Press monitoring
Battle-hardened oyster may help toughen combat shields
1.4.2014 | Press monitoring
Mighty molluscs with transparent shells could help protect soldiers in battle. Analysis of oyster shells shows how they can take repeated beatings without shattering, perhaps inspiring tougher combat armour. Current transparent shields and visors are made from laminated glass, which fractures if it takes a bullet.
Experts create intelligent plaster to monitor patients
31.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Medical engineers said Sunday they had created a device the size of a plaster which can monitor patients by tracking their muscle activity before administering their medication. Methods for monitoring so-called "movement disorders" such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease have traditionally included video recordings or wearable devices, but...
First functional designer chromosome synthesized in yeast
28.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Over the last five years, scientists have built bacterial chromosomes and viral DNA, but this is the first report of an entire eukaryotic chromosome, the threadlike structure that carries genes in the nucleus of all plant and animal cells, built from scratch. Researchers say their team's global effort also marks one of the most significant...
First stem cell study of bipolar disorder yields promising results
27.3.2014 | Press monitoring
What makes a person bipolar, prone to manic highs and deep, depressed lows? Why does bipolar disorder run so strongly in families, even though no single gene is to blame? And why is it so hard to find new treatments for a condition that affects 200 million people worldwide? New stem cell research published by scientists from the University of...
Small peptides as potential antibiotics
26.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Small peptides attack bacteria in many different ways and may well become a new generation of antibiotics. Biologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have been researching how such peptides kill bacterial cells. "It is quite possible that, in ten years time, all of the currently marketed antibiotics will lose their power, because bacteria...
Shock-absorbing goo discovered in bone
25.3.2014 | Press monitoring
New findings show that much of the mineral from which bone is made consists of 'goo' trapped between tiny crystals, allowing movement between them. It is this flexibility that stops bones from shattering. Latest research shows that the chemical citrate - a by-product of natural cell metabolism - is mixed with water to create a viscous fluid...
Engineers design \'living materials\': Hybrid materials combine bacterial cells with nonliving elements that emit light
24.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Inspired by natural materials such as bone - a matrix of minerals and other substances, including living cells - MIT engineers have coaxed bacterial cells to produce biofilms that can incorporate nonliving materials, such as gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. These "living materials" combine the advantages of live cells, which respond to...
Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate
21.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Algae are organisms useful in many ways in the transition towards a bio-economy. Even in a cool climate as in Finland, algae might be used to produce biochemicals and biofuels, besides use in capture of industrial carbon dioxide emissions. The ALGIDA project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland explored algae growing in...
New DNA-editing technology spawns novel strategies for gene therapy
20.3.2014 | Press monitoring
The University of California, Berkeley, and UC San Francisco are launching the Innovative Genomics Initiative (IGI) to lead a revolution in genetic engineering based on a new technology already generating novel strategies for gene therapy and the genetic study of disease. The Li Ka Shing Foundation has provided a $10 million gift to support the...
Research team implants human innate immune cells in mice
19.3.2014 | Press monitoring
Overcoming a major limitation to the study of the origins and progress of human disease, Yale researchers report that they have transplanted human innate immune cells into mouse models, which resulted in human immune responses. This groundbreaking study has reproduced human immune function at a level not seen previously, and could significantly...
