Lifeboat Foundation

A magnet-and-coil system reveals how acoustic waves reflect and refract when the host medium suddenly changes elasticity.

A soft x-ray magnetic imaging technique makes possible the study of a wide range of magnetic materials.

Although natural-killer-cell therapies are safer than T-cell therapies and offer other advantages, they require upgrades to overcome their limited lifespan and susceptibility to immunosuppression.

ABOVE: Researchers recapitulate electrical gradients in vitro to help guide stem cell differentiation for neural regeneration. ©istock, Cappan.

The dance of development is electric. Bioelectrical gradients choreograph embryonic growth, signaling to stem cells what cell types they should become, where they should travel, who their neighbors should be, and what structures they should form.¹ The intensity and location of these signals serve as an electrical scaffold to map out anatomical features and guide development. Bioelectricity also shapes tissue regeneration.² Tapping into these mechanisms is of special interest to researchers who grapple with the challenge of regenerating injured nerves.³

One such curious team from Stanford University and the University of Arizona recently reported a new approach using electrically conductive hydrogels to induce differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells into neurons and oligodendrocytes in vitro.⁴ Their findings, published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry B, provide important proof of principle for future studies of biocompatible materials to electrically augment transplanted and endogenous cells after injury.

HAPPI seeks demonstrations of low-loss, high-density optical interconnects using scalable manufacturing compatible with microelectronics.

Related: SDR: a spectrum of possibilities

NAVWAR awarded the order on behalf of the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Intelligence (PEO C4I) in San Diego.

The AN/USC-61© is a maritime software-defined radio (SDR) that has become standard for the U.S. military. The compact, multi-channel DMR provides several different waveforms and multi-level information security for voice and data communications.

Organoids of mammary glands can help researchers more efficiently study lactation, with findings that could apply to fields ranging from agriculture to medicine.

Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute have made an innovative discovery in nanoscale optoelectronics, as detailed in their recent publication in Nature Communications (“Atomic-Precision Control of Plasmon-Induced Single-Molecule Switching in a Metal–Semiconductor Nanojunction”).

The study introduced a groundbreaking method for achieving unprecedented control over single-molecule photoswitching. This breakthrough could transform the future of nanodevice technology.

Schematic view of the plasmon-driven switching of a single PTCDA molecule. (Image: Fritz Haber Institute)

Nervous system disorders are among the leading causes of death and disability globally.

As brain research advances, how should study participants be protected? Bioethicist Saskia Hendriks has some ideas.