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Dec 22, 2022

Transparent ‘Grätzel’ solar cells achieve a new efficiency record

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

EPFL

According to a report by Euronews, researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have discovered a way to create transparent photosensitizers, molecules that can be activated by light and adsorb light across the entire visible light spectrum. Previous versions of DSCs were largely dependent on direct sunlight.

Dec 22, 2022

Billionaires are investing in brain-computer-interface systems. Here’s why

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

The technology has significantly progressed in the past 50 years.

Earlier this month, we reported that Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos-backed foundations (Gates Frontier and Bezos Expeditions) joined other companies.

Continue reading “Billionaires are investing in brain-computer-interface systems. Here’s why” »

Dec 22, 2022

Virtual reality can work for those with one functional eye

Posted by in categories: internet, virtual reality

Modern-day headsets and apps could be the key.

Virtual reality (VR) may soon be the way we use the internet. There are misconceptions about who can and cannot use the technology. Trying out headsets and apps is a great way to know if the technology suits your needs.

If you or someone you know only has one functional eye, and this has been keeping you away from exploring the world of virtual reality, then here’s a little surprise for you. VR experiences are not majorly affected if you do not use both of your eyes.

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Dec 22, 2022

Ancient Mars did not have atmospheric oxygen, claims new research

Posted by in category: space

That does not mean the planet did not have life.

A new experimental study conducted by Washington University in St. Louis is defeating any hope that scientists have had that atmospheric oxygen once existed on the Red Planet, according to a press release by the institution published on Thursday.

Instead, the scientists have found that under Mars-like conditions, manganese oxides can be readily formed without any presence of atmospheric oxygen.

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Dec 22, 2022

Scientists can now “see” things without “looking” at them using a new quantum technique

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

“We also demonstrated that even very low-power microwave pulses can be detected efficiently using our protocol.”

A team of scientists has devised a means of using quantum mechanics to “view” objects indirectly. The new method could improve measurements for quantum computers and other systems. It brings together the quantum and classical worlds.

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Dec 22, 2022

In a first, scientists produced male and female cells from a single person

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, sex

It will provide a better understanding of how drugs affect men and women differently.

Scientists created male and female cells with the same genetic code from the same person for the first time. This unique set of cells could provide researchers with valuable insights into how sex chromosomes affect various diseases and their role in early development.


CDC/Dr. Laine.

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Dec 22, 2022

NASA’s Perseverance rover drops first sample on Mars, to return it to Earth one day

Posted by in category: space

“Seeing our first sample on the ground is a great capstone to our prime mission period, which ends on Jan. 6.”

NASA’S Perseverance Mars rover has dropped its first rock sample on the Red Planet’s surface. A titanium tube containing a rock sample on December 21 that was deposited on the surface of Mars is likely to be the first sample that could return to Earth. The event marks a “historic” step in the Mars Sample Return campaign.

Continue reading “NASA’s Perseverance rover drops first sample on Mars, to return it to Earth one day” »

Dec 22, 2022

Gene therapy could save children from a rare genetic disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

This impressive achievement could potentially revolutionize how we treat cancer and immunity deficiencies.

Children born with Artemis-SCID face many challenges, from a missing repertoire of T and B cells to reduced resistance against chemotherapy used in bone marrow transplants. Additionally, malfunctioning DNA repair mechanisms increase the risk of developing graft-versus-host disease, where the donor’s immune system attacks host tissues.

That’s why researchers are trying everything to find an antidote for such a rare genetic disease and have now turned to gene therapy to treat Artemis-SCID. Gene therapy eliminates the need for donor cells.

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Dec 22, 2022

Underground experiments in Italy search for violation of the Pauli exclusion principle

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

They have found no signs of the event yet.

Deep in Italy’s Gran Sasso mountains, in the National Institute for Nuclear Physics’ (INFN) underground laboratories, researchers have been searching for proof of a very small violation of a fundamental quantum tenet called the Pauli exclusion principle, according to an article by Phys.org published on Monday.

The principle, that is applied to everything, dictates that electrons can only arrange themselves in certain specific ways in atoms. These arrangements make it so we are made of solid matter.

Dec 22, 2022

Scientists break new ground in cancer fight by ‘reinvigorating’ T cells

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

A new study develops ‘environment-modulating’ drugs that reinvigorate T-cells to once again destroy cancer cells.

T-cells, typically thought to be anti-cancer, can switch sides and work against us in the right environment (or battlefield!), according to a new study published on December 21 in Nature.

This discovery is unexpected because many extensive studies before this believed that most worn-out T-cells’ properties were “irreversible.” Simply put, they were doomed to being subpar tumor killers.

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