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Oct 27, 2023

DNA Origami nanoturbine sets new horizon for nanomotors

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

A collaborative team of researchers led by prof. Cees Dekker at TU Delft, in partnership with international colleagues, introduces a pioneering breakthrough in the world of nanomotors – the DNA origami nanoturbine. This nanoscale device could represent a paradigm shift, harnessing power from ion gradients or electrical potential across a solid-state nanopore to drive the turbine into mechanical rotations.

  • A 25-nanometer DNA nanoturbine, driven by water flow, spins up to 20 revolutions per second.
  • Ion-sensitive rotation offers unique applications like targeted drug delivery.
  • Oct 27, 2023

    How director Nathaniel Kahn brought the James Webb Space Telescope to IMAX with ‘Deep Sky’

    Posted by in categories: energy, media & arts, space

    “There is this kind of power the images have. It really isn’t from us. We’re creating the context in which you can appreciate them, but we’re not forcing it,” Kahn said.

    In the background, award-winning actress Michelle Williams narrates what we see, which, Kahn admits, was a bit of a deviation from his usual filmmaking blueprint.

    “Many of my films are done just through putting together interviews with people or encounters with people,” he said. Or in other words, there is no doctored narrative.

    Oct 27, 2023

    New quantum computing architecture achieves electron charge qubit with 0.1 millisecond coherence time

    Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

    Coherence stands as a pillar of effective communication, whether it is in writing, speaking or information processing. This principle extends to quantum bits, or qubits, the building blocks of quantum computing. A quantum computer could one day tackle previously insurmountable challenges in climate prediction, material design, drug discovery and more.

    A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has achieved a major milestone toward future quantum computing. They have extended the time for their novel type of qubit to an impressive 0.1 milliseconds—nearly a thousand times better than the previous record.

    The research was published in Nature Physics.

    Oct 27, 2023

    ‘We could see it happening before our eyes’: research shows how cancer cells resist chemotherapy

    Posted by in category: biotech/medical

    A study in human cell lines reveals cancer cells can activate a force-generating mechanism to survive a cancer therapy.

    Oct 27, 2023

    Pigeons problem-solve similarly to artificial intelligence, research shows

    Posted by in category: robotics/AI

    I think crows are probably smarter. But we probably arent up to being able to reverse engineer brains of crows. Maybe just playing around at it.

    Present list i believe is: 1. lab mice; 2. lab rats; 3. crows; 4. octopi; 5. pigs; 6. chimps; ending on the human brain.


    The intelligent birds, thought to be a nuisance by some, learn from consequences and can recognize resemblance between objects.

    Oct 27, 2023

    New software tool provides a way for safer design of genome editing

    Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, food, genetics

    A team of researchers has developed a software tool called DANGER (Deleterious and ANticipatable Guides Evaluated by RNA-sequencing) analysis that provides a way for the safer design of genome editing in all organisms with a transcriptome. For about a decade, researchers have used the CRISPR technology for genome editing. However, there are some challenges in the use of CRISPR. The DANGER analysis overcomes these challenges and allows researchers to perform safer on-and off-target assessments without a reference genome. It holds the potential for applications in medicine, agriculture, and biological research.

    Their work is published in the journal Bioinformatics Advances on August 23, 2023.

    Genome editing, or gene editing, refers to technologies that allow researchers to change the genomic DNA of an organism. With these technologies, researchers can add, remove or alter genetic material in the genome.

    Oct 27, 2023

    Lactobacillus iners in tumors: Driving chemoradiation resistance via lactate-induced metabolic rewiring

    Posted by in category: biotech/medical

    Cell Press


    In a recent study published in Cancer Cell, researchers combined deep microbial sequencing and targeted culturing of bacteria with in vitro assessments to investigate tumor and gut microbiome traits that impact chemoradiation therapy in patients with cervical cancer.

    Study: Tumor-resident Lactobacillus iners confer chemoradiation resistance through lactate-induced metabolic rewiring. Image Credit: Prrrettty/Shutterstock.com.

    Continue reading “Lactobacillus iners in tumors: Driving chemoradiation resistance via lactate-induced metabolic rewiring” »

    Oct 27, 2023

    F5 Issues Warning: BIG-IP Vulnerability Allows Remote Code Execution

    Posted by in category: futurism

    ⚡ Urgent — F5 warns of a critical vulnerability (CVE-2023–46747) in BIG-IP, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution.

    Oct 27, 2023

    Crack vaccine research on rats could help babies of mothers who use cocaine—and reduce addiction

    Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

    UFMG-V4N2 proved effective in producing antibodies and making them block the passage of cocaine into the brain, which means that the vaccinated animals have a reduced perception of the drug’s effect: a very important advantage in a treatment.

    This blockage occurs in the following way: we have a “protective shield” called the blood-brain barrier, which prevents toxic elements, viruses or bacteria from entering the brain, but because the cocaine molecule is very small, it manages to pass through this barrier.

    The vaccine stimulates the production of antibodies, which bind to the drug molecules, increasing their weight and size and thus preventing them from getting past the protective shield. The cocaine is retained in the blood, but as it is bound to the antibody, it doesn’t act on the heart or arteries either, which means the risk of overdoses is reduced.

    Continue reading “Crack vaccine research on rats could help babies of mothers who use cocaine—and reduce addiction” »

    Oct 27, 2023

    Adapting Ritalin to tackle cocaine abuse

    Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, health, neuroscience

    Cocaine use continues to be a public health problem, yet despite concerted efforts, no drugs have been approved to resolve cocaine addiction. Research suggests that the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) could serve as a cocaine-replacement therapy, but clinical results have been mixed. Although several labs have produced MPH derivatives for testing, parts of the molecule remained chemically inaccessible. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have cleared that hurdle.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5 million Americans reported actively using cocaine in 2020, and almost 25,000 Americans died of a cocaine-related overdose in 2021. Although small-molecule drugs have proven effective in treating other drug addictions—for example, methadone as a therapy for heroin abuse—no such medication exists for cocaine abuse.

    MPH has been considered a potential treatment because it behaves similarly to the illicit drug, increasing dopamine levels in the brain by blocking dopamine reuptake. Additionally, have shown that MPH has a lower risk of abuse than cocaine.