A mind-controlled hearing aid that allows the wearer to focus on particular voices has been created by scientists, who say it could transform the ability of those with hearing impairments to cope with noisy environments. The device mimics the brain’s natural ability to single out and amplify one voice against background conversation. Until now, even Read more about Scientists create mind-controlled hearing aid able to single out voices[…]

Uncontrolled bleeding during surgery can cause death. What if, instead of slow surgical stitching, you could rapidly glue a wound together? A new “bio-glue” — an experimental adhesive gel that is activated by a flash of light — has been proven to stop high pressure bleeding in the hearts of pigs. Additional research confirming the Read more about Bio-glue that moves with a beating heart can repair wounds in pigs[…]

The lab-made microbe, a strain of bacteria that is normally found in soil and the human gut, is similar to its natural cousins but survives on a smaller set of genetic instructions. The bug’s existence proves life can exist with a restricted genetic code and paves the way for organisms whose biological machinery is commandeered Read more about Cambridge scientists create world’s first living organism with fully redesigned DNA[…]

All matter particles have a corresponding antimatter particle, which shares most of the same properties but is a mirror image of the particle and has the opposite charge. Decades ago, scientists determined that when regular-matter particles pass through a pair of parallel slits, they create an interference pattern as if they were waves. The new Read more about Scientists Recreate Hallmark Quantum Physics Slit Experiment Using Antimatter[…]

Columbia Engineering researchers design new desalination method for hypersaline brines that is low-cost, efficient, and effective; could address the growing water challenges across the globe About the Study The study is titled “Membrane-less and Non-evaporative Desalination of Hypersaline Brines by Temperature Swing Solvent Extraction.” A New Paradigm for Desalination New York, NY—May 6, 2019—Hypersaline brines—water Read more about Radical Desalination Approach May Disrupt the Water Industry[…]

Scientists have developed a brain implant that can read people’s minds and turn their thoughts to speech. […] They add that their findings, published in the journal Nature, could help people when disease robs them of their ability to talk. […] The mind-reading technology works in two stages. First an electrode is implanted in the Read more about brain implant turns thoughts to speech[…]

Rob Wisse, eye doctor at the University Medical Centre of Utrecht used the application on 100 people and compared the results with that of an optometrist. He presented his results at the NOG congres. Source: ‘Computer kan online bril voorschrijven’ – Emerce

Scientists have grown a miniature brain in a dish with a spinal cord and muscles attached, an advance that promises to accelerate the study of conditions such as motor neurone disease. The lentil-sized grey blob of human brain cells were seen to spontaneously send out tendril-like connections to link up with the spinal cord and Read more about Scientists grow mini-brain that can contract muscle, connect to spinal cord[…]

The move is intended to send a clear signal to maverick researchers, and the scientific community more broadly, that any attempt to rewrite the DNA of sperm, eggs or embryos destined for live births is not acceptable. Beyond a formal freeze on any such work, the experts want countries to register and declare any plans Read more about 17 Scientists call for global moratorium on gene editing of embryos – where’s the fun in that?[…]

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology teamed up with colleagues from the U.S. and Switzerland and returned the state of a quantum computer a fraction of a second into the past. They also calculated the probability that an electron in empty interstellar space will spontaneously travel back into its recent past. The Read more about Physicists reverse time using quantum computer[…]

A team of Boston University researchers recently stuck a loudspeaker into one end of a PVC pipe. They cranked it up loud. What did they hear? Nothing. How was this possible? Did they block the other end of the pipe with noise canceling foams or a chunk of concrete? No, nothing of the sort. The Read more about Scientists have discovered a shape that blocks all sound–even your co-workers[…]

Getting enough deep sleep might be the key to preventing dementia. In a series of recent experiments on mice, researchers discovered that deep sleep helps the brain clear out potentially toxic waste. The discovery reinforces how critical quality sleep is for brain health and suggests sleep therapies might curb the advance of memory-robbing ailments, like Alzheimer’s disease. Read more about Missing Out On Deep Sleep Causes Alzheimer’s Plaques to Build Up[…]

