Biology: General Biology: Zoology Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Energy: Technology Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Insect cyborgs: Towards precision movement      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Insect cyborgs may sound like something straight out of the movies, but hybrid insect computer robots, as they are scientifically called, could pioneer a new future for robotics. It involves using electrical stimuli to control an insect’s movement. Now, an international research group has conducted a study on the relationship between electrical stimulation in stick insects' leg muscles and the resulting torque (the twisting force that causes the leg to move). 

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene
Published

Graphene oxide reduces the toxicity of Alzheimer's proteins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A probable early driver of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of molecules called amyloid peptides. These cause cell death, and are commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers have now shown that yeast cells that accumulate these misfolded amyloid peptides can recover after being treated with graphene oxide nanoflakes.

Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Power of rhythm as a design element in evolution and robotics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the internet quickly fills with viral videos of futuristic robots darting and racing around like the animals they’re built to mimic, researchers say that there’s an element of their movement’s programming that should not be overlooked: rhythm.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Instant evolution: AI designs new robot from scratch in seconds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed the first AI to date that can intelligently design robots from scratch by compressing billions of years of evolution into mere seconds. It's not only fast but also runs on a lightweight computer and designs wholly novel structures from scratch — without human-labeled, bias-filled datasets.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Bioengineering breakthrough increases DNA detection sensitivity by 100 times      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Small but mighty new gene editor      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new CRISPR-based gene-editing tool has been developed which could lead to better treatments for patients with genetic disorders. The tool is an enzyme, AsCas12f, which has been modified to offer the same effectiveness but at one-third the size of the Cas9 enzyme commonly used for gene editing. The compact size means that more of it can be packed into carrier viruses and delivered into living cells, making it more efficient.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

A deep look into the progression of Parkinson's Disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have used cutting-edge imaging techniques to shed light on the progression of Parkinson's disease by studying how the main culprit, the protein alpha-synuclein, disrupts cellular metabolism.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

An advance in cryo-EM could be a significant boon for research on potential cancer therapies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A technology called cryo-electron microscopy enables scientists to see the atomic structure of biological molecules in high resolution. But to date, it has been ineffective for imaging small molecules. A team of biochemists devised a solution that makes it possible to hold small protein molecules in place while they're being imaged, which will enable cryo-EM to produce much clearer images of such molecules. The advance is significant because small and medium-sized protein molecules are an area of focus in research on potential new drugs for cancer and other diseases.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Toxic formaldehyde's dual nature to be probed with new chemical tool      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Newly developed ompounds aim to reveal the dual nature of formaldehyde, a chemical that is known to cause cancer but is also believed to play important roles in our biology.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Tiny CRISPR tool could help shred viruses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists mapped out the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems then used that knowledge to modify its structure and improve its accuracy.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General
Published

Strength is in this glass's DNA      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists were able to fabricate a pure form of glass and coat specialized pieces of DNA with it to create a material that was not only stronger than steel, but incredibly lightweight.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Separating molecules requires lots of energy. This new, heat-resistant membrane could change that      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has created a new, heat-resistant membrane that can withstand harsh environments -- high temperatures, high pressure and complex chemical solvents -- associated with industrial separation processes. It could eventually be used as a less energy intensive alternative to distillation and other industrial processes that separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Unleashing the power of AI to track animal behavior      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have created a non-invasive movement tracking method called GlowTrack that uses fluorescent dye markers to train artificial intelligence to capture movement, from a single mouse digit to the human hand. GlowTrack has applications spanning biology, robotics, medicine, and beyond.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

One-hour training is all you need to control a third robotic arm, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has found that people can learn to use supernumerary robotic arms as effectively as working with a partner in just one hour of training.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Optics
Published

How organic solar cells could become significantly more efficient      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The sun sends enormous amounts of energy to the earth. Nevertheless, some of it is lost in solar cells. This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells, especially for those viable in innovative applications. A key factor in increasing their performance: Improved transport of the solar energy stored within the material. Now a research group has shown that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Drug discovery on an unprecedented scale      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Boosting virtual screening with machine learning allowed for a 10-fold time reduction in the processing of 1.56 billion drug-like molecules. Researchers teamed up with industry and supercomputers to carry out one of the world's largest virtual drug screens.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Graphene
Published

Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has successfully developed a new method that can prevent the crossover of large fuel molecules and suppress the degradation of electrodes in advanced fuel cell technology using methanol or formic acid. The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets that have chemical functionalization and act as proton-exchange membranes.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Optics
Published

Efficient training for artificial intelligence      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New physics-based self-learning machines could replace the current artificial neural networks and save energy.