For the First Time Ever, People Are Getting Transfusions of Lab-Grown Blood Cells

[…]An important clinical trial is now underway in the UK. The study is the first to transfuse red blood cells grown in the lab from donated stem cells into humans. Should this research pay off, these blood cells would be incredibly valuable for people with rare blood types, though they wouldn’t replace the need for Read more about For the First Time Ever, People Are Getting Transfusions of Lab-Grown Blood Cells[…]

Scientists zap clouds with electricity to make them rain

A new experiment has shown that zapping clouds with electrical charge can alter droplet sizes in fog or, potentially, help a constipated cloud to rain. Last year Giles Harrison, from the University of Reading, and colleagues from the University of Bath, spent many early mornings chasing fogs in the Somerset Levels, flying uncrewed aircraft into Read more about Scientists zap clouds with electricity to make them rain[…]

Science Has a Nasty Photoshopping Problem

Dr. Bik is a microbiologist who has worked at Stanford University and for the Dutch National Institute for Health who is “blessed” with “what I’m told is a better-than-average ability to spot repeating patterns,” according to their new Op-Ed in the New York Times. In 2014 they’d spotted the same photo “being used in two Read more about Science Has a Nasty Photoshopping Problem[…]

Behavior of star clusters challenge Newton’s laws of gravity, point at MOND theory

Certain star clusters do not seem to be following current understandings of Isaac Newton’s laws of gravity, according to new research published on Wednesday. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, analyzed open star clusters which are formed when thousands of stars are born in a short time period in Read more about Behavior of star clusters challenge Newton’s laws of gravity, point at MOND theory[…]

Swarming bees generate so much electricity they may potentially change the weather

[…] The finding, which researchers made by measuring the electrical fields around honeybee (apis mellifera) hives, reveals that bees can produce as much atmospheric electricity as a thunderstorm. This can play an important role in steering dust to shape unpredictable weather patterns; and their impact may even need to be included in future climate models. Read more about Swarming bees generate so much electricity they may potentially change the weather[…]

Scientists grow human brain cells to play Pong

Researchers have succeeded in growing brain cells in a lab and hooking them up to electronic connectors proving they can learn to play the seminal console game Pong. Led by Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer at Cortical Labs, the researchers showed that by integrating neurons into digital systems they could harness “the inherent adaptive computation Read more about Scientists grow human brain cells to play Pong[…]

Researchers detect the first definitive proof of elusive sea level fingerprints

When ice sheets melt, something strange and highly counterintuitive happens to sea levels. It works basically like a seesaw. In the area close to where theses masses of glacial ice melt, ocean levels fall. Yet thousands of miles away, they actually rise. It largely happens because of the loss of a gravitational pull toward the Read more about Researchers detect the first definitive proof of elusive sea level fingerprints[…]

DNA nets capture COVID-19 virus in low-cost rapid-testing platform

Tiny nets woven from DNA strands cover the spike proteins of the virus that causes COVID-19 and give off a glowing signal in this artist’s rendering. Credit: Xing Wang, University of Illinois Tiny nets woven from DNA strands can ensnare the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, lighting up the virus for a Read more about DNA nets capture COVID-19 virus in low-cost rapid-testing platform[…]

Tiny swimming robots treat deadly pneumonia in mice

Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed microscopic robots, called microrobots, that can swim around in the lungs, deliver medication and be used to clear up life-threatening cases of bacterial pneumonia. In mice, the microrobots safely eliminated pneumonia-causing bacteria in the lungs and resulted in 100% survival. By contrast, untreated mice all Read more about Tiny swimming robots treat deadly pneumonia in mice[…]

Cure of acute deafness after bang, shots or explosion appears possible

Cure of acute deafness after bang, shots or explosion appears possibleNews item | 21-09-2022 | 12:12There are plenty of preventive measures to prevent hearing damage, such as acute deafness, for example during the use of weapons. And yet things go wrong with some regularity. However, there is a method to limit the damage after noise Read more about Cure of acute deafness after bang, shots or explosion appears possible[…]

Blood test spots multiple cancers without clear symptoms, study finds

[…] The Galleri test has been described as a potential “gamechanger” by NHS England, which is due to report results from a major trial involving 165,000 people next year. Doctors hope the test will save lives by detecting cancer early enough for surgery and treatment to be more effective, but the technology is still in Read more about Blood test spots multiple cancers without clear symptoms, study finds[…]

Air pollution cancer breakthrough rewrites how to think about cancer activation

Researchers say they have cracked how air pollution leads to cancer, in a discovery that completely transforms our understanding of how tumours arise. The team at the Francis Crick Institute in London showed that rather than causing damage, air pollution was waking up old damaged cells. One of the world’s leading experts, Prof Charles Swanton, Read more about Air pollution cancer breakthrough rewrites how to think about cancer activation[…]

