Idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia leaves immune system vulnerable to other diseases, cancers. In an 11-year study, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have further characterized idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia (ICL), a rare immune deficiency that leaves people vulnerable to infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and cancers. Researchers observed that people with the most severe cases of ICL had the highest risk of acquiring or developing several of the diseases associated with this immune deficiency. This study, published in the New England Journal…
Leading the way in regenerative medicine: Materials made of spider silk can be specifically modified or processed in such a way that living cells of a certain type adhere to them, grow and proliferate. This has been discovered by researchers at the University of Bayreuth under the direction of Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel. Cell-specific effects of the materials can be generated by biochemical modifications of the silk proteins, but also by surface structuring of spider silk coatings. The research findings,…
Cocoa plays an important role in Brazilian agriculture. However, the fruit of the cacao tree (cocoa pods) is prone to fungal diseases. In the 1990s, a fungal epidemic caused cocoa production in Brazil to collapse. Nowadays, pest infestations are responsible for crop losses of up to 40 percent worldwide. In collaboration with the State University of Campinas, Brazil, researchers at the Fraunhofer IVV are looking to establish new ways of using damaged cocoa pods as part of the Damaged Beans…
In Nature, Eva Stukenbrock from Kiel University and Sarah Gurr from University of Exeter warn of the devastating consequences of fungal diseases. Worldwide, growers lose between 10 and 23 per cent of their crops to fungal infection each year, despite widespread use of antifungals. An additional 10-20 per cent post harvest. In a commentary in Nature, academics predict those figures are projected to worsen as global warming means fungal infections are steadily moving polewards, meaning more countries are likely to…
Extreme pressures rearrange atoms to reveal interesting new properties. For decades, scientists sought a way to apply the outstanding analytical capabilities of neutrons to materials under pressures approaching those surrounding the Earth’s core. These extreme pressures can rearrange a material’s atoms, potentially resulting in interesting new properties. A breakthrough resulted in 2022 when researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source squeezed a tiny sample of material – sandwiched between two diamonds – to a record 1.2 million times the average…
Cyberattacks on industry and critical infrastructure are on the rise across the globe. Targets also include ships, which, by transporting billions of tons of goods around the world each year, form part of international supply chains — yet their on-board IT systems often lack secure protection. To raise awareness of the risks of inadequate cybersecurity at sea and to help develop defensive solutions for guarding against cyberattacks, the Maritime Cyber Security research group at the Fraunhofer FKIE has teamed up…
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT have been working with international partners to develop a technology platform to help relieve the symptoms of muscle tremors. Tiny biocompatible electrodes in the muscles, combined with external electrodes and controllers, form an intelligent network of sensors and actuators to detect muscle signals and provide electrical stimuli as needed. Together with exoskeletons, the technology could also help people with spinal cord injuries. A compact controller on a belt or under a…
Harnessing light for ultra-fast and low-power artificial intelligence. A study by the Politecnico di Milano in Science: Neural networks are distributed computing structures inspired by the structure of a biological brain and aim to achieve cognitive performance comparable to that of humans but in a much shorter time. These technologies now form the basis of machine learning and artificial intelligence systems that can perceive the environment and adapt their own behaviour by analysing the effects of previous actions and working…
Harmful PFAS chemicals can now be detected in many soils and bodies of water. Removing them using conventional filter techniques is costly and almost infeasible. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB are now successfully implementing a plasma-based technology in the AtWaPlas joint research project. Contaminated water is fed into a combined glass and stainless steel cylinder where it is then treated with ionized gas, i.e. plasma. This reduces the PFAS molecular chains, allowing the toxic…
An increasing number of people are riding electric bikes. Compared to cars, electric bikes are cheaper, more environmentally friendly and free up space in urban areas. The drawback is that there are often no spare parts for defective components such as motors or batteries, meaning they have to be completely replaced with expensive new components. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer IPA demonstrated that electric bike motors can be remanufactured in keeping with the concept of a modern circular…
University of Bayreuth involved in pilot project on turbine development. The use of industrial waste heat can develop into an important component of an energy industry that is independent of fossil fuels. To convert large amounts of waste heat into electricity as efficiently as possible, turbines with a high degree of efficiency are required that work with a special conversion process – the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). In a pilot project for the development of such a turbine, the Center…
Using a “spooky” phenomenon of quantum physics, Caltech researchers have discovered a way to double the resolution of light microscopes. In a paper appearing in the journal Nature Communications, a team led by Lihong Wang, Bren Professor of Medical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, shows the achievement of a leap forward in microscopy through what is known as quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two particles are linked such that the state of one particle is tied to…
The latest competition car from student group TUfast Eco makes its debut. The new electric vehicle builds on previous successes and sets new standards in terms of efficiency. Lower weight, increased efficiency in individual components and significantly reduced aerodynamic drag distinguish the new model from its predecessor. The car will be put to the test in competition with other European student groups at the Shell Eco Marathon in May 2023. Industry players aren’t the only ones to accept the major…
Scientists of the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology and Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands have revealed new scientific insights into the features of fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC), a rare type of childhood liver cancer. Their findings, published today in Nature Communications, may help in developing new drug therapies in the future. Mini organs and the ‘molecular scissor’ system CRISPR-Cas9, allowed the researchers to better understand tumor biology and biological consequences of different DNA changes. It also uncovered the probable cell-of origin of…
Additive Manufacturing of XXL components: Research institutes and companies from Lower Saxony have jointly developed a giant 3D printer. It can produce steel components weighing several tons – and is intended to save resources in production. Manufacturing individual large-scale components is usually an energy- and material-intensive affair. In the “XXL3DDruck” project, scientists at the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) have joined forces with partners to test a more resource-efficient way of producing XXL components. To this end, they produced parts…
Photonic chips have revolutionized data-heavy technologies. On their own or in concert with traditional electronic circuits, these laser-powered devices send and process information at the speed of light, making them a promising solution for artificial intelligence’s data-hungry applications. In addition to their incomparable speed, photonic circuits use significantly less energy than electronic ones. Electrons move relatively slowly through hardware, colliding with other particles and generating heat, while photons flow without losing energy, generating no heat at all. Unburdened by the…
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