/ en-us �鶹��Ժ internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: �鶹��Ժics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Hydrogels are a permeable soft material consisting of polymer networks and water with applications ranging from biomedical engineering to contact lenses. Intrinsic to hydrogels is the ability to endow diverse characteristics by modifying their polymer networks. /news/2025-08-immovable-rubber-ducks-highest-underwater.html Polymers Materials Science Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:09 EDT news673602721 Caltech scientists have developed a method to create metallic objects of a precisely specified shape and composition, giving them unprecedented control of the metallic mixtures, or alloys, they create and the enhanced properties those creations will display. Want a stent that is biocompatible and mechanically robust? How about strong but lightweight satellite components that can operate in space for decades? /news/2025-08-metallurgy-21st-century-precisely-metal.html Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Aug 2025 11:39:04 EDT news673267142 A new collection of chemically diverse dome-celled ultralight aerogels with high porosity and very low density feature elasticity and mechanical properties that remain intact even under extreme temperatures from 4.2 kelvin (K) to 2273 K. /news/2025-07-dome-aerogel-architecture-superior-toughness.html Nanomaterials Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:44:02 EDT news673173837 Controlled-release systems deliver medication and other bioactive compounds to the ideal spot inside a body and over a specific time. New research from the U of A and the U of A System Division of Agriculture could improve these systems used for probiotics that boost gut health, drugs that target cancer cells and other medications for human and animal health. /news/2025-07-hydrogel-microspheres-bioactive-compounds.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 28 Jul 2025 09:50:03 EDT news672915002 Researchers have solved a mystery that has confounded scientists for 80 years: the crystal structure of the tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) hydrate TBAB·26H2O. This substance belongs to a class of crystalline materials called semiclathrate hydrates, which form from the combination of ions and water. /news/2025-07-year-mystery-crystal-bromide-hydrate.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:10:07 EDT news672051198 Bioengineered organs are no longer just structural substitutes. A review published in Trends in Biotechnology introduces a groundbreaking concept: biohybrid-engineered tissue (BHET) platforms—living constructs integrated with electronics that can monitor, modulate, and even autonomously control their own functions. /news/2025-07-passive-intelligent-bioengineered-electronics.html Biotechnology Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:33:06 EDT news672049982 Existing three-dimensional (3D) neuronal culture technology has limitations in brain research due to the difficulty of precisely replicating the brain's complex multilayered structure and the lack of a platform that can simultaneously analyze both structure and function. A KAIST research team has successfully developed an integrated platform that can implement brain-like layered neuronal structures using 3D printing technology and precisely measure neuronal activity within them. /news/2025-07-platform-brain-layered-neuronal-3d.html Biotechnology Wed, 16 Jul 2025 09:39:50 EDT news671877586 A new recipe, or design guidelines, for a self-strengthening muscle-like hydrogel has been developed through strategic integration of computational, information, and experimental research. The resulting gel exhibits rapid reinforcement under mechanical stress with improved stability. /news/2025-07-muscle-gel-polymer-stronger-recipe.html Polymers Materials Science Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:13:44 EDT news671444021 New research into the biomechanics of explosive seed dispersal in squirting cucumbers (Ecballium elaterium) reveals how these plants have adapted a suite of unique traits that help propel their high-speed seeds far and wide. /news/2025-07-ballistics-explosive-squirting-cucumber.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Tue, 08 Jul 2025 09:17:04 EDT news671185022 A team of researchers at Rowan University has developed an injectable biomaterial that could significantly improve recovery outcomes following spinal cord injuries. The study, recently published in the journal Biomaterials, introduces a multifunctional hydrogel system designed to address the complex biological environment that hinders regeneration in the central nervous system. /news/2025-06-biomaterial-dual-therapies-nerve-spinal.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:19:04 EDT news670504741 A new study is shedding light on why solar radiation is more effective than other forms of energy at causing water to evaporate. The key factor turns out to be the oscillating electric field inherent to sunlight itself. /news/2025-06-oscillating-electric-field-sun-good.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:41:03 EDT news669987662 Excessive nutrients in wastewater can lead to detrimental discharges into natural water bodies, prompting harmful algal blooms with severe environmental and economic repercussions. To address this pressing issue, a team of engineers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has developed an innovative solution. Their novel composite nanotechnology removes and recovers nutrients from wastewater, subsequently upcycling them as agricultural fertilizers or as biorefinery feedstocks while simultaneously mitigating the occurrence of harmful algal blooms. /news/2025-06-nanotechnology-fertilizer.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:34:43 EDT news668871279 Researchers have created an inexpensive hydrogel that can filter phosphorus from contaminated surface waters, drinking water supplies or wastewater streams to reduce phosphorus pollution and reuse the phosphorus for agricultural and industrial applications. In addition to efficiently capturing and releasing phosphorus, the hydrogels can be reused multiple times—making them cost-effective. /news/2025-06-inexpensive-hydrogel-contaminated-source-reusable.html Polymers Materials Science Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:46:59 EDT news668864815 A research team at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a novel degradable silicone-hydrogel coating, delivering impressive synergistic anti-biofouling performance for marine applications. The study was published in Small. /news/2025-05-degradable-silicone-hydrogel-coating-efficient.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 29 May 2025 10:10:03 EDT news667731934 Plastic pollution is one of the defining environmental challenges of our time—and some of nature's tiniest organisms may offer a surprising way out. /news/2025-05-germ-hospital-plastic.