Researchers with Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology have detailed the development of a seemingly futuristic hydrogel that may one day be used as a dressing to protect wounds. The hydrogel is described as highly effective against all varieties of bacteria, including the increasingly problematic antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
A groundbreaking brain-computer interface has allowed a paralyzed man to "type" at 90 characters per minute, with new research suggesting an incredible leap ahead in communication is possible for those using a "brain to text" system. Rather than attempt to make a virtual keyboard usable by reading the brain's neural activity, the team responsible for the breakthrough focused on tracking imaginary handwriting.
Researchers at Rice University have developed new implants for implantation in patients with spinal cord injuries that provide electrical stimulation. The new research investigates the ability to power and program multisite bio stimulators using a single transmitter. In the laboratory, the researchers showed an alternating magnetic field generated and controlled by a battery-power transmitter outside the body, potentially worn on a belt or harness, could deliver power and programming to two or more implants that are at least 2.3 inches away.
Engineers at Columbia University have created a tiny, wireless, and injectable chip used to monitor body processes powered by ultrasound. The device is said to be the smallest single-chip system that is a complete functioning electronic circuit. The implantable chip is visible only under a microscope and leads the way towards developing chips that can be injected into the body using a hypodermic needle.
Many researchers foresee a future where owners and drivers of electric vehicles don't need to search for charging stations and spend time parked to top off the batteries. Someday in the future, charging your EV to be done by simply driving in the correct lane. The researchers are investigating technology that could recharge vehicle batteries by driving over special charging strips embedded in the road.
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has announced the results of a Phase 3 trial involving MDMA-assisted therapy for people suffering from chronic and severe PTSD. The results were 'highly statistically significant,' according to MAPS, which reports that 67-percent of the participants who underwent three of these MDMA-assisted therapy sessions saw enough improvement that they no longer met the requirements for a PTSD diagnosis.
Researchers have discovered a symbiotic relationship between two marine life forms that are thriving on the bottom of the ocean. What's so surprising about these lifeforms, called "Living Fossils," is that they were thought to have gone extinct 273 million years ago. Scientists have discovered non-skeletal corals growing from the stalks of marine animals known as crinoids, or sea lilies.
Voyager 1 is one of a pair of NASA spacecraft launched 44 years ago. Voyager 1 is the most distant human-made object in space, and it's still working and getting further from home every day. The spacecraft entered interstellar space after exiting our solar system's heliopause.
Scientists at EPFL and UNIL have used a new algorithmic approach on cancer cells to gain knowledge and how changes in histone markers (H3K27ac) and induce repositioning of chromatin regions in the cell nucleus. The scientists have also described how modifications to local contacts between regulatory elements known as enhancers and promoters influence oncogene expression. The research is attempting to gain a new understanding of cancer and potential methods to fight it.
The US FDA has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents, extending immunizations to those 12 through 15 years of age. The vaccine had already been authorized for use on those 16 years old or above, and this is the first time a vaccine deployed in the US had sought a revision to the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to cover younger people.
If you're aiming to lose weight, spending a small fortune on over-the-counter weight loss supplements and herbs probably won't help you. That's based on a new analysis of 121 randomized studies from the past 16 years, which found that there's currently no evidence to justify the use of these products for weight loss purposes.
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have created something they call AIFoam. The material is a smartphone designed to give machines a more human-like sense of touch, allowing robots to judge human intentions and respond to changes in the environment. Artificially innervated foam, or AIFoam, is a new material that's soft and spongy. It's designed to mimic the sense of human touch and can sense nearby objects without actually having to touch them.