Are drones the optimal way to distribute COVID-19 tests? Researchers are looking into drone delivery as a method to efficiently deliver testing kits while limiting contact between individuals
Researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health have developed a new COVID-19 test distribution method that uses drones to quickly deliver at-home diagnostic tests to individuals who suspect they have COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic showed that a key part of controlling the spread of a contagious disease is to quickly and accurately […]
Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth: Hands-free system could effectively automate the treatment and removal of tooth-decay-causing bacteria and dental plaque, research shows
A shapeshifting robotic microswarm may one day act as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss in one. The technology, developed by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania, is poised to offer a new and automated way to perform the mundane but critical daily tasks of brushing and flossing. It’s a system that could […]
Researchers expand understanding of vortex spread in superfluids
An international team of scientists featuring Florida State University researchers has developed a model that predicts the spread of vortices in so-called superfluids, work that provides new insight into the physics that govern turbulence in quantum fluid systems such as superfluid neutron stars. In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, the researchers created a […]
Researchers develop rapid COVID-19 test to identify variants in hours: Determining patient’s strain previously required lengthy whole genome sequencing
Last year, pathologist Jeffrey SoRelle, M.D., and colleagues developed CoVarScan, a rapid COVID-19 test that detects the signatures of eight hotspots on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Now, after testing CoVarScan on more than 4,000 patient samples collected at UT Southwestern, the team reports in Clinical Chemistry that their test is as accurate as other methods used […]
No more binge eating: Signal pathway in the brain that controls food intake discovered
A group of researchers has developed an entirely novel approach to treating eating disorders. The scientists showed that a group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus (so-called AgRP, agouti-related peptide neurons) control the release of endogenous lysophospholipids, which in turn control the excitability of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, which stimulates food intake. In […]
Biofinder advances detection of extraterrestrial life
An innovative scientific instrument, the Compact Color Biofinder, developed by a team of University of Hawai’i at Manoa researchers, may change the game in the search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Most biological materials, for example, amino acids, fossils, sedimentary rocks, plants, microbes, proteins and lipids, have strong organic fluorescence signals that can be detected […]
Surgeons develop new technique to reduce Adam’s apple without neck scar: Gender-affirming procedure could help reduce stigma faced by transgender and nonbinary patients
Doctors at the UCLA Gender Health Program have developed a technique to reduce an Adam’s apple bump without leaving a scar on the patient’s neck. The advance could be an important and welcome one for transgender women and nonbinary people, for whom a neck scar can be a telltale sign of their surgery — often […]
Nanoparticles control flow of light like road signs direct traffic
Physicists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed tiny translucent slides capable of producing two very different images by manipulating the direction in which light travels through them. As light passes through the slide, an image of Australia can be seen, but when you flip the slide and look again, an image of the […]
Investigational drug attacks synovial sarcoma, a rare type of tumor
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a way to attack synovial sarcoma — a rare tumor of soft tissues, such as ligaments and muscles — using an investigational drug that triggers cell death. The drug was developed by Washington University researchers who are planning a phase 1 clinical trial […]
Ultrasound-guided microbubbles boost immunotherapy efficacy: New platform to improve both antitumor immune responses and responses to checkpoint inhibitors
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed an ultrasound-guided cancer immunotherapy platform that generates systemic antitumor immunity and improves the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade. The findings from the preclinical study were published today in Nature Nanotechnology. As the first-of-its-kind platform, the Microbubble-assisted UltraSound-guided Immunotherapy of Cancer (MUSIC) approach […]