Chemistry) and his team, in a joint research with a Yonsei University group, have developed a new probe for mercury that can be used for imaging organs in living organisms.Mercury is a highly toxic and widespread pollutant, but the existing fluorescence probes for it mostly detected only its inorganic forms. The element is commonly found in organic forms which are much more toxic than inorganic mercury as their lipophilicity allows them to cross biological membranes. Consequently, new ways of detecting organic mercury species, particularly in organisms, was..

Professor Moonhor Ree (Department of Chemistry) and his research group, in a joint research with a Dongguk University Medical School team (Professor Heesoo Kim), successfully synthesized new brush polymers. The newly developed brush polymers are suitable for use in biomedical applications including medical devices and biosensors that require biocompatibility and the reduced possibility of post-operative infection.Because cell membranes play an important role protecting the material inside the cell and maintaining the structure and function of the cell, studies on polymer materials that mimic m..

* Link : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/11/123_56084.htmlCarbon nanotubes, known for their remarkable properties that can be used for advanced electronics and materials, appear to have the potential to be used for combating cancer as well, local scientists said Tuesday.A research team led by Kosin University's Lee Sang-ho and Pohang University of Science and Technology's (POSTECH) Choi Hee-cheul claimed to have discovered a method to allow carbon nanotubes to be used as agents for photo-thermal therapy in a study published by peer-reviewed journal, American Chemical Society (ACS..

* Link : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/10/117_52814.htmlPohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has the lowest dropout rate among 188 universities. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Thursday, POSTECH had 17 students give up their studies at the university last year, out of a total of 1,711 ― 1 percent of the total student body. The average dropout rate among institutes of higher education, including 2-year and 3-year colleges, stood at 5 percent. Among those who left their original schools, 44 percent voluntarily withdrew, 33 per..

Mad cow disease made headlines in the early 2000s when 4.4 million cattle in the United Kingdom alone were killed as a precaution against it. Now, there may be a way to not only trace the disease in its incubation period but also medically treat it. Professor Daehee Hwang (School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering) and his group, in collaboration with the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), the McLaughlin Research Institute, the University of California, San Francisco, the Allen Brain Institute, and the European Bioinformatics Institute, have spotted a set of genes that go hay..