Quantum charging will cut the charging time of electric vehicles from ten hours to three minutes. Whether it’s photovoltaics or fusion, sooner or later, human civilization must turn to renewable energies. This is deemed inevitable considering the ever-growing energy demands of humanity and the finite nature of fossil fuels. As such, much research has been pursued in order to develop alternative sources of energy, most of which utilize electricity as the main energy carrier. The extensive R&D in renewables has…
Quantum computers are getting bigger, but there are still few practical ways to take advantage of their extra computing power. To get over this hurdle, researchers are designing algorithms to ease the transition from classical to quantum computers. In a new study in Nature, researchers unveil an algorithm that reduces the statistical errors, or noise, produced by quantum bits, or qubits, in crunching chemistry equations. Developed by Columbia chemistry professor David Reichman and postdoc Joonho Lee with researchers at Google…
… to deliver drugs to tumors. Researchers genetically engineer a microbial encapsulation system for therapeutic bacteria that can hide them from immune systems, enabling them to reach tumors more effectively and kill cancer cells in mice. Columbia Engineering researchers report that they have developed a “cloaking” system that temporarily hides therapeutic bacteria from immune systems, enabling them to more effectively deliver drugs to tumors and kill cancer cells in mice. By manipulating the microbes’ DNA, they programmed gene circuits that…
State-of-the-art method reveals never-before-seen atomic structures controlling the process. Methanotrophic bacteria consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year and have captivated researchers for their natural ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas into usable fuel. Yet we know very little about how the complex reaction occurs, limiting our ability to use the double benefit to our advantage. By studying the enzyme the bacteria use to catalyze the reaction, a team at Northwestern University now has discovered key structures…
Electronic structure parameter database can be useful in developing higher performance materials. The National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) has succeeded in developing a new approach to the design of thermoelectric materials by constructing a database of electronic structure parameters correlated with materials’ thermoelectric conversion properties and by a comprehensive analysis of the database. This approach can be used to develop higher performance thermoelectric materials. Thermoelectric conversion is a viable means of harvesting energy to help achieve a low carbon…
Cells use RNA as a versatile tool to regulate the activity of their genes. Small snippets of RNA can fine-tune how much protein is produced from various genes; some small RNAs can shut genes off altogether. An enzyme called Dicer chops RNA into smaller pieces: plants use it to chew up the RNA of invading viruses; worms use it to shut genes off during development; and humans use it to produce gene-regulating microRNAs. Dicer is also of interest because mutations…
ERC Consolidator Grant for Laura De Laporte and the “HEARTBEAT” project. Scientist Laura De Laporte (DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials and RWTH Aachen University) has been awarded one of the most highly endowed research grants of the European Research Council (ERC): an ERC Consolidator Grant. This will fund the expansion of her research over five years. In her project “HEARTBEAT”, De Laporte and her team aim to grow vascularized, structured and beating human heart tissue in the laboratory….
HALO-(AC)3 field campaign investigates a worrying phenomenon. In mid-March 2022, the large-scale international HALO-(AC)3 research campaign will begin investigating transformations of air masses in the Arctic. Three German aircraft will be deployed, scientists from the UK and France will also be involved during joint flights with two further aircraft. The team of researchers will be focusing particularly on northwards-flowing warm air reaching into the central Arctic, which are often called warm air intrusions. The counterpart, cold air outbreaks with southwards-moving…
RIXS at BESSY II allows to see clearly. Many (organic) molecules exist as a mixture of two almost identical molecules, with the same molecular formula but one important difference: A single hydrogen atom sits in a different position. The two isomeric forms transform into each other, creating a delicate equilibrium, a “tautomeric” mixture. Many amino acids are tautomeric mixtures, and since they are building blocks of proteins, they may influence their shape and function and thus their biological functions in…
COVID 19 has turned PCR and other antigen tests from tools known only to medical professionals into an everyday experience for all of us. To mark the successful completion of their research on the PoC-BoSens platform, the project consortium led by Fraunhofer IZM can announce the birth of a new generation of such diagnostic systems: a photonic platform for precise point-of-care diagnostics. The core of the platform is an automated analytical system based on tiny optical fiber structures that ensures…
A new way for sensitive measurements of antimatter. A team of scientists at CERN led by MPQ physicist Masaki Hori has found that a hybrid antimatter-matter atom behaves in an unexpected way when submerged in superfluid helium. The result may open a new way for antimatter to be used to study the properties of condensed matter, or to search for antimatter in cosmic rays. When taking a glimpse into the shadowy world of antimatter, researchers have to rely on elaborate…
A team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the University of California, Irvine constructed a robot leg that, like its natural model, is very energy efficient. BirdBot benefits from a foot-leg coupling through a network of muscles and tendons that extends across multiple joints. In this way, BirdBot needs fewer motors than previous legged robots and could, theoretically, scale to large size. On March 16th, the researchers will publish their work in Science Robotics. If…
Robots mowing lawns is a form of robotic assistance to which society has gotten used. But there are currently few concepts for robotic assistance in other tasks, which involve close proximity to humans, like housekeeping and care. The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU uses innovative switchable stiffnesses in robots to combine the required strength with the necessary safety. At the Hannover Messe Preview on March 16, 2022 and at the Hannover Messe from May 30 to…
When we currently see spectacular accidents in alpine competitions, we primarily think of leg and ligament injuries, but there seems also to be an increasing risk of cut injuries from the razor-sharp ski edges. Cut injuries are often severe and can in worst cases even be life threatening. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) carry out cutting tests on materials for the textile manufacturers and FIS, the International Ski Federation. Cut-resistant protection undergarment is awarded with…
… with α-ketoesters as a new carbonyl source. By adding a new carbonyl source, the scientists have increased the scope of the process, which could accelerate drug development. Chiral tetrahydro-β-carbolines or tryptolines that contain a tetrasubstituted carbon center provides a framework for a variety of biologically active compounds. This basic structure is found in naturally occurring compounds and is a necessary component for pharmaceutical products. The synthesis of the bioactive structure and its derivatives begins with the asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction,…
New paradigm in atmospheric gas sensing and molecular identification. Graphene, an atomic-thick sheet of carbon has found immense applications in gas sensors due to its single-molecule sensitivity, low-noise levels, and high carrier density. However, graphene’s much-heralded sensitivity also means it is inherently non-selective to any gas. Hence, it easily gets huge p-doping (reduction of graphene electron density) when exposed to atmospheric air which limits demonstrations of its selectivity to only inert environments such as dry air, or nitrogen. Nevertheless, for…
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