Latest Stanford University Stories

Results from new climate adaptation survey A majority of California's coastal planners and resource managers now view the threats from climate change as sufficiently likely that practical steps on the ground need to be taken to protect against growing threats, according to results from a new survey published by Stanford University's Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) and the California Sea Grant. Survey respondents acknowledge the need to prepare for changes along the coast that might...

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at Stanford University. Their findings are published in the May 27 online edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. "Platinum is very expensive and thus impractical for large-scale commercialization," said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford and co-author of the study....

Excess sun exposure, a diet rich in fish, and gene inheritance from ancient explorers and traders, are all possible theories why some dark-skinned indigenous Solomon Islanders are naturally blonde, according to new research published today in the journal Science. The study, led by Stanford University researchers, found that 5 to 10 percent of the indigenous Solomon population have a gene that is responsible for blondeness. The trait, however, is distinctly different from the gene that...

America's approach to clean energy needs to be reformed if it is to meaningfully affect energy security or the environment, according to two new articles by Stanford writers. The debate over how to fundamentally change the world's massive energy system comes amid taxpayers' $500 million tab for the bankruptcy of Fremont, Calif., solar company Solyndra, the global recession, government budget cuts and plunging U.S. prices for natural gas. Making the change cost-effectively will be crucial,...

FAIRFAX, Va., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Analytic IT Services, LLC (GAITS) received an award from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory operated for the Department of Energy by Stanford University. The GAITS Team will provide Web Development and Technical Services at the SLAC lab in Menlo Park, CA. This marks the tenth DOE laboratory to which GAITS will provide quality IT services. The SLAC Web Development and Technical Services engagement is a firm-fixed price contract...

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI International will demonstrate its Taurus dexterous telemanipulation robot at the Robot Block Party to be held at Stanford University's Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Lab (VAIL) on Wednesday, April 11, from 1 to 6 p.m. The demonstration will feature SRI researchers using an advanced controller with a 3D HD display to guide Taurus in grasping and manipulating objects. SRI designed Taurus for bomb squad technicians to remotely...

New work from the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, with collaborators at Stanford University and five other groups, has pinpointed evolution in action. By determining genomic sequence from many groups of stickleback fish, the scientists were able to show specific genomic changes leading to the ability of different fish populations to adapt to new environments. "We were pleased with the ability of genomics to show us what molecular changes are important in evolutionary processes,"...

Nike Camp Director and the Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Stanford University Edrick Floreal has been named to Team USA's coaching staff for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Floreal will coach the men's jumps as a member of the coaching staff under Men's Head Coach Andrew Valmon. San Rafael, CA (PRWEB) March 30, 2012 Floreal began his career at Stanford coaching the jumpers and continues to provide guidance to that group after being named...

With the rise of global warming also comes the rise in extreme weather predictions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports in their Special Report on Extremes (SREX) that poorer nations with high concentrations of populations are the most at risk in suffering in extreme weather disasters. According to Chris Field, a Stanford University climate scientist, “We mostly experience weather and climate through the extreme. That’s where we have the losses. That’s where...

MENLO PARK, Calif., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI Sarnoff's Iris on the Move (IOM) RapID-Cam II was named Best in Biometrics, Identification and Credentialing by the Security Industry Association (SIA) New Product Showcase (NPS) at ISC West 2012. The IOM RapID-Cam II is a handheld, biometric enrollment and identity verification camera system. The self-contained device can enroll subjects into the database by capturing dual-iris images in less than 30 seconds. Once subjects are...