The causes and consequences of reproduction without males in brown algae. Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen and Kobe University discovered populations of female brown algae that reproduce from unfertilised gametes and thrive without males. As published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, they used “Amazon” algae to shed light on the phenotypic and genetic consequences of the shift from sexual to asexual reproduction. The researchers found several populations of brown algae in the sea on the coast of…
Nanoscience Associate Professor Yang Yang has designed a nature-inspired filtration and conversion system that extracts carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere to create fuels and chemicals. In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions, a University of Central Florida researcher has developed a new technology that captures carbon dioxide and outputs useful fuels and chemicals. Yang Yang, an associate professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, created an innovative device that captures carbon dioxide with a microsurface…
Burrs on cut and punched edges of sheet metal increase the risk of injury and can often damage cables and scratch surfaces. For this reason alone, it makes sense to deburr such edges. If this is done by laser, not only can edges be selectively reinforced, but the fatigue strength of the components can be increased and the tendency to forming cracks reduced. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen will be presenting state-of-the-art laser deburring processes at…
A commercial artificial intelligence (AI) tool used off-label was effective at excluding pathology and had equal or lower rates of critical misses on chest X-ray than radiologists, according to a study published today in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Recent developments in AI have sparked a growing interest in computer-assisted diagnosis, partly motivated by the increasing workload faced by radiology departments, the global shortage of radiologists and the potential for burnout in the field….
We know that the Earth has an iron core surrounded by a mantle of silicate bedrock and water (oceans) on its surface. Science has used this simple planet model until today for investigating exoplanets – planets that orbit another star outside our solar system. “It is only in recent years that we have begun to realise that planets are more complex than we had thought,” says Caroline Dorn, Professor for Exoplanets at ETH Zurich. Most of the exoplanets known today…
Researchers at the University of Helsinki have succeeded in something that has been pursued since the 1970s: explaining the X-ray radiation from the black hole surroundings. The radiation originates from the combined effect of the chaotic movements of magnetic fields and turbulent plasma gas. Using detailed supercomputer simulations, researchers at the University of Helsinki modeled the interactions between radiation, plasma, and magnetic fields around black holes. It was found that the chaotic movements, or turbulence, caused by the magnetic fields…
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have made groundbreaking advancements in the field of soft robotics by developing film-balloon (FiBa) soft robots. These innovative robots, designed by a team led by Dr Terry Ching and corresponding author Professor Michinao Hashimoto, introduce a novel fabrication approach that enables lightweight, untethered operation with advanced biomimetic locomotion capabilities. The core innovation for these robots involves the development…
– new imaging method for neutral atomic beam microscopes developed by Swansea researchers. Microscope images could be obtained much more quickly – rather than one pixel at a time – thanks to a new imaging method for neutral atomic beam microscopes developed by Swansea University researchers. It could ultimately lead to engineers and scientists getting faster results when they are scanning samples. Neutral atomic beam microscopes are a major focus of research interest at present. They are capable of imaging…
Physicists use modeling to forecast a black hole’s feeding patterns with precision. The dramatic dimming of a light source ~ 860 million light-years away from Earth confirms the accuracy of a detailed model developed by a team of astrophysicists from Syracuse University, MIT and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Powerful telescopes like NASA’s Hubble, James Webb, and Chandra X-ray Observatory provide scientists a window into deep space to probe the physics of black holes. While one might wonder how you…
Children born with defects that impair the heart’s lower chambers undergo a series of invasive surgeries early in life. The first surgery includes implantation of a plastic tube called a shunt to improve blood flow. However, as children grow, the shunt is often replaced to accommodate their changing bodies. Now, researchers have designed a shunt that expands when activated by light. If developed successfully, this device could reduce the number of open-chest surgeries these children receive. The researchers will present…
Advanced application efficiently assesses new treatment possibilities, particularly for cancer. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed a unique technology to screen new DNA-targeting therapeutics designed to treat cancer and other diseases. Combining SwRI’s 3D drug screening software tool and machine learning techniques, SwRI scientists successfully predicted the DNA binding affinity and cancer cell toxicity for a variety of relevant drug compounds under development. SwRI Scientist Dillon Cao (left) and Research Scientist Dr. Tristan Adamson used machine learning with guided computational…
Hope for diabetic retinopathy. Macrophages, also known as scavenger cells, are part of our immune system. They destroy invading pathogens and are found in the organs and the bloodstream. Led by Prof. Dr. Peter Wieghofer, professor of cellular neuroanatomy, researchers at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Augsburg in Germany have now gained new insights into these immune cells in the eye. For the first time, they have shown that in the eye of the mouse macrophages are…
NIH-funded University of Cincinnati researcher studying magnetic nanoparticle delivery. Just as a business needs an effective and reliable service to deliver its goods to customers, medications need an effective delivery system to get them to the specific area of the body where they can have an impact. The University of Cincinnati’s Daniel Sun, MD, has received a career development award of just more than $1 million from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders…
Nylon, Teflon, Kevlar. These are just a few familiar polymers — large-molecule chemical compounds — that have changed the world. From Teflon-coated frying pans to 3D printing, polymers are vital to creating the systems that make the world function better. Finding the next groundbreaking polymer is always a challenge, but now Georgia Tech researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to shape and transform the future of the field. Rampi Ramprasad’s group develops and adapts AI algorithms to accelerate materials discovery. This summer,…
Enhanced two-photon microscopy method could reveal insights into neural dynamics and neurological diseases. Researchers have developed a new two-photon fluorescence microscope that captures high-speed images of neural activity at cellular resolution. By imaging much faster and with less harm to brain tissue than traditional two-photon microscopy, the new approach could provide a clearer view of how neurons communicate in real time, leading to new insights into brain function and neurological diseases. “Our new microscope is ideally suited for studying the…
Currently, industrial processes in the U.S. account for approximately a third of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions – even more than the annual emissions from passenger vehicles, trucks, and airplanes combined. Decarbonizing this sector is a challenging but vital step in mitigating impacts on our future climate. Researchers at Stanford Engineering have designed and demonstrated a new type of thermochemical reactor that is capable of generating the immense amounts of heat required for many industrial processes using electricity instead of burning fossil…
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