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UrduWhen can we say that a certain property of a system is robust? Intuitively, robustness implies that, even under the effect of external perturbations on the system, no matter how strong or random, said property remains unchanged. In mathematics, properties…
Tag: BIOMECHANICS/BIOPHYSICS
Eco-friendly plastic from cellulose and water
Göttingen University researchers create new kind of environmentally friendly bioplastic with hydroplastic polymers
How a unique sponge ‘goes with the flow’ could improve man-made structures
Collaborative project taps one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to reveal the water-bending skills of the Venus basket sponge. Insights could have implications for man-made craft and structures
NIH Director Francis Collins and NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins to keynote joint session at ISSRDC
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (FL), July 20, 2021 – The 2021 International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) will include a virtual keynote session that will feature two key science figures: National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins…
Ocean microbes team up brilliantly to gather food when it’s scarce
WOODS HOLE, Mass. – What’s a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron – to survive, yet in vast expanses of the ocean, nutrients are extremely scarce. And…
Scientists seek details of cancer’s evolutionary tree
Rice computer scientist, engineering dean Luay Nakhleh earns NSF support for single-cell genome study
Cellular push and pull, a key to the body’s response to processes such as cancer
From the vocal cords that produce our voice, to our heartbeat, our body’s cells are constantly subjected to mechanical forces that steadily change their response to these stimuli, regulating vital processes, in healthy individuals and in diseases such as cancer…
Simplified method for calibrating optical tweezers
Broadband measurement of viscoelasticity with reduced measurement time
First 3D simulation of rat’s complete whisker system acts as a tactile ‘camera’
Model gives rare insight into how rats use whiskers to actively sense their natural environments
Biomolecular bonsai: Controlling the pruning and strengthening of neuron branches
Researchers identify molecular cues that make developing neurons remodel their connections
The virus trap
Hollow nano-objects made of DNA could trap viruses and render them harmless
How spiders distinguish living from non-living using motion-based visual cues
Ability to identify other animals from relative positioning of the joints not unique to vertebrates
Early intervention in schools needed to address Malta’s obesity crisis
A new study by the University of Malta and Staffordshire University highlights an urgent need for change in the curriculum and demonstrates how introducing longer, more frequent and more physically intense PE lessons can significantly improve children’s weight and overall…
Metal-based molecules show promise against the build-up of Alzheimer’s peptides
In lab tests, Imperial researchers have created a metal-based molecule that inhibits the build-up of a peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease. A peptide is a fragment of a protein, and one of the key hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is the…
Molecular bridge mediates inhibitory synapse specificity in the cortex
With its breathtaking views and striking stature, the Golden Gate bridge certainly deserves its title as one of the modern wonders of the world. Its elegant art deco style and iconic towers offer visitors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for astounding photographs.…
Simulating microswimmers in nematic fluids
A combination of two simulation techniques has allowed researchers to investigate how swimming microparticles propel themselves through ‘nematic liquid crystals’ — revealing some unusual behaviors
5D imaging of ultrafast phenomena
Spectral-volumetric compressed ultrafast photography simultaneously captures 5D information in a single snapshot
Mechanical stimuli significantly influence organ growth
Organoids help understand the complex interactions of cells and tissue
Crystal clear: Lepidopterans have many ways of being transparent
Butterflies and moths have beautiful wings: the bright flare of an orange monarch, the vivid stripes of a swallowtail, the luminous green of a Luna moth. But some butterflies flutter on even more dramatic wings: parts of their wing, or…
Computer-assisted biology: Decoding noisy data to predict cell growth
Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science have designed a machine learning algorithm to predict the size of an individual cell as it grows and divides. By using an artificial neural network that does…
Programmable structures from the printer
Researchers at the University of Freiburg and the University of Stuttgart have developed a new process for producing movable, self-adjusting materials systems with standard 3D-printers. These systems can undergo complex shape changes, contracting and expanding under the influence of moisture…
Of the same stripe: Turing patterns link tropical fish and bismuth crystal growth
Scientists prove Turing patterns, usually studied in living organisms and chemical systems, also manifest at the nanoscale in monoatomic bismuth layers
Engineered protein inspired by nature may help plastic plague
Cheap to produce and long to degrade, plastic was once a manufacturing miracle. Now, plastic is an environmental plague, clogging landfills and choking waterways. A Japan-based research team has turned back to nature to develop an approach to degrading the…
A universal approach to tailoring soft robots
An integrated design optimisation and fabrication workflow opens new opportunities for tailoring the mechanical properties of soft machines.
