Engineers observe motion of E. coli

Yale engineers have for the first time directly observed and tracked the motion of E. coli bacteria and have confirmed speculations that the bacteria move in periodic orbits that resemble the motion of a kayak paddle. Their findings appear online in the Sept. 29 edition of Physical Review Letters.

Researchers explore hormone leptin

A Yale study have reported a novel explanation for how the hormone leptin, which is critical to food uptake and metabolism, acts in the body. The study, published in the journal Cell, finds that leptin regulates bone mass and suppresses appetite by acting through serotonin pathways, rather than through the hypothalamus, as was previously thought.

Yale chemists to help fight climate change, energy crises

Yale chemists and engineers are set to begin work within five new federally-funded Energy Frontier Research Centers devoted to combatting climate change and the growing energy crises. Funding for the center, which comes from The Department of Energy and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, begins this month. The government will provide a total investment of $777 million over five years to fund the centers.