Scientists have created tiny disk-shaped particles that can swim on their own when hit with light, akin to microscopic robots that move through a special liquid without any external motors or propellers.
Published in Advanced Functional Materials, the work shows how these artificial swimmers could one day be used to deliver cargo in a variety of fluidic situations, with potential applications in drug delivery, water pollutant clean-up, or the creation of new types of smart materials that change their properties on command.
“The essential new principles we discovered—how to make microscopic objects swim on command using simple materials that undergo phase transitions when exposed to controllable energy sources—pave the way for applications that range from design of responsive fluids, controlled drug delivery, and new classes of sensors, to name a few,” explained lead researcher Juan de Pablo.
RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey today published the first map of the prospective locations of naturally-occurring geologic hydrogen resources in the contiguous United States, reflecting a systematic analysis of geologic conditions favorable for hydrogen that draws on a newly developed methodology.
Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers report that fossilized entomopathogenic fungi from mid-Cretaceous amber reveal some of the oldest direct evidence of parasitic relationships between fungi and insects, suggesting that Ophiocordyceps fungi originated approximately 133 million years ago and underwent early host shifts that shaped their evolution.
Advances in biosensor technology have the potential to enable continuous, non-invasive monitoring of kidney health through wearable and implantable systems. Non-invasive microfluidic systems have demonstrated utility in the detection of kidney-relevant biomarkers in peripheral body fluids such as sweat, interstitial fluid, tears and saliva, whereas implantable systems permit the direct measurement of biophysical tissue properties including tissue oxygenation, perfusion and temperature.
“That’s a substantial chunk of neuroscientists who think there’s a very real chance that it will work,” said neuroscientist Dr Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston to IFLScience.
Alcohol is notoriously bad for health, and a recent study might add “long-term effects on brain health” to the growing list of ways drinking can cause harm.
The research, led by scientists at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, investigated the impact of regular drinking by examining brain autopsy data from 1,781 individuals, correlating findings with their reported drinking habits.
After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical variables, like smoking and physical activity, the team found that the heaviest drinkers had a 133 percent higher risk of developing vascular brain lesions compared to non-drinkers.
The advance warning period is key for this sort of voluntary program, especially one counting on participation from hyperscale data centers with sensitive IT equipment worth billions, Kavulla said.
“This should not be the kind of demand response where you’re calling it with no notice and curtailing the customer straight off,” he said.