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Through a technique known as DNA origami, scientists at Emory University have created the fastest, most persistent DNA nano motor yet. The new DNA motor is rod-shaped and uses RNA fuel to roll persistently in a straight line, without human intervention, at speeds up to 100 nanometers per minute. That's up to 10 times faster than previous DNA motors.
Blood tests can measure levels of cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” in the body. But a blood test can raise a person’s stress level itself, and it can’t be done frequently, nor without a medical professional. Now researchers at Caltech are reporting on the first noninvasive, wearable sensor that can detect changes in cortisol levels directly from sweat in the skin. It’s made of graphene, a layer of carbon only one layer thick that has tiny holes throughout. These holes contain cortisol antibodies that bind to the cortisol in sweat, and this can be detected electronically by the sensor.
Blood tests can measure levels of cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” in the body. But a blood test can raise a person’s stress level itself, and it can’t be done frequently, nor without a medical professional. Now researchers at Caltech are reporting on the first noninvasive, wearable sensor that can detect changes in cortisol levels directly from sweat in the skin. It’s made of graphene, a layer of carbon only one layer thick that has tiny holes throughout. These holes contain cortisol antibodies that bind to the cortisol in sweat, and this can be detected electronically by the sensor.
Engineers at the University of California San Diego and the University of California Berkeley have created light-based technology that can detect biological substances with a molecular mass more than 100 times smaller than previously possible. The researchers used plasmons, which are small fluids of electronic waves that can move back and forth in metallic nanostructures. The research could lead to the development of ultra-sensitive devices that can quickly detect pathogens in human blood and considerably reduce the time needed for patients to get results from blood tests.
Engineers at the University of California San Diego and the University of California Berkeley have created light-based technology that can detect biological substances with a molecular mass more than 100 times smaller than previously possible. The researchers used plasmons, which are small fluids of electronic waves that can move back and forth in metallic nanostructures. The research could lead to the development of ultra-sensitive devices that can quickly detect pathogens in human blood and considerably reduce the time needed for patients to get results from blood tests.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super-small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems. The team created polymer-based nanoparticles and injected them into the animals' tumors. Once inside a cancer cell, the water-soluble nanoparticle slowly degrades over a day and releases a ring of DNA that makes the cancer cell produce surface proteins that work like red flags to say, "I'm a cancer cell, activate defenses."
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine have designed and successfully tested an experimental, super-small package able to deliver molecular signals that tag implanted human cancer cells in mice and make them visible for destruction by the animals' immune systems. The team created polymer-based nanoparticles and injected them into the animals' tumors. Once inside a cancer cell, the water-soluble nanoparticle slowly degrades over a day and releases a ring of DNA that makes the cancer cell produce surface proteins that work like red flags to say, "I'm a cancer cell, activate defenses."
Researchers at Columbia University have discovered a new way to control the phase of light using 2D materials without changing its amplitude, at extremely low electrical power dissipation. The researchers demonstrated that by simply placing the thin material on top of passive silicon waveguides, they could change the phase of light as strongly as existing silicon phase modulators, but with much lower optical loss and power consumption.
Researchers at Columbia University have discovered a new way to control the phase of light using 2D materials without changing its amplitude, at extremely low electrical power dissipation. The researchers demonstrated that by simply placing the thin material on top of passive silicon waveguides, they could change the phase of light as strongly as existing silicon phase modulators, but with much lower optical loss and power consumption.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that atomic forces thought to be "weak" can actually exert more control than has been understood. The researchers explored the formation of zinc oxide through a process in which individual nanoparticles act as building blocks that attach to each other to form a larger crystal. This discovery could help better predict and eventually control manufacturing of semiconductor materials used in electronics and other industrial applications.