How to Easily Make Your Own Pyramid Salt Crystals

[…] What is pyramid salt? Pyramid salt crystals are made of the same stuff as regular salt. But these crystals look different because they formed in a different way. In nature, these elusive crystals grow on the surface of quiet, undisturbed pools of salt water that evaporate under the hot sun. Pyramid salt is more Read more about How to Easily Make Your Own Pyramid Salt Crystals[…]

Physicists invent intelligent quantum sensor of light wave properties

[…] Typically, when you want to characterize a wave of light, you have to use different instruments to gather information, such as the intensity, wavelength and polarization state of the light. Those instruments are bulky and can occupy a significant area on an optical table,” said Dr. Fan Zhang, a corresponding author of the study Read more about Physicists invent intelligent quantum sensor of light wave properties[…]

Evusheld COVID Protection for Immunocompromised People

[…] If you couldn’t get a COVID vaccine, or if you got it but are in the group of people who likely aren’t as well protected, you can get Evusheld for an extra layer of protection. What is Evusheld? Evusheld is considered “pre-exposure prophylaxis” for COVID, and is available for people who are moderately to Read more about Evusheld COVID Protection for Immunocompromised People[…]

Scientists Turn Plastic Into Diamonds In Breakthrough

[…] Since the 1970s, scientists believed that diamonds might actually rain down toward the mostly slushy planets’ rocky interiors—a diamond rain, if you will. In 2017, researchers in Germany and California found a way to replicate those planetary conditions, fabricating teeny tiny diamonds called nanodiamonds in the lab using polystyrene (aka Styrofoam). Five years later Read more about Scientists Turn Plastic Into Diamonds In Breakthrough[…]

China Approves World’s First Covid Vaccine You Inhale

[…] China’s National Medical Products Administration approved CanSino’s Ad5-nCoV for emergency use as a booster vaccine, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday. The vaccine is a new version of CanSino’s one-shot Covid drug, the first in the world to undergo human testing in March 2020 and which Read more about China Approves World’s First Covid Vaccine You Inhale[…]

Study reveals flaws in popular genetic method PCA

The most common analytical method within population genetics is deeply flawed, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. This may have led to incorrect results and misconceptions about ethnicity and genetic relationships. The method has been used in hundreds of thousands of studies, affecting results within medical genetics and even commercial ancestry Read more about Study reveals flaws in popular genetic method PCA[…]

AI laser probe for prostate cancer enters clinical trials

AI software capable of mapping tumor tissue more accurately to help surgeons treat and shrink prostate cancer using a laser-powered needle will soon be tested in real patients during clinical trials. The National Cancer Institute estimated that approximately 12.6 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. The Read more about AI laser probe for prostate cancer enters clinical trials[…]

Scientists discover how mosquitoes can ‘sniff out’ humans despite masking scents

[…] esearchers at the Rockefeller University, in New York, were baffled when mosquitoes were somehow still able to find people to bite after having an entire family of human odour-sensing proteins removed from their genome. The team then examined odour receptors in the antennae of mosquitoes, which bind to chemicals floating around in the environment Read more about Scientists discover how mosquitoes can ‘sniff out’ humans despite masking scents[…]

Math error: A new study overturns 100-year-old understanding of color perception

A new study corrects an important error in the 3D mathematical space developed by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger and others, and used by scientists and industry for more than 100 years to describe how your eye distinguishes one color from another. The research has the potential to boost scientific data visualizations, improve TVs Read more about Math error: A new study overturns 100-year-old understanding of color perception[…]

SW186 antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 (all variants) by binding to a conserved spike epitope outside the receptor binding motif

[…] Here, we used the LIBRA-seq technology, which identified SARS-CoV-2 specific B cells via DNA-barcoding and subsequently single cell sequenced BCRs, to identify an antibody, SW186, which could neutralize major SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including Beta, Delta, and Omicron, as well as SARS-CoV-1. The cryo-EM structure of SW186 bound to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of Read more about SW186 antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 (all variants) by binding to a conserved spike epitope outside the receptor binding motif[…]

MIT engineers develop stickers that can see inside the body for 48 hours

[…] In a paper appearing today in Science, the engineers present the design for a new ultrasound sticker — a stamp-sized device that sticks to skin and can provide continuous ultrasound imaging of internal organs for 48 hours. The researchers applied the stickers to volunteers and showed the devices produced live, high-resolution images of major Read more about MIT engineers develop stickers that can see inside the body for 48 hours[…]

Roboticists discover alternative physics using different variables

Energy, mass, velocity. These three variables make up Einstein’s iconic equation E=MC2. But how did Einstein know about these concepts in the first place? A precursor step to understanding physics is identifying relevant variables. Without the concept of energy, mass, and velocity, not even Einstein could discover relativity. But can such variables be discovered automatically? Read more about Roboticists discover alternative physics using different variables[…]