Clouds, however, naturally reflect the sun (it’s why Venus – a planet with permanent cloud cover – shines so brightly in our night sky). Marine stratocumulus clouds are particularly important, covering around 20% of the Earth’s surface while reflecting 30% of total solar radiation. Stratocumulus clouds also cool the ocean surface directly below. Proposals to Read more about How artificially brightened clouds could cool down the earth[…]

The DNA of life on Earth naturally stores its information in just four key chemicals — guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine, commonly referred to as G, C, A and T, respectively. Now scientists have doubled this number of life’s building blocks, creating for the first time a synthetic, eight-letter genetic language that seems to store Read more about Four new DNA letters double life’s alphabet[…]

The remarkable properties of a recently-discovered squid protein could revolutionize materials in a way that would be unattainable with conventional plastic, finds a review published in Frontiers in Chemistry. Originating in the ringed teeth of a squid’s predatory arms, this protein can be processed into fibers and films with applications ranging from ‘smart’ clothes for Read more about Squid could provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastics[…]

A team of chemists at Purdue may have found a partial solution to our plastic woes. As detailed in a paper published this week in Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, the chemists discovered a way to convert polypropylene—a type of plastic commonly used in toys, medical devices, and product packaging like potato chip bags—into gasoline and Read more about Researchers Developed a Technique to Turn Nearly a Quarter of Our Plastic Waste into Fuel[…]

Scientists from ITMO in collaboration with international colleagues have proposed new DNA-based nanomachines that can be used for gene therapy for cancer. This new invention can greatly contribute to more effective and selective treatment of oncological diseases. The results were published in Angewandte Chemie. Gene therapy is considered one of the promising ways of treating Read more about Nanomachines taught to fight cancer[…]

The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers — hundreds of thousands of people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers. Our goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new Read more about Zooniverse – crowd sourced classification of real scientific questions[…]

Scientists a Hokkaido University have found a way to create materials that actually get stronger the more you use them. By mimicking the mechanism that allows living muscles to grow and strengthen after exercise, the team led by Jian Ping Gong developed a polymer that breaks down under mechanical stress, then regrows itself into a Read more about Muscle-inspired materials that get stronger after stretching[…]

A distinct pathway in the white matter part of the brain known as the cingulum bundle can be used to alleviate stress and anxiety during awake brain surgery, according to new research published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. When electrically stimulated, this pathway triggers instantaneous laughter in the patient. But unlike previous experiments, Read more about Doctors Zap the Brains of Awake Brain Surgery Patients to Make Them Laugh and Have Fun[…]

If you bled when you brushed your teeth this morning, you might want to get that seen to. We may finally have found the long-elusive cause of Alzheimer’s disease: Porphyromonas gingivalis, the key bacteria in chronic gum disease. That’s bad, as gum disease affects around a third of all people. But the good news is Read more about We may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it[…]

A team of researchers based at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh have recreated for the first time the famous Draupner freak wave measured in the North Sea in 1995. The Draupner wave was one of the first confirmed observations of a freak wave in the ocean; it was observed on the 1st of January Read more about Famous freak wave recreated in laboratory mirrors Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’[…]

[…] today most of us have indoor jobs, and when we do go outside, we’ve been taught to protect ourselves from dangerous UV rays, which can cause skin cancer. Sunscreen also blocks our skin from making vitamin D, but that’s OK, says the American Academy of Dermatology, which takes a zero-tolerance stance on sun exposure: “You Read more about Is Sunscreen the New Margarine?[…]

A method for fooling breast cancer cells into fat cells has been discovered by researchers from the University of Basel. The team were able to transform EMT-derived breast cancer cells into fat cells in a mouse model of the disease – preventing the formation of metastases. The proof-of-concept study was published in the journal Cancer Read more about Converting Cancer Cells to Fat Cells to Stop Cancer’s Spread[…]