Tiny tools: Controlling individual water droplets as biochemical reactors
Scientists develop a method to better manipulate tiny droplets in lab-on-a-chip applications for biochemistry, cell culturing, and drug screening
Building a better biosensor polymer
A new organic (carbon-based) semiconducting material has been developed that outperforms existing options for building the next generation of biosensors. An international research team led by KAUST is the first to overcome some critical challenges in developing this polymer. Much…
A protein complex from plant stem cells regulates their division and response to stress
A multidisciplinary research team, led by the CSIC biologist at CRAG, Ana I. Caño Delgado, and the physicist from the University of Barcelona, Marta Ibañes, has discovered that two plant stem cell proteins, known for their role in the correct…
Epsilon variant mutations contribute to COVID immune evasion
Studies reveal unprecedented mechanism behind loss of antibody neutralization against this pandemic coronavirus variant of concern
Nano-scale borate bioactive glass: Next generation material for skin-healing
Recently, with the help of a steady-state strong magnetic field experimental device, scientists constructed nano-scale borate bioactive glass (Nano-HCA@BG), which can effectively reduce the biological toxicity of borate bioglass, improve the biocompatibility of the glass, and promote the effect of…
Developing new techniques to build biomaterials
Scientists at the University of Leeds have developed an approach that could help in the design of a new generation of synthetic biomaterials made from proteins. The biomaterials could eventually have applications in joint repair or wound healing as well…
Eight new studies to investigate COVID-19 variants of concern in Canada
The research projects span from investigating the social factors that may protect Indigenous peoples — or increase their vulnerability to — COVID-19 and VOCs, to the creation of a Canadian Wastewater Surveillance Database
Acid sensor discovered in plants
Climate change is causing increased flooding and prolonged waterlogging in northern Europe, but also in many other parts of the world. This can damage meadow grasses, field crops or other plants – their leaves die, the roots rot. The damage…
Passing the COVID test in just five minutes
Researchers at Osaka University develop a new highly sensitive test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that utilizes a fusion of artificial intelligence and nanopore technology which may enable rapid point-of-care testing for COVID
Particles with ‘eyes’ allow a closer look at rotational dynamics
Tokyo, Japan – Colloids–mixtures of particles made from one substance, dispersed in another substance–crop up in numerous areas of everyday life, including cosmetics, food and dyes, and form important systems within our bodies. Understanding the behavior of colloids therefore has…
Electrohydraulic arachno-bot a fascinating lightweight
Fast and efficient nature-inspired joints power robotic systems
First Report of Dorsal Navigation in a Flying Insect
People–who get lost easily in the extraordinary darkness of a tropical forest–have much to learn from a bee that can find its way home in conditions 10 times dimmer than starlight. Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s (STRI) research…
Graphene ‘camera’ captures real-time electrical activity of beating heart
Graphene sheet acts like video camera to record fleeting electrical signals of neurons, cardiac cells
Novel calibration procedure for super-resolution brain imaging
A simple and robust procedure corrects a systematic error in microscopy, enabling precise imaging of biological tissue at greater depth
A ‘pump’ gene’s surprising role in early brain formation
A mutation in four children with polymicrogyria illuminates the role of bioelectricity in early brain development
RNA: A new method to discover its high-resolution structure
New SISSA research combines experimental data and molecular dynamics simulations to study biomolecules in their natural environment; the work has been published in Nucleic Acids Research
Discovery of ray sperms’ unique swimming motion and demonstration with bio-inspired robot
It is generally agreed that sperms “swim” by beating or rotating their soft tails. However, a research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered that ray sperms move by rotating both the tail and…
Cells construct living composite polymers for biomedical applications
Initial demonstration builds drug delivery system that protects the gut microbiome from antibiotics
Fast heart, slow heart: Changes in the molecular motor myosin explain the difference
A molecular explanation for an old physiologic observation
Food for thought: Eating soft foods may alter the brain’s control of chewing
Tokyo, Japan – Incoming sensory information can affect the brain’s structure, which may in turn affect the body’s motor output. However, the specifics of this process are not always well understood. In a recent study published in Scientific Reports ,…
New research a ‘step change’ for diabetes patients
Researchers at Staffordshire University have developed a new low-cost method to help prevent life-threatening foot ulcers in diabetic patients
VUMC Team Develops Potential Treatment for Life-threatening Microbial Inflammation
A cell-penetrating peptide developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center can prevent, in an animal model, the often-fatal septic shock that can result from bacterial and viral infections. Their findings, published this week in Scientific Reports , could lead…
How COVID-19 wreaks havoc on human lungs
New structure shows how virus envelope protein hijacks cell-junction protein and promotes viral spread; findings could speed the design of drugs to block severe effects of COVID-19
Machine learning reduces microscope data processing time from months to just seconds
Ever since the world’s first ever microscope was invented in 1590 by Hans and Zacharias Janssen –a Dutch father and son– our curiosity for what goes on at the tiniest scales has led to development of increasingly powerful devices. Fast…
Scientists develop the ‘evotype’ to unlock power of evolution for better engineering biology
A defining characteristic of all life is its ability to evolve. However, the fact that biologically engineered systems will evolve when used has, to date, mostly been ignored. This has resulted in biotechnologies with a limited functional shelf-life that fail…
How coronavirus aerosols travel through our lungs
A new study from the University of Technology Sydney models what happens when we inhale coronavirus aerosols