Science in Action - UNICEF

Samara Aerospace is focused on Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control, technology that includes small piezoelectric actuators in the hinges of deployable solar panels to improve satellite pointing accuracy. Credit: Samara Aerospace SAN FRANCISCO – NASA awarded a $1.3 million contract to Samara Aerospace to demonstrate hardware and software for the company’s attitude-control technology in a laboratory setting.

For scientists studying the ocean, finding the right data can sometimes be as challenging as figuring out what to do with it. Want to know seafloor depth, the location of underwater mountains or sea surface temperatures? The information exists, but it can take considerable time and computer coding to pull it together from different sources and get it into the proper format.

Scientists have long been interested in cellular nanodiscs, tiny particles made from natural cell membranes that mimic many of the functions of living cells. While previous studies demonstrated the therapeutic potential of nanodiscs for drug delivery, detoxification and vaccines, one fundamental question remained unanswered: How does size influence how well they work?