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‘Intelligent’ micro- and nanomotors based on enzymes discovered

Enzymes may have a new role as “intelligent” micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields
February 1, 2013

A schematic of the microfluidic setup used to study the directed migration of enzymes towards a substrate, which serves as fuel (credit: Samudra Sengupta et al./American Chemical Society)

Two common enzymes, catalase* and urease*, show movement in the presence of their respective substrate (hydrogen peroxide or urea, which act as fuel),  Pennsylvania State University researchers Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen, and colleagues have found in experiments.

The finding has “important implications in areas ranging from biological transport to the design of ‘intelligent,’ enzyme-powered, autonomous nano- and micromotors, which are expected to find applications in bottom-up assembly… read more

Topics: Biotech | Nanotech/Materials Science

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A step towards repairing the central nervous system

January 31, 2013

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the University of Barcelona in Spain have discovered a biomaterial that can  generate new differentiated neural stem cells, as part of a project to develop an implant that allows brain repair and regeneration.

The team tested different types of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable material allowing neural cell adhesion and growth. They found that PLA with… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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How to build a bionic man

January 31, 2013

Face of a bionic man

Rex the bionic man shows how close technology is to catching up with — and exceeding — the abilities of the human body, The Guardian reports.

Housed within a frame of state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs is a functional heart-lung system, complete with artificial blood pumping through a network of pulsating modified-polymer arteries.

He has a bionic spleen to clean the blood, and an artificial pancreas to keep… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics | Human Enhancement

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A tiny computer attracts a million tinkerers

January 31, 2013

The Raspberry Pi Model B is a credit–card sized computer board that plugs into a TV. It’s a miniature ARM–based PC that can perform many of the functions of a large desktop PC such as spreadsheets, word–processers and games. It also plays High–Definition videos. (Credit: Raspberry Pi)

Almost one million $35 Raspberry Pi computers have shipped since last February, capturing the imaginations of educators, hobbyists and tinkerers around the world, The New York Times reports.

The Raspberry Pi — about 3 inches by 2 inches and less than an inch high — was intended to replace the expensive computers in school science labs. For less than the price of a new keyboard, a… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics | Social Networking/Web

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IBM ships Watson system to RPI researchers to develop new markets

January 31, 2013

rpi_watson

IBM announced Wednesday that it will provide a modified version of an IBM Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, making it the first university to receive such a system.

The Watson system will enable upstate New York-based RPI to find new uses for Watson and deepen the systems’ cognitive capabilities, IBM says.

Watson has a unique ability to understand the subtle nuances of human language, sift… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics | Computers/Infotech/UI

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DARPA shows off 1.8-gigapixel surveillance drone, can spot a terrorist from 20,000 feet

January 30, 2013

ARGUS

DARPA and the US Army have taken the wraps off ARGUS-IS, a 1.8-gigapixel video surveillance platform that can resolve details as small as six inches from an altitude of 20,000 feet (6km), ExtremeTech reports.

ARGUS is by far the highest-resolution surveillance platform in the world, and probably the highest-resolution camera in the world, period.

ARGUS, which would be attached to some kind of unmanned UAV (such as… read more

Topics: Electronics | Survival/Defense

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Near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 to miss Earth on Feb. 15

January 30, 2013

The path of near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 is seen passing close to Earth on Feb. 15, 2013 (credit: NASA JPL)

A small asteroid named 2012 DA14 will pass inside the geosynchronous satellite ring on February 15, but the orbit will be no closer to the Earth’s surface than 3.2 Earth radii , according to NASA JPL..

Although its size is not well determined, this near-Earth asteroid is thought to be about 45 meters in diameter.

Topics: Space | Survival/Defense

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Breaking the million-core supercomputer barrier

January 30, 2013

A floor view of the newly installed Sequoia supercomputer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories)

Stanford Engineering‘s Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) has set a new record in computational science by successfully using a supercomputer with more than 1.5 million computing cores to solve a complex fluid dynamics problem: the prediction of noise generated by a supersonic jet engine.

