/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Over time, scar tissue slows or stops implanted bioelectronics. But new interdisciplinary research could help pacemakers, sensors and other implantable devices keep people healthier for longer. /news/2025-05-semiconducting-polymer-strategies-scar-tissue.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 06 May 2025 15:42:06 EDT news665764923 Sunburns and aging skin are obvious effects of exposure to harmful UV rays, tobacco smoke and other carcinogens. But the effects aren't just skin deep. Inside the body, DNA is literally being torn apart. /news/2025-03-supercomputer-molecular-blueprint-dna.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:33:05 EDT news661019581 Researchers in the Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, have used machine learning and supercomputer simulations to investigate how tiny gold nanoparticles bind to blood proteins. The studies discovered that favorable nanoparticle-protein interactions can be predicted from machine learning models that are trained from atom-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The new methodology opens ways to simulate the efficacy of gold nanoparticles as targeted drug delivery systems in precision nanomedicine. /news/2024-11-machine-supercomputer-simulations-interactions-gold.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:36:58 EST news651166606 Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either costly or have limited sensitivity. /news/2024-06-electrospun-nanofibers-flexible-piezoelectric-sensors.html Nanomaterials Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:54:44 EDT news637408481 Engineered protein filaments originally produced by bacteria have been modified by scientists to conduct electricity. In a study published recently in the journal Small, researchers revealed that protein nanowires—which were modified by adding a single compound—can conduct electricity over short distances and harness energy from moisture in the air. /news/2024-04-bacteria-nanowires-green-electronics.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:30:01 EDT news633604852 Carbon nanostructures could become easier to design and synthesize thanks to a machine learning method that predicts how they grow on metal surfaces. The new approach, developed by researchers at Japan's Tohoku University and China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, will make it easier to exploit the unique chemical versatility of carbon nanotechnology. The method was published in the journal Nature Communications. /news/2024-01-machine-carbon-nanotechnology.html Nanomaterials Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:44:03 EST news625916642 A recent study published in Nature Electronics discusses stretchable graphene–hydrogel interfaces for wearable and implantable bioelectronics. /news/2024-01-laser-graphene-extremely-temperatures-ultrathin.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:01:40 EST news624200497 Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a neural implant that provides information about activity deep inside the brain while sitting on its surface. The implant is made up of a thin, transparent and flexible polymer strip that is packed with a dense array of graphene electrodes. The technology, tested in transgenic mice, brings the researchers a step closer to building a minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) that provides high-resolution data about deep neural activity by using recordings from the brain surface. /news/2024-01-transparent-brain-implant-deep-neural.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 11 Jan 2024 05:00:01 EST news624125007 Australian researchers have developed a molecular-sized, more efficient version of a widely used electronic sensor, in a breakthrough that could bring widespread benefits. /news/2023-10-electronic-sensor-size-molecule-potential.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 03 Oct 2023 10:10:46 EDT news615546640 A group of researchers has unearthed the secrets behind a tiny but crucial protein that shuttles zinc ions (Zn2+) within our bodies. The discovery offers a deeper understanding of how our cells maintain optimal health. /news/2023-08-advanced-technology-reveals-intricate-zinc.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 31 Aug 2023 11:08:36 EDT news612698909 Creating novel materials by combining layers with unique, beneficial properties seems like a fairly intuitive process—stack up the materials and stack up the benefits. This isn't always the case, however. Not every material will allow energy to travel through it the same way, making the benefits of one material come at the cost of another. /news/2023-08-big-nanoscale-gaps.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 18 Aug 2023 10:14:17 EDT news611572452 Drawing inspiration from natural sensory systems, an MIT-led team has designed a novel sensor that could detect the same molecules that naturally occurring cell receptors can identify. /news/2023-07-sensor-mimics-cell-membrane-functions.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609147182 Transcription factor IIH, or TFIIH, pronounced "TF two H," is a veritable workhorse among the protein complexes that control human cell activity. It plays critical roles both in transcription—the highly regulated enzymatic synthesis of RNA from a DNA template—and in the repair of damaged DNA. But how can one protein assembly participate in two such vastly different and extremely important genomic tasks? /news/2023-07-dna-repair-protein-complex-shapeshifter-reconfiguring.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 10 Jul 2023 11:00:04 EDT news608205601 In a new report now published in Science Advances, Mingze Sun and a research team in physics, mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering in Hong Kong China reported the development of multifunctional tendon-mimetic hydrogels by assembling aramid nanofiber composites. /news/2023-02-tissue-bioinspired-multi-functional-tendon-mimetic-hydrogels.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:49:07 EST news596713740 Certain electronics that integrate with the human body—a smartwatch that samples your sweat, for instance—work by converting the ion-based signals of biological tissue into the electron-based signals used in transistors. But the materials in these devices are often designed to maximize ion uptake while sacrificing electronic performance. /news/2023-02-polymers-enable-wearable-devices.html Polymers Mon, 06 Feb 2023 09:33:48 EST news594898424 A team based at Princeton University has accurately simulated the initial steps of ice formation by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to solving equations that govern the quantum behavior of individual atoms and molecules. /news/2022-08-simulation-artificial-intelligence-ice.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Condensed Matter Mon, 08 Aug 2022 15:00:01 EDT news579174348 Ovarian cancer kills 14,000 women in the United States every year. It's the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women, and it's so deadly, in part, because the disease is hard to catch in its early stages. Patients often don't experience symptoms until the cancer has begun to spread, and there aren't any reliable screening tests for early detection.  /news/2022-05-perception-based-nanosensor-platform-advance-ovarian.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 16 May 2022 12:06:01 EDT news571921556 UCLA researchers have developed a unique design of ultrathin films for highly flexible yet mechanically robust bioelectronic membranes that could pave the way for diagnostic on-skin sensors that fit precisely over the body's contours and conform to its movements. /news/2022-03-ultrathin-stretchable-sturdy-bioelectronic-membranes.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Mar 2022 12:58:18 EST news565448291 Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK have found a way to make 'single-crystal flake' devices that are so thin and free of defects, they have the potential to outperform components used today in quantum computer circuits. /news/2021-09-superconducting-flakes-components-quantum.html Quantum Â鶹ÒùÔºics Tue, 28 Sep 2021 10:17:34 EDT news552043051 Graphene, hexagonally arranged carbon atoms in a single layer with superior pliability and high conductivity, could advance flexible electronics according to a Penn State-led international research team. Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Penn State's Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM), heads the collaboration, which recently published two studies that could inform research and development of future motion detection, tactile sensing and health monitoring devices. /news/2021-09-graphene-lasers-wearable-health-devices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 03 Sep 2021 10:09:07 EDT news549882543 Viruses kill millions around the world each year. "In addition to the novel coronavirus, leading viral killers include hepatitis, HIV, HPV," said Lela Vukovic, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso. /news/2021-09-atomistic-simulations-ai-based-nanoscale-therapeutics.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 01 Sep 2021 12:45:32 EDT news549719125 There's no need to don uncomfortable smartwatches or chest straps to monitor your heart if your comfy shirt can do a better job.  /news/2021-08-flexible-carbon-nanotube-fibers-woven.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 30 Aug 2021 12:41:11 EDT news549546063 "Skin electronics" are thin, flexible electronics that could be mounted onto the skin. While it may sound like something out of science fiction, it is anticipated that soon such devices will serve in a wide range of applications such as health monitoring, health diagnosis, virtual reality, and human-machine interface. /news/2021-08-highly-elastic-nanomembrane-skin-electronics.html Nanomaterials Thu, 26 Aug 2021 14:00:07 EDT news549198918 Experimental facilities around the globe are facing a challenge: their instruments are becoming increasingly powerful, leading to a steady increase in the volume and complexity of the scientific data they collect. At the same time, these tools demand new, advanced algorithms to take advantage of these capabilities and enable ever-more intricate scientific questions to be asked—and answered. For example, the ALS-U project to upgrade the Advanced Light Source facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will result in 100 times brighter soft X-ray light and feature superfast detectors that will lead to a vast increase in data-collection rates. /news/2021-07-berkeley-lab-camera-international-effort.html General Â鶹ÒùÔºics Wed, 28 Jul 2021 16:14:47 EDT news546707680 Purdue University engineers have developed a method to transform existing cloth items into battery-free wearables resistant to laundry. These smart clothes are powered wirelessly through a flexible, silk-based coil sewn on the textile. /news/2021-06-wearables-future-washable-smart-powered.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:11:33 EDT news542466667 Researchers at DTU Health Tech have developed a new material that can facilitate a near-perfect merger between machines and the human body for diagnostics and treatment. /news/2021-06-soft-electronic-material-human-machine-interfacing.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:13:42 EDT news541757620 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3-D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium and more. /news/2021-02-lab-d-microbes-biomaterials.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 04 Feb 2021 08:58:48 EST news531651524 Hydrogel-polymer hybrids are widely used across a variety of applications to form biomedical devices and flexible electronics. However, the technologies are presently limited to hydrogel-polymer hybrid laminates containing silicone rubbers. This can greatly limit the functionality and performance of hydrogel-polymer-based devices and machines. In a new study, Qi Ge, and a team of scientists in mechanics, mechatronic systems, flexible electronics, chemistry and advanced design in China, Singapore and Israel demonstrated a simple and versatile multi-material three-dimensional (3-D) printing approach. The method allowed the development of complex hybrid 3-D structures containing highly stretchable and high water content acrylamide—poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGDA) abbreviated as AP hydrogels, covalently bonded with diverse ultraviolet (UV) curable polymers. The team printed the hybrid structures on a self-built digital-light processing (DLP)-based multi-material 3-D printer. They facilitated covalent bonding between the AP hydrogel and other polymers through incomplete polymerization initiated by a water-soluble photoinitiator. The team displayed a few applications based on this approach to propose a new way to realize multifunctional soft devices and machines by bonding hydrogel with diverse polymer in 3-D forms. The work is now published on Science Advances. /news/2021-01-d-highly-stretchable-hydrogel-diverse.html Materials Science Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:30:01 EST news530273111 A team of researchers from the University of Sheffield and The Bumblebee Conservation Trust have been trialing new, low-cost ways to monitor bee species in the UK, by dressing bees in high visibility retroreflective vests. This novel research will be presented at the British Ecological Society's virtual Festival of Ecology. /news/2020-12-high-vis-vests-bee-behaviour.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 18 Dec 2020 10:43:01 EST news527510566 A research group led by Prof. Chen Tao at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), developed a novel soft self-healing and adhesive human-machine interactive touch pad based on transparent nanocomposite hydrogels, in cooperation with the researchers from the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems of CAS. The study was published in Advanced Materials. /news/2020-12-scientists-self-healing-human-machine-interactive-hydrogel.html Materials Science Fri, 11 Dec 2020 07:47:55 EST news526895272