Lifeboat Foundation

Biosensors are artificial molecular complexes designed to detect the presence of target chemicals or even biomolecules. Consequently, biosensors have become important in diagnostics and synthetic cell biology. However, typical methods for engineering biosensors focus on optimizing the interactions between static binding surfaces, and current biosensor designs can only recognize structurally well-defined molecules, which can be too rigid for “real-life” biology.

“We developed a novel computational approach for designing protein-peptide ligand binding and applied it to engineer cell-surface chemotactic receptors that reprogrammed cell migration,” says EPFL professor Patrick Barth. “We think that our work could broadly impact the design of protein binding and cell engineering applications.”

The new biosensors developed by Barth’s group can sense flexible compounds and trigger complex cellular responses, which open up new possibilities for biosensor applications. The researchers created a computational framework, which is a computer-based system, for designing protein complexes that can change their shape and function dynamically—as opposed to the conventional static approaches. The framework can look at previously unexplored protein sequences to come up with new ways for the protein’s groups to be activated, even in ways that are different to their natural function.

California NanoSystems Institute News Member News May 15, 2023 | Quantum physics proposes a new way to study biology – and the results could revolutionize our understanding of how life works.

Exploring the potential of ChatGPT in the fields of biology and environmental science, this research paper investigates the implications and applications of using ChatGPT for advancing knowledge and understanding in these domains.

Including space.

The DARPA Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program aims to address foundational scientific questions to determine how well industrial bio-manufacturing microorganisms perform in space conditions. http://ow.ly/3Nya50On2za

Coating implantable electronics in the polymer PEDOT can extend their life, which could make cyborgs more common in the future.

Researchers have developed a special polymer coating for electronics implants that make them less abrasive to biological tissue.

In January 2019, China made history by becoming the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. As part of this mission, the Chang’e-4 lunar rover carried a small biosphere with six living organisms, including cotton seeds. While the other plants in the biosphere died quickly, the cotton seeds produced a small plant, which grew two leaves before it died. Researchers then created a 3D simulation of the cotton plant using data from the experiment, which revealed that the cotton plant grew much better than expected before it died from the cold.

This experiment marked the first time that humans have attempted to grow plants on the moon. Growing plants in space is an important part of NASA’s vision of long-term space travel. If astronauts are to embark on missions lasting months or years, they will need fresh produce to supplement their diet. While vitamins and other supplements are effective for short-term missions, the nutrients in supplements and ready-made meals can break down over time. Radiation in space can speed up this process. In addition, fresh vegetables would give astronauts more nutrients and improve the taste of their food. Furthermore, growing plants in space would enable astronauts to have access to fresh, uncooked food, reducing their reliance on pre-cooked meals.

However, growing plants in space is not just about ensuring astronauts have access to fresh food. NASA is also interested in how growing plants can impact the psychological well-being of astronauts. Studies have shown that access to plants and green spaces can have a positive impact on mental health, and astronauts on the International Space Station have reported that fresh flowers and gardens can create a beautiful atmosphere and make them feel more connected to Earth.

😗😁

Imagine having a building made of stacks of bricks connected by adaptable bridges. You pull a knob that modifies the bridges and the building changes functionality. Wouldn’t it be great?

A team of researchers led by Prof. Aitor Mugarza, from the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and ICREA, together with Prof. Diego Peña from the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials of the University of Santiago de Campostela (CiQUS-USC), Dr. Cesar Moreno, formerly a member of ICN2’s team and currently a researcher at the University of Cantabria, and Dr. Aran Garcia-Lekue, from the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and Ikerbasque Foundation, has done something analogous, but at the single-atom scale, with the aim of synthesizing new carbon-based materials with tunable properties.

Continue reading “Engineering graphene-based quantum circuits with atomic precision” »

In recent decades, engineers have created a wide range of robotic systems inspired by animals, including four legged robots, as well as systems inspired by snakes, insects, squid and fish. Studies exploring the interactions between these robots and their biological counterparts, however, as still relatively rare.

Researchers at Peking University and China Agricultural University recently set out to explore what happens when live fish are placed in the same environment as a robotic fish. Their findings, published in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, could both inform the development of fish-inspired robots and shed some new light on the behavior of real fish.

“Our research team has been focusing on the development of self-propelled robotic fish for a considerable amount of time,” Dr. Junzhi Yu, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Tech Xplore. “During our field experiments, we observed an exciting phenomenon where live fish were observed following the swimming robotic fish. We are eager to further explore the underlying principles behind this phenomenon and gain a deeper understanding of this ‘fish following’ behavior.”

Three university teams will explore and take initial steps to mitigate risks associated with manufacturing capabilities that rely on biological processes in space. The DARPA Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program aims to address foundational scientific questions to determine how well industrial bio-manufacturing microorganisms perform in space conditions.