Lifeboat Foundation

When an infant presented mysterious symptoms, doctors sequenced his genome — and got answers in under two days.

An organic transistor that incorporates two bulk heterojunctions can exhibit active photoadaptation behaviour for light intensities that range over six orders of magnitude.

The development of artificial visual systems that mimic biological systems requires devices that can autonomously adapt their response to varying stimuli. However, emulating biological feedforward visual adaptation is challenging and requires complementary photoexcitation and inhibition, ideally in a single device. Here we show that an organic transistor that incorporates two bulk heterojunctions is capable of light intensity-dependent active photoadaptation. The approach couples the photovoltaic effect in bulk heterojunctions with electron trapping in the dielectric layer, allowing adaptive modulation of the carrier concentration of the transistor. Our device exhibits active photoadaptation behaviour for light intensities ranging over six orders of magnitude (1 to 106 cd m−2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzuwCqCFjmk

Dubai uses drones to electrically charge clouds, causing tortential rains in one of the driest nations on Earth. Until now, such experiments had been done succeessfully from the ground only.

Info — Viral — Fun.
#Real #Dubai #makes #its #own #RAIN #to #tackle #122F #heat: #Drones #blast #clouds #with #electrical #charge #to #produce #downpours.
#The #rain #is #formed #using #drone #technology #that #gives #clouds #an #electric #shock #to #‘cajole #them’ #into #clumping #together #and #producing #precipitation.
The #UAE #is #one #of #the #most #arid #countries #on #Earth #and #the #technique #helps #to #increase #its #meagre #annual #rainfall #Video #shows #it #is #working #with #monsoon-like #downpours #across #the #country.
Dubai makes its own RAIN to tackle 122F heat: Drones blast clouds with electrical charge to produce downpours.
The rain is formed using drone technology that gives clouds an electric shock to ‘cajole them’ into clumping together and producing precipitation.
The UAE is one of the most arid countries on Earth and the technique helps to increase its meagre annual rainfall.
Video shows it is working with monsoon-like downpours across the country.
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Continue reading “Dubai makes its own RAIN to tackle 122F heat: Drones blast clouds with electrical charge to produce” »

The search for life beyond Earth is on.

NASA’s newest Mars rover is getting ready to collect its first rock sample from the surface of Mars and stow it away for a future return mission to Earth, where NASA will test it for signs of ancient microbial life.

Continue reading “Perseverance’s hunt for ancient life reveals 2 Red Planet discoveries” »

A new tool that enables thousands of tiny experiments to run simultaneously on a single polymer chip will let scientists study enzymes faster and more comprehensively than ever before.

For much of human history, animals and plants were perceived to follow a different set of rules than rest of the universe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this culminated in a belief that living organisms were infused by a non-physical energy or “life force” that allowed them to perform remarkable transformations that couldn’t be explained by conventional chemistry or physics alone.

Scientists now understand that these transformations are powered by enzymes – protein molecules comprised of chains of amino acids that act to speed up, or catalyze, the conversion of one kind of molecule (substrates) into another (products). In so doing, they enable reactions such as digestion and fermentation – and all of the chemical events that happen in every one of our cells – that, left alone, would happen extraordinarily slowly.

Scientists from the University at Buffalo have developed a rapid new 3D bioprinting method that could represent a significant step towards fully-printed human organs.

Using a novel vat-SLA-based approach, the team have been able to reduce the time it takes to create cell-laden hydrogel structures, from over 6 hours to just 19 minutes. The expedited biofabrication method also enables the production of embedded blood vessel networks, potentially making it a significant step towards the lifesaving 3D printed organs needed by those on transplant waiting lists.

“Our method allows for the rapid printing of centimeter-sized hydrogel models,” explained the study’s lead co-author, Chi Zhou. “It significantly reduces part deformation and cellular injuries caused by the prolonged exposure to the environmental stresses you commonly see in conventional 3D printing.”

Circa 2015

It’s no TIE fighter, but the Dawn probe is driven by the future of spacecraft propulsion: ion engines.

Continue reading “Dawn of a new era: the revolutionary ion engine that took spacecraft to Ceres” »

Bioprinting in seconds.

Biofabrication technologies, including stereolithography and extrusion-based printing, are revolutionizing the creation of complex engineered tissues. The current paradigm in bioprinting relies on the additive layer-by-layer deposition and assembly of repetitive building blocks, typically cell-laden hydrogel fibers or voxels, single cells, or cellular aggregates. The scalability of these additive manufacturing technologies is limited by their printing velocity, as lengthy biofabrication processes impair cell functionality. Overcoming such limitations, the volumetric bioprinting of clinically relevant sized, anatomically shaped constructs, in a time frame ranging from seconds to tens of seconds is described. An optical-tomography-inspired printing approach, based on visible light projection, is developed to generate cell-laden tissue constructs with high viability (85%) from gelatin-based photoresponsive hydrogels. Free-form architectures, difficult to reproduce with conventional printing, are obtained, including anatomically correct trabecular bone models with embedded angiogenic sprouts and meniscal grafts. The latter undergoes maturation in vitro as the bioprinted chondroprogenitor cells synthesize neo-fibrocartilage matrix. Moreover, free-floating structures are generated, as demonstrated by printing functional hydrogel-based ball-and-cage fluidic valves. Volumetric bioprinting permits the creation of geometrically complex, centimeter-scale constructs at an unprecedented printing velocity, opening new avenues for upscaling the production of hydrogel-based constructs and for their application in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and soft robotics.

Circa 2012

Could biological systems have evolved to find the optimal quantum solutions to the problems thrown at them by nature? This Review presents an overview of the possible quantum effects seen in photosynthesis, avian magnetoreception and several other biological systems.