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UrduPhotocatalysts are useful materials, with a myriad of environmental and energy applications, including air purification, water treatment, self-cleaning surfaces, pollution-fighting paints and coatings, hydrogen production and CO2 conversion to sustainable fuels. An efficient photocatalyst converts light energy into chemical energy…
Tag: BIOMECHANICS/BIOPHYSICS
The CNRS 2021 Innovation Medal laureates
Antoine Aiello, Nora Dempsey, François Jérôme and Amanda Silva Brun are the four recipients of the CNRS 2021 Innovation Medal. Created 10 years ago, this distinction honours people whose outstanding research has led to significant technological, economic, therapeutic or social…
Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain
The new model may have applications for studying and predicting a range of dynamical systems
Gigantic flying pterosaurs had spoked vertebrae to support their ‘ridiculously long’ necks
Little is known about azhdarchid pterosaurs, gigantic flying reptiles with impressive wingspans of up to 12 meters. Cousins of dinosaurs and the largest animals ever to fly, they first appeared in the fossil record in the Late Triassic about 225…
Making music from spider webs
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2021 — Spiders are master builders, expertly weaving strands of silk into intricate 3D webs that serve as the spider’s home and hunting ground. If humans could enter the spider’s world, they could learn about web construction,…
Petra Fromme honored with the prestigious Anfinsen Award
Arizona State University researcher Petra Fromme has received the 2021 Christian B. Anfinsen Award. The honor is bestowed by The Protein Society, the premier international association dedicated to supporting protein research. In presenting Fromme with this prestigious prize, the Protein…
Lighting the way to folding next-level origami
Recent findings by Slovenian and German scientists artfully explore potential to transform proteins into custom-made structures
An international study reveals how the ‘guardian’ of the genome works
The study is published in ‘Nature Structural & Molecular Biology’
‘Designer’ pore shows selective traffic to and from the cell nucleus
The nucleus is the headquarters of a cell and molecules constantly move across the nuclear membrane through pores. The transport of these molecules is both selective and fast; some 1,000 molecules per second can move in or out. Scientists from…
The egg in the X-ray beam
Innovative time-resolved method reveals network formation by and dynamics of proteins
Human hiking trails custom built for sauntering grizzlies
Grizzlies take the easy route to save energy
The Protein Society announces its 2021 award recipients
The Protein Society, the premier international society dedicated to supporting protein research, announces the winners of the 2021 Protein Society Awards, which will be conferred at the 35th Anniversary Symposium (virtual), July 7 – 14, 2021. Plenary talks from award…
Machine learning helps spot gait problems in individuals with multiple sclerosis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Monitoring the progression of multiple sclerosis-related gait issues can be challenging in adults over 50 years old, requiring a clinician to differentiate between problems related to MS and other age-related issues. To address this problem, researchers are…
Caltech professor Ibrahim Cissé applies physics to decode and understand RNA transcription
Nigerien-born physicist is the recipient of a 2021 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science
Faster and less-invasive atomic force microscopy for visualizing biomolecular systems
High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is an imaging technique that can be used for visualizing biological processes, for example the activity of proteins. Nowadays, typical HS-AFM frame rates are as high as 12 frames per second. In order to improve…
An improved safety standard for bionic devices
Australian scientists have developed a new moisture test for pacemakers and cochlear implants
Optogenetics: Light regulates an enzyme
The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has already given research a massive boost: One of its light sensors, channelrhodopsin-2, founded the success of optogenetics about 20 years ago. In this technology, the alga’s light sensor is incorporated into cells or…
Plants remember drought
“I’ve been studying how plants regulate their water balance for over 35 years. To find a completely new and unexpected way for saving water has certainly been one of the most surprising discoveries in my life.” So says Professor Rainer…
Brazilian researchers obtain more efficient red bioluminescence
Luciferin-luciferase system developed in collaboration with Japanese researchers produces brighter and longer-lasting far red light. The innovation can be used to image cells and tissues for diagnosis and biomedical research.
Scientists create simple synthetic cell that grows and divides normally
New findings shed light on mechanisms controlling the most basic processes of life.
Another Martini for better simulations
Simulating the interactions between atoms and molecules is important for many scientific studies. However, accurate simulations can take a long time, which limits their use. To speed up simulations without sacrificing too much detail, Siewert-Jan Marrink, Professor of Molecular Dynamics…
How cells transport molecules with ‘active carpets’
New research provides insights into the process of diffusion in living systems, with implications from novel active coatings to understanding how pathogens are cleared from lungs.
