If we want to reach Mars, we may have to upgrade our DNA.
Category: biotech/medical – Page 2,356
Theoretical spin battery could see magnet powered cars
Circa 2009
March 19, 2009 Researchers at the University of Miami and at the Universities of Tokyo and Tohoku, Japan, have been able to prove the existence of a “spin battery,” that could have significant applications including much faster, less expensive and use less energy consuming computer hard drives with no moving parts, and could even be developed to power cars.
A “spin battery” is “charged” by applying a large magnetic field to nano-magnets in a device called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Like a toy car, the spin battery is “wound up” by applying a large magnetic field — no chemistry involved.
The secret behind this technology is the use of nano-magnets to induce an electromotive force. It uses the same principles as those in a conventional battery, except in a more direct fashion. The energy stored in a battery, be it in an iPod or an electric car, is in the form of chemical energy. When something is turned “on” there is a chemical reaction, which occurs and produces an electric current. The new technology converts the magnetic energy directly into electrical energy, without a chemical reaction. The electrical current made in this process is called a spin polarized current and finds use in a new technology called “spintronics.” Also known as magnetoelectronics, this is an emerging technology, which exploits the intrinsic spin of electrons and its associated magnetic movement, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-state devices.
Scientists discover first new HIV strain in nearly two decades
The strain is a part of the Group M version of HIV-1, the same family of virus subtypes to blame for the global HIV pandemic, according to Abbott Laboratories, which conducted the research along with the University of Missouri, Kansas City. The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
2019’s Allen Distinguished Investigators will focus on the mysteries of our cells
The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, a division of Seattle’s Allen Institute, is making a total of $7.5 million in awards to its latest class of five biomedical researchers.
The themes for this year’s Allen Distinguished Investigators focus on stem cell therapies and single-cell interactions in their native environments.
“The field of stem cell biology has the potential to change how we treat diseases by helping precision medicine, and there’s so much we still don’t understand about the interplay between cells in living tissues or organs,” Kathy Richmond, director of the Frontiers Group, said today in a news release.
A Second Woman Has Gotten Parasitic Eye Worms, and Surely We’re All Next
A species of worm that can infect human eyes has done it again, and this time it chose a 68-year-old woman from Nebraska. The woman is thought to be only the second human victim of these worms ever documented. But the incident signals they could become an emerging parasitic disease in the U.S.
The disturbing details of the case were laid out in a paper published this October in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The woman’s doctors, as well as researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contributed to the paper.
A slice of artificial liver mimics how a real liver reacts to drugs
A lab-grown liver stand-in may better predict bad responses to drugs than animal testing does.
A human “liver chip” — liver cells grown on a membrane along with several types of supporting cells — formed structures reminiscent of bile ducts and reacted to drugs similarly to intact livers, researchers report November 6 in Science Translational Medicine. Similar rat and dog liver chips also processed drugs like normal livers in those species, allowing scientists to compare human liver cells’ reactions to drugs to those of the other species.
Rats, dogs and other animals are often used to test whether drugs are toxic to humans before the drugs are given to people. But a previous study found that the animal tests correctly identified only 71 percent of drug toxicities.
Can we stop aging? A conversation with biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey
Today we’re going to talk to the godfather of longevity, Aubrey de Grey, in the most ironic of settings – a pub in London. Over a beer, Aubrey explains why he believes that many of the typical health practices, such as drinking a lot of water, are myths and what he has discovered about slowing down the aging process. He reckons that in as little as 17 years, aging will no longer be a concern, and he supports this radical standpoint with some fascinating research. He talks about the idea that health is an integral part of longevity and that the seven pillars of aging need to be addressed simultaneously.