Tech
"If in doubt, always follow your nose," said Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.
Despite Gandalf's advice, humans tend to regard themselves as "microsmatic" - having a poor sense of smell. Human navigation is thought to rely primarily on vision and audition. Specifically, subtle differences between the inputs to the paired eyes and ears are exploited by the brain to construct three-dimensional experiences that guide navigation.
"Neuromorphic" refers to mimicking the behavior of brain neural cells. When one speaks of neuromorphic computers, they are talking about making computers think and process more like human brains-operating at high-speed with low energy consumption.
Many pharmaceuticals work by targeting what are known as "G-protein-coupled receptors". In a new study, scientists from Uppsala University describe how they have been able to predict how special molecules that can be used in new immunotherapy against cancer bind to these receptors. The researchers' calculation methods, presented in the journal Angewandte Chemie are a vital contribution to future structure-based drug design.
Forensic scientists at the University of Portsmouth have discovered a new way of presenting fragile evidence, by reconstructing a 'jigsaw' of human bone fragments using 3D printing.
In the first known study of its kind, researchers took fragmented burnt human bones and tested the ability to make 3D models suitable to be shown to a jury in court.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) elucidate the underlying cause behind the different critical transition temperatures reported for ultrathin iron selenide (FeSe) superconductors. Their results clarify why the interface between the first FeSe layer and its substrate play an essential role in superconductivity, giving new insights into a long-standing puzzle in this field.
When batteries are charged and used, a complex SEI (solid electrolyte interphase) layer is formed. Its structure resembles a mosaic consisting of organic and inorganic parts assembled from several blocks.
Can obesity define health? It is a question for much debate. Still, obesity is generally classified into metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and an unhealthy version of obesity. As we grow older, we tend to put on excess fat more around the waist than the hips and legs with aging, becoming more "apple-shaped" than "pear-shaped" and also at a greater risk of metabolic syndrome.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an important innovation in diagnostics, because it can quickly learn to recognize abnormalities that a doctor would also label as a disease. But the way that these systems work is often opaque, and doctors do have a better "overall picture" when they make the diagnosis. In a new publication, researchers from Radboudumc show how they can make the AI show how it's working, as well as let it diagnose more like a doctor, thus making AI-systems more relevant to clinical practice.
Doctor vs AI
It is hard to imagine everyday life without materials made of synthetic polymers. Clothes, car parts, computers or packaging - they all consist of polymer materials. Lots of polymers are present in nature, too, such as DNA or proteins.
Polymers are built on a universal architecture: they are composed of basic building blocks called monomers. Polymer synthesis involves linking monomers together to form long chains. Imagine threading glass beads onto a string and creating chains of different length (and weight).
Polymerization processes with limits
ITHACA, N.Y. - DNA has a lot of handy uses. It stores the blueprint of genetic code. It helps usher along the evolution of species.
It could also potentially make a stronger, more sustainable spoon, among other things.
Philadelphia, June 24, 2020 - The enteric methane mitigation potential of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) has been confirmed in previous studies. 3-NOP is highly soluble and rapidly metabolized in the rumen. Previous studies have shown a persistent methane mitigation effect when 3-NOP is administered through the total mixed ration (TMR).
The fabrication of complex ceramic or glass structures via stereolithography, a type of 3D printing, has long been held back by how much time it takes at the back-end of the process, which can take up to two days. A new technique reduces this time down to less than 5 hours.
Stereolithography prints objects from CAD files out of a powder suspended in a liquid. Objects are built layer by layer out of this liquid by shining a light, or laser, into the liquid-and-powder suspension, also called a "colloid." (Milk, for example, is also a colloid, but of milk fats suspended in water)
Princeton researchers have created a device that can herd groups of cells like sheep, precisely directing the cells' movements by manipulating electric fields to mimic those found in the body during healing. The technique opens new possibilities for tissue engineering, including approaches to promote wound healing, repair blood vessels or sculpt tissues.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Brown-headed cowbirds show a bias in the sex ratio of their offspring depending on the time of the breeding season, researchers report in a new study. More female than male offspring hatch early in the breeding season in May, and more male hatchlings emerge in July.
Cowbirds are brood parasites: They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and let those birds raise their young. Prothonotary warblers are a common host of cowbirds.
One in four people aged 65 or older has diabetes. The disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and a major contributor to heart disease. Experts have recommended that the best way to slow the progression of diabetes—and help prevent its many complications—is to maintain strict control of blood sugar levels.