Measuring Changes in the Atmospheric Neutrino Rate over Gigayear Timescales.

Measuring the cosmic ray flux over timescales comparable to the age of the Solar System, ∼4.5  Gyr, could provide a new window on the history of the Earth, the Solar System, and even our Galaxy. We present a technique to indirectly measure the rate of cosmic rays as a function of time using the imprints of atmospheric neutrinos in "paleo-detectors," natural minerals that record damage tracks from nuclear recoils.

Direct Imaging of the Induced-Fit Effect in Molecular Self-Assembly.

Molecular recognition is a crucial driving force for molecular self-assembly. In many cases molecules arrange in the lowest energy configuration following a lock-and-key principle. When molecular flexibility comes into play, the induced-fit effect may govern the self-assembly.