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Why do certain materials emit electrons with a very specific energy? This has been a mystery for decades — scientists at TU Wien have found an answer.

It is something quite common in physics: electrons leave a certain material, they fly away and then they are measured. Some materials emit electrons, when they are irradiated with light. These electrons are then called “photoelectrons.” In materials research, so-called “Auger electrons” also play an important role — they can be emitted by atoms if an electron is first removed from one of the inner electron shells. But now scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) have succeeded in explaining a completely different type of electron emission, which can occur in carbon materials such as graphite. This electron emission had been known for about 50 years, but its cause was still unclear.

Strange electrons without explanation.

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Subramanian Sundaram, a biological engineer affiliated with both Boston University and Harvard has been looking into the current state of robot hands and proposed ideas regarding where new research might be heading. He has published a Perspective piece in the journal Science outlining the current state of robotic hand engineering.

By almost any measure, robot hand design has evolved into sophisticated territory—robot hands can not only pick things up and let them go, they can sometimes “feel” things and respond in human-like ways—and in many cases, do it with extreme dexterity. Unfortunately, despite substantial inroads to giving robot hands human-like abilities, they still fall far short. Sundaram notes that one area where they need major improvement is in sensing things the way humans do, namely: feeling pressure, temperature and that hard-to-classify sense, pleasure. You cannot tickle a robot hand, for example, and expect a human-like response. Sundaram explains in great detail what is known about the human hand and how it processes sensations, and suggests that robot analogs might possible. He notes that not everything about a robot hand needs to be done in the same way as the human hand.

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In the third episode of the Healthy Longevity webinar series, we hear from Dr Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation as he joins Prof Brian Kennedy for a science-backed and inspirational conversation on regenerative medicine and the implications of a population that lives longer and in good health.

Register for upcoming webinar episodes here: https://bit.ly/3jhe0SB.

#NUSMedicine #webinarseries

Disclaimer: The opinions and advice expressed in this webinar are those of the speakers and do not represent the views and opinions of the organizers and National University of Singapore or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. The information provided in this webinar is for general information purposes only as part of a general discussion on public health. The information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnoses or treatment; and cannot be relied on in place of consultation with your licensed healthcare provider.

Continue reading “Can damage repair give us indefinite youth? | Dr Aubrey de Grey” | >

A landmark study shows this age-old tech is the key.

The cure for aging has long been the Holy Grail of medicine. Emerging technologies, like the gene editing tool CRISPR, have opened the floodgates to what may be possible for the future of medical science. The key to slowing down aging, however, may lie in a simple and age-old technique.

Dive deeper. ➡ Read best-in-class health, tech, and science features, and get unlimited access to Pop Mech.

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Its taking a bit more time for soldiers to adjust to their new drones.

  • Land Warfare, Networks / Cyber

Let Your Robots Off The Leash – Or Lose: AI Experts.

In DARPA-Army experiments, soldiers tried to micromanage their drones and ground robots, slowing their reaction times and restricting their tactics. Can AIs earn troops’ trust?

Continue reading “Let Your Robots Off The Leash – Or Lose: AI Experts” | >

Senescence in cancer cells

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Sometimes, too much of a good thing can turn out to be bad. This is certainly the case for the excessive cell growth found in cancer. But when cancers try to grow too fast, this excessive speed can cause a type of cellular aging that actually results in arrested growth. Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have now discovered that a well-known signaling pathway helps cancers grow by blocking the pro-growth signals from a second major cancer pathway.

Inhibiting Wnt signaling with ETC-159 reactivates the hyperactive RAS-MAPK , causing cells to led undergo senescence. Many cancers are driven by activating mutations in the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway which triggers a cascade of proteins that directs cells to grow, divide and migrate. Mutations in proteins involved in this cascade can turn on genes that make this process go into overdrive, causing cells to grow out of control and aggressively invade other parts of the body. However, too much RAS-MAPK signaling causes cancer cells to prematurely age, and eventually stop growing—a process called cellular senescence.

Continue reading “Getting it just right: The Goldilocks model of cancer” | >