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 26 May 2025 13:20:04 EDT news667484402 Collagen, a prevalent and predominant part of the structure of bodies, still has some mystique surrounding the finer aspects of its existence. In a new study, researchers look into the mechanism of orientation within collagen to elucidate some of the lesser-known aspects of this protein and how it can be used in future applications. /news/2025-05-3d-method-enables-fabrication-collagen.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 14 May 2025 15:13:15 EDT news666454391 Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) have developed a technique that could help advance treatments in tissue engineering. The study, published in the journal Small, introduces a technique for producing tissues with precise cellular organization designed to mimic the natural structure of human tissue. /news/2025-05-3d-hydrogels-cell-growth-functional.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 13 May 2025 12:27:02 EDT news666358021 Researchers at McGill University, in collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal, pioneered a new way to create hydrogels using ultrasound, eliminating the need for toxic chemical initiators. This breakthrough offers a faster, cleaner and more sustainable approach to hydrogel fabrication, and produces hydrogels that are stronger, more flexible and highly resistant to freezing and dehydration. /news/2025-05-ultrasound-safer-greener-hydrogels.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 08 May 2025 13:20:07 EDT news665928650 Our brain is a complex organ. Billions of nerve cells are wired in an intricate network, constantly processing signals, enabling us to recall memories or to move our bodies. /news/2025-05-microscopy-method-reconstruct-mammalian-brain.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 07 May 2025 11:38:29 EDT news665836703 Bio-batteries constructed by electroactive microorganisms have unique advantages in physiological monitoring, tissue integration, and powering implantable devices due to their superior adaptability and biocompatibility. However, the development of miniaturized and portable bio-batteries that are plug and play and compatible with existing devices remains a challenge. /news/2025-04-portable-bio-battery-hydrogels-nerve.html Biotechnology Wed, 30 Apr 2025 17:18:03 EDT news665252282 Doctoral student Natalie Yaw came to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a summer intern. But when her time at the Laboratory ended, her work did not. She took the lead to write a paper based on her findings, and the result was published in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers. /news/2025-04-hydrogel-infused-additive-ceramics.html Materials Science Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:48:03 EDT news664717681 A joint team from National Taiwan University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has developed a novel hydrogel actuator whose movement can be programmed using UV light, enabling precise spatial control of thermoresponsive deformation for presenting a potential application in soft robotics and in vitro muscle models. /news/2025-04-uv-programmable-hydrogel-actuator-bioinspired.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:28:03 EDT news664698481 Nearly 150 years ago, scientists began to imagine how information might flow through the brain based on the shapes of neurons they had seen under the microscopes of the time. With today's imaging technologies, scientists can zoom in much further, seeing the tiny synapses through which neurons communicate with one another, and even the molecules the cells use to relay their messages. These inside views can spark new ideas about how healthy brains work and reveal important changes that contribute to disease. /news/2025-04-history-expansion-microscopy.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:22:06 EDT news664647722 Directive 2010/63/EU laid down restrictions on animal testing for the testing of cosmetics and their ingredients throughout the EU. Therefore, there is an intense search for alternatives to test the absorption and toxicity of nanoparticles from cosmetics such as sun creams. /news/2025-04-3d-skin-imitation-equipped-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Thu, 03 Apr 2025 09:20:03 EDT news662890801 Researchers from the Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, have developed a smart gel that responds to multiple stimuli for precise drug release. /news/2025-03-nanocomposite-hydrogel-multiple-stimuli-drug.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:55:19 EDT news662291716 Bhagya Nallaperuma, a specialist in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, has co-authored a review on natural polymer-based hydrogels published in Food Biomacromolecules titled "Natural polymer-based hydrogels: Types, functionality, food applications, environmental significance and future perspectives: An updated review." /news/2025-03-significance-perspectives-natural-polymerbased-hydrogels.html Biochemistry Polymers Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:20:02 EDT news661771952 We all encounter gels in daily life—from the soft, sticky substances you put in your hair to the jelly-like components in various foodstuffs. While human skin shares gel-like characteristics, it has unique qualities that are very hard to replicate. It combines high stiffness with flexibility, and it has remarkable self-healing capabilities, often healing completely within 24 hours of an injury. /news/2025-03-entangled-polymers-nanosheets-skin-hydrogel.html Polymers Materials Science Fri, 07 Mar 2025 05:00:01 EST news660495721 A Chinese research team has developed a single-step femtosecond laser 4D printing technology that enables rapid and precise micro-scale deformation of smart hydrogels. This innovation, inspired by the hierarchical structure of butterfly wings, holds significant promise for applications in flexible electronics and minimally invasive medicine. /news/2025-03-butterfly-4d-smart-hydrogels-enables.html Polymers Materials Science Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:28:02 EST news660385681 Inspired by the natural Bouligand structure, researchers have been developing advanced materials for applications in impact-resistant bioplastics, ceramic armor, and biomimetic alloy composites. Most existing materials are still composed of single-scale brittle units despite the progress in improving the plasticity of materials. The lack of hierarchical active interfaces and autonomous response capabilities limits their ductility and overall functionality. /news/2025-03-highly-robust-reconfigurable-mechanochromic-cellulose.html Biochemistry Polymers Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:03:02 EST news660312181 In biology, seeing can lead to understanding, and researchers in Professor Edward Boyden's lab at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research are committed to bringing life into sharper focus. With a pair of new methods, they are expanding the capabilities of expansion microscopy—a high-resolution imaging technique the group introduced in 2015—so researchers everywhere can see more when they look at cells and tissues under a light microscope. /news/2025-03-expansion-microscopy-methods-lipid-membranes.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:20:05 EST news660244801