Sonic aim: Sound-activated cancer drugs to reduce healthy cell collateral damage
From California Institute of Technology 21/09/23 Chemotherapy as a treatment for cancer is one of the major medical success stories of the 20th century, but it’s far from perfect. Anyone who has been through chemotherapy or who has had a friend or loved one go through it will be familiar with its many side effects: […]
Does a brain in a dish have moral rights?
From Cortical Labs 20/09/23 No longer limited to the realm of science fiction, bio-computing is here, so now is the time to start considering how to research and apply this technology responsibly, an international group of experts says. The inventors of DishBrain have partnered with bioethicists and medical researchers to map such a framework to […]
Itching for data: Sensor measures scratching intensity to help improve eczema treatments
From Carnegie Mellon University 20/09/23 Akhil Padmanabha knows about itching. His chronic itching caused by severe eczema was so debilitating that he was hospitalized twice and had to be home-schooled during most of his high school years. Itch so impacted his life that, as an undergraduate, he contemplated becoming a psychologist so he could help […]
Blossoming movement: Dynamic plants inspire artificial actuators
From Tsinghua University Press 20/09/23 Scientists are looking to plant tissues that are capable of motion to inspire the design and fabrication of artificial actuators. These bioinspired actuators hold significant potential in applications, such as soft robotics, prosthetics, and smart biomedical devices. A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has published a perspective […]
Tall buildings could be built quicker and more cheaply if damping models were correct
From University of Bristol 20/09/23 Multi-storey buildings are assembled over cautiously to withstand wind strengths, researchers have found. This is because there are several difficulties in estimating damping – the method of removing energy in order to control vibratory motion like noise and mechanical oscillation, accurately in high-rise buildings. The findings, published today in the […]
Tiny sea creatures reveal the ancient origins of neurons
From Center for Genomic Regulation 20/09/23 A study in the journal Cell sheds new light on the evolution of neurons, focusing on the placozoans, a millimetre-sized marine animal. Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona find evidence that specialized secretory cells found in these unique and ancient creatures may have given rise to […]
Novel stretchable miniature antenna could make wearable devices more compact
From Optica 19/09/23 Researchers have developed a new method for making tiny stretchable antennas from a hydrogel and liquid metal. The antennas could be used in wearable and flexible wireless electronic devices to provide a link between the device and external systems for power delivery, data processing and communication. “Using our new fabrication approach, we […]
New heart simulator to improve treatment of cardiac diseases
From Politecnico di Milano 19/09/23 A mathematical and computational model of the human heart entirely developed at Politecnico di Milano and designed for studying coronary artery disease. This is the focus of research published in the prestigious journal Nature Scientific Reports, entitled ‘A comprehensive mathematical model for cardiac perfusion’. The project was born from collaboration […]
Revolutionising brain monitoring and stimulation with thin-film neural electrodes
From Tokyo Institute of Technology 18/09/23 Flexible thin-film electrodes placed directly on brain tissue show promise for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, as demonstrated recently by scientists at Tokyo Tech. Thanks to an innovative yet straightforward design, these durable electrodes accurately match the mechanical properties of brain tissue, leading to better performance during electrocorticography […]
Sweet heat: Storing thermal energy in sweeteners
From Tokyo Institute of Technology 19/09/23 As we seek more efficient utilization of waste thermal energy, use of “phase change materials (PCMs)” is a good option. PCMs have a large latent heat capacity and the ability to store-and-release heat as they change from one state of matter to another. Among many PCMs, sugar alcohols (SAs), […]