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Category: nanotechnology – Page 97

“Astonishing” — Scientists Unveil First Blueprint of the Most Complex Molecular Machine in Human Biology

Scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have developed the first comprehensive blueprint of the human spliceosome, the most complex and intricate molecular machine found in every cell. This groundbreaking achievement, over a decade in the making, was published in the journal Science.

The spliceosome edits genetic messages transcribed from DNA, allowing cells to create different versions of a protein from a single gene. The vast majority of human genes – more than nine in ten – are edited by the spliceosome. Errors in the process are linked to a wide spectrum of diseases including most types of cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and genetic disorders.

The sheer number of components involved and the intricacy of its function has meant the spliceosome has remained elusive and uncharted territory in human biology – until now.

A Cubic Millimeter of a Human Brain Has Been Mapped in Spectacular Detail

See The Human Brain Like Never Before https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/see-human-brain-never.

21 mayo 2024 Unseen details of human brain structure revealed https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-r…-structure.

15 mayo 2024 A Cubic Millimeter of a…

Google scientists have modeled all 150 million connections of a fragment of the human brain at nanoscale resolution.

By Carissa Wong & Nature magazine.

MIT Scientists Develop New Way To Treat the Brain — Without Invasive Implants or Genetic Tweaks

Novel magnetic nanodiscs could provide a much less invasive way of stimulating parts of the brain, paving the way for stimulation therapies without implants or genetic modification, MIT researchers report.

The scientists envision that the tiny discs, which are about 250 nanometers across (about 1/500 the width of a human hair), would be injected directly into the desired location in the brain. From there, they could be activated at any time simply by applying a magnetic field outside the body. The new particles could quickly find applications in biomedical research, and eventually, after sufficient testing, might be applied to clinical uses.

The development of these nanoparticles is described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, in a paper by Polina Anikeeva, a professor in MIT’s departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, graduate student Ye Ji Kim, and 17 others at MIT and in Germany.

Advanced sensing tech can detect lung cancer in your exhaled breath

Researchers have developed a nanoscale sensor that detects lung cancer simply by analyzing the levels of a chemical called isoprene in your breath. The team believes its breakthrough could unlock a non-invasive, low-cost method to catch the disease early, and potentially save a lot of lives.

When the human body breaks down fat in a process called lipolytic cholesterol metabolism, isoprene is released in exhaled breath. As it turns out, a decline in isoprene can indicate the presence of lung cancer. The team, led by researchers at China’s Zhejiang University, leveraged this insight through its work and developed an innovative gas sensing material to create a screening process.

The challenge with spotting biomarkers in breath is that your system needs to be able to differentiate between volatile chemicals, withstand the natural humidity of exhaled breath, and detect tiny quantities of specific chemicals. In the case of isoprene, you’d need sensors capable of detecting levels of the chemical in the parts-per-billion (ppb) range.

World’s brightest X-rays: China set to unveil High-Energy Photon Source

HEPS will transform scientific research by enabling high-energy X-ray probing at the nanoscale.

China is poised to unveil its cutting-edge High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) by year’s end, boasting some of the world’s most powerful synchrotron X-rays.

With a staggering investment of 4.8 billion yuan (approximately US$665 million), this facility marks a significant milestone for Asia, propelling China into the elite league of nations with fourth-generation synchrotron light sources.

Situated in Huairou, near downtown Beijing, the circular HEPS facility is a hive of activity as researchers meticulously calibrate thousands of components. These efforts are geared towards creating a light source capable of delving deep into samples, unveiling their molecular and atomic structures in real-time.

Off the clothesline, on the grid: MXene nanomaterials enable wireless charging in textiles

The next step for fully integrated textile-based electronics to make their way from the lab to the wardrobe is figuring out how to power the garment gizmos without unfashionably toting around a solid battery. Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Accenture Labs in California have taken a new approach to the challenge by building a full textile energy grid that can be wirelessly charged. In their recent study, the team reported that it can power textile devices, including a warming element and environmental sensors that transmit data in real-time.

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