On March 19 the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 travel notice for those who plan to visit regions afflicted with Zika virus, encouraging travelers to practice enhanced precautions. These warnings about the Zika virus are growing alongside new evidence that causally links Zika virus to microcephaly, a condition that hinders brain development.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine provides evidence that an early introduction of peanuts into the diets of infants will significantly reduce the risk of peanut allergy. More specifically, the study found that infants with a high risk of developing peanut allergy will be protected from having a peanut allergy at age five if they eat peanuts and peanut products frequently starting within the first 11 months of life.
Have you ever imagined a future where robots can play your favorite game with or against you? Now, imagine that you were a world champion at this game. If this were the case, you might think that no computer would be able to defeat you, which is exactly what the artificial intelligence (AI) community thought of the game Go.
A team of engineers recently found inspiration in the art of origami, creating a material that can fold itself into almost any imaginable shape. The material is able to change not only its shape, but its size and volume as well.
Recently, researchers at the Wageningen University and Research Center in the Netherlands found that they were able to grow 10 different crop species in soil samples designed to simulate Mars and the moon. The crops included common vegetables like tomatoes, peas, rye, garden rocket (arugula), radishes and garden cress.
Within the past decade, research on quantum dots, particularly in the biomedical research field, has developed rapidly. New research focuses on combining the fields of nanomaterials and biomolecules to get nanoparticles to recognize and bind with biomolecular targets. Once combined with biomolecules, quantum dots can be used for specific cell labeling and imaging.
Technology does change quickly, sometimes in leaps and bounds, but in this well-connected age, you don’t have to be prescient to predict the advances that are pushing us into a new reality resembling science fiction.
A team of scientists from the University of Texas at Austin, the Stanford University School of Medicine and two other research institutions has unearthed bacteria’s ability to recognize and intercept viruses, utilizing a mechanism involving RNA.
Researchers have developed a means to specifically identify and target tumor cells using specialized immune cells called T-cells, as well as antigens, that flag the earliest mutations of tumor cells.
The next time you see a child coloring, take a moment and observe him or her. It may seem like this child is consumed with the experience and not showing any signs of stress or despair. Perhaps the child is even showing outward signs of enjoyment and relaxation. A recent movement suggests that coloring might have similar effects on adults as well.
Imagine that you have just gotten home after a long day of classes. It’s a Tuesday afternoon and you decide to plop down on your couch, log on to Facebook, browse the first six pages of Reddit and then open up some lecture notes. However, you soon wake up and realize you’ve been asleep for three hours. All of a sudden you remember that you have a midterm tomorrow and a paper due on Friday. This situation may soon be a thing of the past because new research could lead to the development of a computer screen that keeps you awake when you need to be.
A recently developed brain-machine interface (BMI) allows monkeys to control and navigate a robotic wheelchair using only their thoughts. This project was conducted by a group of neuroscientists at Duke Health and published in the March 3 issue of Scientific Reports. It focuses specifically on hundreds of neurons in two regions of the brain that are involved in movement and sensation.
Solar or photovoltaic cells convert the sun’s light to electricity. They are currently used in many different contexts from large-scale operations such as powering water treatment plants and lighting systems to smaller uses like powering watches and calculators. The industry standard involves manufacturing the cells using a silicon semiconductor in a metal frame covered by a protective covering of silicon rubber or butyryl plastic. High temperatures and powerful solvents are required in order to bind all of the components of the cell together. After they are constructed the solar cells must be covered in protective plastic or glass before they can be distributed and installed.
A recent breakthrough from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shed more light on a potential mechanism of treating cancer. Cancer in its most basic sense is a disease that involves abnormal and uncontrollable cell growth, but its complex biology makes treatment difficult. This challenge has spurred thousands of scientists to explore the mechanisms of cancer and work on developing more effective cures for the disease.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that paroxetine, an antidepressant, is able to improve cognitive function in patients suffering from HIV-associated cognitive impairment.
Currently, it is commonly thought that the cells in the non-reproductive organs of both sexes are relatively similar — and that any difference in lung or heart or liver function is due solely to the different hormones that circulate in males and females.
The brain is a diverse organ that forms the basis of learning, memory, behavior and personality. Structural differences in the brain among individuals can help account for differences in how we act, think and look.
China is second only to the U.S. in obesity rankings, with an overweight population that has reached 300 million people in the last three decades. Although the majority of obese individuals are adults, children and adolescents are also affected, and health risks caused by obesity include conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer.
What happens when you mix moss from Antarctica that has been frozen for 30 years, water and a bit of algae? You create revived microscopic tardigrades.
Smart phones and the features they offer have become an essential part of daily life. Yet their short battery life, which is approximately three-fourths of a day, leaves many frustrated, especially if power cords and chargers have been misplaced or forgotten. However, according to a new invention from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), the frustration of a forgotten charging device may soon become a relic of the past. A novel energy collection and storage technology, which was developed by mechanical engineers at UW-Madison, could allow users to charge their phone’s battery through their footwear.