Fast-acting, color-changing molecular probe senses when a material is about to fail
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Materials that contain special polymer molecules may someday be able to warn us when they are about to fail, researchers said. Engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have improved their previously developed force-sensitive molecules, called mechanophores,…
‘Climbing droplets’ could lead to more efficient water harvesting
UT Dallas researchers’ novel surface encourages droplets to move spontaneously into larger droplets
A divided cell is a doubled cell
Division and growth of synthetic vesicles
Glycans are crucial in COVID-19 infection
A research group at the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) has found that glycans–sugar molecules–play an important role in the structural changes that take place when the virus which causes COVID-19 invades human cells. Their discovery, which was based…
Bees form scent-driven phone tree to pass along messages
Honeybees play a scent-driven game of telephone to guide members of a colony back to their queen, according to a new study led by University of Colorado Boulder. The research, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of…
Making molecular movies of a biological process of energy conversion
Many organisms use sunlight to fuel cellular functions. But exactly how does this conversion of solar energy into chemical energy unfold? In a recent experiment, an international team of scientists, including two researchers from UWM, sought answers using an advanced…
Tunable smart materials
Researchers at Osaka University invent tunable microparticles that can assemble into larger structures based on the content of attached chemical groups, which may lead to the development of smart sensors or self-healing materials
Sealing fistulas with regenerative immiscible bioglue
A Korean research team has recently developed an innovative vesico-vaginal fistula treatment method using the mussel adhesive protein (MAP) that can effectively seal fistulas in organs even when exposed to urine. Professor Hyung Joon Cha, Dr. Hyo Jeong Kim (currently…
Inflammation and pressure-sensing leads to ‘feed-forward’ loop in osteoarthritis
Cushioning cells in cartilage are reprogrammed in a way that makes things worse
Scientists develop AI platform to assess blood vessel anomalies and eye disease
An international team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that could one day be used in a system to assess vascular…
Fruit fly egg takes an active hand in its own growth, highlighting parallels to mammals
A cast of so-called ‘nurse cells’ surrounds and supports the growing fruit fly egg during development, supplying the egg — or ‘oocyte’ — with all the nutrients and molecules it needs to thrive. Long viewed as passive in this process,…
Redox imaging allows measurement of drug responses in lab-grown cancer samples
Scientists have developed a nondestructive way of measuring drug treatment responses in lab-grown cancer samples
Advancement creates nanosized, foldable robots
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Army-funded researchers created nanosized robots that could enable locomotion, novel metamaterial design and high-fidelity sensors. Cornell University researchers created micron-sized shape memory actuators that fold themselves into 3D configurations and allow atomically thin 2D materials…
Scientists uncover the underlying genetics that make flies champion fliers
A complex network of wing, muscle and nervous system genes all contribute to flight performance
Ultrasound has potential to damage coronaviruses, study finds
Simulations show ultrasound waves at medical imaging frequencies can cause the virus’ shell and spikes to collapse and rupture
How bacterial traffic jams lead to antibiotic-resistant, multilayer biofilms
The bacterial equivalent of a traffic jam causes multilayered biofilms to form in the presence of antibiotics, shows a study published today in eLife.
Squishy white blood cells quickly become highly stiff and viscous in response to a threat
Like a well-trained soldier, a white blood cell uses specialized abilities to identify and ultimately destroy dangerous intruders, including creating a protrusion to effectively reach out, lock-on, probe, and possibly attack its prey. Researchers reporting March 16 in Biophysical Journal…
Embryonic tissue undergoes phase transition
Scientists explain a crucial phase of embryonic development in zebrafish with the help of mathematical and physical concepts
Researchers use “swarmalation” to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots
University of Pittsburgh chemical engineers replicate “swarmalator” behavior in chemical sheets
Quadruple fusion imaging via transparent ultrasound transducer
A quadruple fusion optical and ultrasound imaging system has been developed that allows diagnosis of eye conditions or tumors or to see the environment inside the body using a transparent ultrasound transducer. Professor Chulhong Kim of POSTECH’s Department of Electrical…
Injections or light irradiation?
A new concept of on-demand drug delivery system has emerged in which the drugs are automatically released from in vivo medical devices simply by shining light on the skin. A research team led by Professor Sei Kwang Hahn of the…
Shutting the nano-gate
Researchers at Osaka University create voltage-controlled nanopores that can trap particles as they try to pass through, which may lead to single-molecule sensors, along with cheaper and faster genomic sequencing
Tiny bubbles making large impact on medical ultrasound imaging
New research demonstrates ability to manipulate nanobubble size, acoustic resonance and, ultimately, ultrasound effectiveness
A joint effort to improve shoulder surgery
A Pitt bioengineer and orthopaedic surgeon develop a quantitative, individualized approach for capsule surgery following shoulder dislocation
Hyperpolarized proton MRI used to observe metabolic processes in real time
New technique using nuclear spin hyperpolarization of hydrogen paves the way for further advances in the field of magnetic resonance imaging
Simultaneous multicontrast OR-PAM from single laser source
Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy innovation enables simultaneous multicontrast imaging with shorter imaging time and improved accuracy
Starting small to answer the big questions about photosynthesis
New scientific techniques are revealing the intricate role that proteins play in photosynthesis. Despite being discovered almost 300 years ago, photosynthesis still holds many unanswered questions for science, particularly the way that proteins organise themselves to convert sunlight into chemical…
Study of mosquito protein could lead to treatments against life-threatening viruses
The mosquito protein AEG12 strongly inhibits the family of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Zika and weakly inhibits coronaviruses, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators. The researchers found that…