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     Hot Stuff

Superbursts, energetic thermonuclear explosions on neutron stars, occur rarely but more often than models predicted. Hendrik Schatz, Ed Brown, and colleagues calculated a more accurate description of the stars’ crusts, tracking nuclear reactions in the ashes of regular X-ray bursts for the first time. Their more realistic model shows that the reactions release more energy than previously thought, making the crust hotter and the superbursts more frequent.

The poor fire loss record in the U.S. stems partly from a lack of rational fire safety design approaches and also from fire problems associated with many new construction materials. In a lab with a sophisticated furnace that can generate heat up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, Venkatesh Kodur studies fire and its effects on materials and structural systems like beams, columns, and slabs to find ways to improve design methods and materials under extreme fire environment.

High tunnels—unheated, plastic-covered structures—over crops trap heat, extending the growing season, and protect plants from elements and even disease. When Eric Hanson used the tunnels to grow fall raspberries, both yield and quality increased. Tests with other crops, including cherries and blackberries, will help growers decide if investing in the structures will pay off and how to use them most effectively.

James Trosko and colleagues identified human adult stem cells with a molecular marker, Oct-4, and showed that they are the target cells for human cancers. The team also found that polycyclic hydrocarbons, produced by burning tobacco or grilling meat, can trigger proliferation of a mutated human pancreatic stem cell by interfering with the ability of cells to communicate with each other. Their discovery may yield new strategies for cancer prevention and treatment.

Using lasers with rapid, ultra-short pulses, Marcos Dantus and colleagues can manipulate molecules in less time than it takes the atoms to move. The ability of their smart laser technology to analyze any chemical compound may detect hazardous agents in food or water, reveal the chemical changes that cause side effects of medications, or show how blood components change in the course of illness and speed up diagnoses.

Ed Brown, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), 517-355-9200x2420

Marcos Dantus, professor of chemistry, 517-355-9715x314

Eric Hanson, professor of horticulture, 517-355-5191x1386

Venkatesh Kodur, professor of civil and environmental engineering, 517-353-9813

Hendrik Schatz, professor of physics and astronomy, NSCL, 517-355-9672x397

James Trosko, professor of pediatrics and human development, 517-432-3100x188