under the microscope
Diamond nanothreads could store 3x the energy of Li-ion batteries
“And because it stores energy mechanically rather than chemically, it would be much safer.” | learn more
Category: under the microscope
under the microscope
New solar cell breaks record for highest efficiency ever
“Solar cells are constantly improving on the road to maximum efficiency. Now, three records have been broken by two different devices, including one that pushes the highest overall solar conversion efficiency towards the 50-percent mark.” | learn more
under the microscope
Guts and glory, microbiome edition
A point well taken. “Funneling down the complex etiology of human diseases to a particular gut microbe or set of microbes often involves far-reaching claims incompletely supported by experimental evidence.” | learn more
under the microscope
Cancer study stumbles onto potential way to regenerate heart cells
“Heart cells don’t naturally replenish, so after a heart attack it stays permanently damaged. Cambridge researchers have now stumbled onto genes that appear to trigger heart cell regeneration – and they did so by accident, while researching cancer.” | learn more
under the microscope
Are the clinical effects of homeopathy placebo effects?
I won’t spoil the surprise answer. “Homeopathy seems scientifically implausible, but has widespread use. We aimed to assess whether the clinical effect reported in randomised controlled trials of homeopathic remedies is equivalent to that reported for placebo.” | learn more
under the microscope
Scientists print ‘xenobots’ out of biological cells
“Computer scientists and biologists have teamed up to make a new class of living robotics that challenge the boundary between digital and biological.” | learn more
under the microscope
A urine test for lung cancer could cut out unnecessary biopsies.
“Urine tests that pick up biomarkers of cancer are one way scientists hope to diagnose the disease early, and MIT researchers have demonstrated a particularly promising example that could give efforts to diagnose early-stage lung cancer a huge boost.” | learn more
under the microscope
Language used on social media prior to hospital visits
Published in the journal Nature, this research used machine learning to predict healthcare utilization. “One of the salient themes that emerged the month prior to ED and inpatient visits was that anxious and depressed language increased significantly.” | learn more
under the microscope
Bacteria farms produce protein that clears fat from the bloodstream
As always, this is very early research not yet applied to humans. “Triglycerides are a form of fat that circulates through the bloodstream, and high levels can lead to obesity and related illnesses. Now, researchers have found a way to […]
under the microscope
Faster testing for artificial antibodies
Researchers at Berkeley have created a new system to rapidly test artificial antibodies. This feels like a strong brute-force attack against pathogens. “The system starts with a nanosheet made up of molecules called peptoids. This is then coated in loops […]