Joseph Nichols, a research associate in the center, worked on the newly installed Sequoia IBM Bluegene/Q system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL)… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Physics/Cosmology

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Artificial pancreas and algorithm improve treatment for type 1 diabetes

January 30, 2013

External artificial pancreas: continual glucose monitor (left), pump worn on the belt that injects insulin under the patient’s skin (right), and a controller (here, a handheld smart phone) (credit: Ahmad Haidar et al./Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal)

The first trial comparing a new dual-hormone “artificial pancreas” with conventional diabetes treatment using an insulin pump has been completed by researchers at IRCM (Institut de Recherches Cliniques) of Montreal, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret. It showed improved glucose levels and lower risks of hypoglycemia.

How it works

The artificial pancreas developed at IRCM is an automated system that simulates the normal pancreas by… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Computers/Infotech/UI

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Army Corps of Engineers using 3D printers to create dam models

January 30, 2013

Sacramento District commander Col. Bill Leady shows off a 1/240-scale 3D-printed model of the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway in Folsom, Calif., during a site visit in May 2012 (credit: Michael J. Nevins)

About 25 miles northeast of Sacramento, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District construction crews are working to complete one of the Corps’ biggest projects — a new spillway at Folsom Dam, designed to help reduce the risk of flooding throughout the Sacramento region.

With an estimated project cost of more than $750 million, it’s important to be able to show and describe how the project will… read more

Topics: Nanotech/Materials Science

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A safer way to vaccinate

Polymer film that gradually releases DNA coding for viral proteins could offer a better alternative to traditional vaccines
January 29, 2013

Vaccines usually consist of inactivated viruses that prompt the immune system to remember the invader and launch a strong defense if it later encounters the real thing. However, this approach can be too risky with certain viruses, including HIV.

In recent years, many scientists have been exploring DNA as a potential alternative vaccine. About 20 years ago, DNA coding for viral proteins was found to induce strong immune responses… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Nanotech/Materials Science

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First 3D ghost images from a single pixel

January 29, 2013

3D ghost imaging

Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in China physicists have designed and built a remote-sensing “ghost imaging” device that uses a single pixel to record three-dimensional images, MIT Technology Review reports.

Ghost imaging is the extraordinary technique of bouncing a laser beam off an object and making high quality images from the reflected light using a single pixel. This single pixel is used to record data… read more

Topics: Physics/Cosmology

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DeltaMaker: an elegant personal 3D printer

January 29, 2013

delta_maker_kickstarter

The DeltaMaker team  has launched a Kickstarter  project to develop an elegant personal 3D printer

“We will provide our backers with a 3D printer that runs faster, looks better, and is just more fun to watch. With the help of our Kickstarter supporters, we will put DeltaMakers on as many desktops, and inside as many classrooms, as we can.

Product Performance: The DeltaMaker prints big and… read more

Topics: Nanotech/Materials Science | Social Networking/Web

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DARPA looking for technology to create ‘transient electronics’ devices

January 29, 2013

VAPR_image

The sophisticated electronics used by warfighters in everything from radios, remote sensors and even phones can now be made at such a low cost that they are pervasive throughout the battlefield. But it is almost impossible to track and recover every device.

These electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and might be captured by the enemy and repurposed or studied to compromise DoD’s strategic technological advantage.… read more

Topics: Electronics | Nanotech/Materials Science | Survival/Defense

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Magnetically levitated tissues could speed toxicity tests

January 29, 2013

Rice University spinoff company Nano3D Biosciences uses magnetic levitation to grow three dimensional cell cultures. The technology uses inert, nontoxic nanoparticles and magnets to lift and suspend cells as they grow and divide. (credit: Nano3D Biosciences)

In a development that could lead to faster and more effective toxicity tests for airborne chemicals, scientists from Rice University and the Rice spinoff company Nano3D Biosciences have used magnetic levitation to grow some of the most realistic lung tissue ever produced in a laboratory.

The research is part of an international trend in biomedical engineering to create laboratory techniques for growing tissues… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech | Nanotech/Materials Science | Synthetic Biology

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