Menu

Blog

Page 5856

Oct 2, 2020

Physicists build circuit that generates clean, limitless power from graphene

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics

A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene’s thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

“An energy-harvesting circuit based on could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors,” said Paul Thibado, professor of physics and lead researcher in the discovery.

Continue reading “Physicists build circuit that generates clean, limitless power from graphene” »

Oct 2, 2020

New nanotechology design provides hope for personalized vaccination for treating cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, nanotechnology

One of the key challenges in developing effective, targeted cancer treatments is the heterogeneity of the cancer cells themselves. This variation makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize, respond to and actively fight against tumors. Now, however, new advances in nanotechnology are making it possible to deliver targeted, personalized “vaccines” to treat cancer.

A new study, published on October 2, 2020 in Science Advances, demonstrates the use of charged nanoscale metal-organic frameworks for generating free radicals using X-rays within tumor tissue to kill directly. Furthermore, the same frameworks can be used for delivering immune signaling molecules known as PAMPs to activate the immune response against . By combining these two approaches into one easily administered “vaccine,” this new technology may provide the key to better local and systemic treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers.

In a collaboration between the Lin Group in the University of Chicago Department of Chemistry and the Weichselbaum Lab at University of Chicago Medicine, the research team combined expertise from inorganic chemistry and to tackle the challenging problem of properly targeting and activating an innate immune response against . This work leveraged the unique properties of nanoscale metal-organic frameworks, or nMOFs —nanoscale structures built of repeating units in a lattice formation that are capable of infiltrating tumors.

Oct 2, 2020

US Space Force plans to launch astronauts someday

Posted by in categories: military, space

But not anytime soon.


The nation’s newest military branch doesn’t currently launch anyone to the final frontier. But that will change someday, if all goes according to plan.

Oct 2, 2020

These Robots Use AI to Learn How to Clean Your House

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

At Toyota, researchers are experimenting with prototypes that swoop from the ceiling to take care of chores with the help of machine learning.

Oct 2, 2020

Researchers discover a rare genetic form of dementia

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

A new, rare genetic form of dementia has been discovered by a team of Penn Medicine researchers. This discovery also sheds light on a new pathway that leads to protein build up in the brain—which causes this newly discovered disease, as well as related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease—that could be targeted for new therapies. The study was published today in Science.

Alzheimer’s (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a buildup of proteins, called , in certain parts of the brain. Following an examination of human brain tissue samples from a deceased donor with an unknown neurodegenerative disease, researchers discovered a novel mutation in the Valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene in the brain, a buildup of tau proteins in areas that were degenerating, and neurons with empty holes in them, called vacuoles. The team named the newly discovered disease Vacuolar Tauopathy (VT)—a neurodegenerative disease now characterized by the accumulation of neuronal vacuoles and tau protein aggregates.

“Within a cell, you have proteins coming together, and you need a process to also be able to pull them apart, because otherwise everything kind of gets gummed up and doesn’t work. VCP is often involved in those cases where it finds proteins in an aggregate and pulls them apart,” Edward Lee, MD, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We think that the mutation impairs the proteins’ normal ability to break aggregates apart.”

Oct 2, 2020

Surprising Brain Area Linked to Short-Term Memory

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

Researchers at Rockefeller University have just released findings from a new study, done in mice, which identifies a gene that is critical for short-term memory but functions in a part of the brain not traditionally associated with memory. Classical models for short-term memory typically assume that all neuronal activity is contained within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), yet, data from this new study suggests that a G-protein coupled receptor in the thalamus may play a large role. Data from the study was published recently in Cell through an article titled “A Thalamic Orphan Receptor Drives Variability in Short Term Memory.”

Interestingly, in order to discover new genes and brain circuits that are important for short-term memory, the researchers turned to studying genetically diverse mice, rather than inbred mice commonly used in research.

“We needed a population that is diverse enough to be able to answer the question of what genetic differences might account for variation in short-term memory,” explained co-senior study investigator Praveen Sethupathy, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Cornell Center for Vertebrate Genomics.

Oct 2, 2020

Tesla electric jet: Elon Musk reveals advancement at battery event

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Tesla has unveiled new advancements in battery technology. Here’s what it could mean for an electric jet.

Oct 2, 2020

Hubble Space Telescope watches stunning supernova fade over a full year

Posted by in category: cosmology

The Hubble hits keep on coming.


The Hubble Space Telescope checked in on a supernova over the course of a year, watching the bright explosion gradually dim.

Oct 2, 2020

Could a poo transplant one day be the secret of eternal youth?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, neuroscience

Fecal transplants could one day be used as a therapy to restore cognitive function in the elderly—according to new research from the University of East Anglia, the University of Florence and the Quadram Institute.

A new study published today shows how fecal transplants from older to younger mice altered their , which in turn impacted their spatial learning and memory.

Continue reading “Could a poo transplant one day be the secret of eternal youth?” »

Oct 2, 2020

Neanderthal genes may be to blame in some severe coronavirus cases

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Genes inherited from Neanderthal ancestors may be involved in some cases of severe Covid-19 disease, researchers in Germany reported Wednesday.

A team of experts on Neanderthal genetics examined a strand of DNA that has been associated with some of the more serious cases of Covid-19 and compared it to sequences known to have been passed down to living Europeans and Asians from Neanderthal ancestors.

The DNA strand is found on chromosome 3, and a team of researchers in Europe has linked certain variations in this sequence with the risk of being more severely ill with Covid-19.