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Category: biotech/medical – Page 37

The innovation offers potential advancements in diagnosing conditions like arrhythmia and Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at MIT have unveiled a biosensing technique that uses tiny, wireless antennas to monitor electrical signals in biological systems with unprecedented precision.

By eliminating the need for wires and amplifiers, the innovation simplifies cellular studies, offering potential advancements in diagnosing conditions like arrhythmia and Alzheimer’s and enabling more targeted treatments.

Electrical signals are fundamental to cellular communication, yet traditional methods for measuring them are cumbersome and limited in scope.

Continue reading “MIT creates tiny antennas to track brain and heart disease signals” | >

In an era of medical care that is increasingly aiming at more targeted medication therapies, more individual therapies and more effective therapies, doctors and scientists want to be able to introduce molecules to the biological system to undertake specific actions.

Examples are and , which for widespread use need to be both effective and inexpensive. In service of this goal, a trio of researchers has used machine learning to design a way to remove molecules inside a molecular cage. Their study is published in Physical Review Letters.

The research, whose lead author is Ryan K. Krueger of Harvard University, but to which each co-author contributed equally, uses differentiable to design complex reactions to direct the system to specific outcomes.

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A Japanese university and construction company have partnered on research to develop a lunar habitat capable of generating artificial gravity, enabling people to live on the Moon under conditions similar to those on Earth.

Kyoto University and Kajima Corp. aim to construct a ground-based prototype of the “Neo Lunar Glass,” a paraboloid structure that generates gravity through rotation, by the 2030s.

The technology is expected to address concerns about the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the human body, including bone and muscle loss.

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Chronic fatigue syndrome creates conditions where pathogen-killing immune T cells become exhausted, according to a new Cornell University study.

The study’s authors knew the immune system was dysregulated in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) but wondered which parts shift with the condition.

A systematic exploration revealed that key CD8+ T cells displayed one of the most pronounced signatures of dysregulation, with signs of constant stimulation that lead to an exhausted state, a condition that is well-studied in cancer.

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Smartwatch bands from popular brands have been found to contain high concentrations of toxic for forever chemicals, also known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These synthetic chemicals do not break down easily in the environment and build in our bodies over time, hence earning them the nickname of forever chemicals.

PFAS are used in various consumer products, including non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothes, carpets, mattresses, food wraps, and more. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to serious health problems, including increased risks of certain cancers, hormone disruption, weakened immune systems, and developmental delays in children. These chemicals can leach into water, soil, and food, making them a growing public health concern worldwide.

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters has found that smartwatch bands made of fluoroelastomers contain a very high concentration of a forever chemical known as perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA).

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Stanford and Seoul National University researchers have developed an artificial sensory nerve system that can activate the twitch reflex in a cockroach and identify letters in the Braille alphabet.

The work, reported May 31 in Science, is a step toward creating artificial skin for prosthetic limbs, to restore sensation to amputees and, perhaps, one day give robots some type of reflex capability.

“We take skin for granted but it’s a complex sensing, signaling and decision-making system,” said Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering and one of the senior authors. “This artificial sensory nerve system is a step toward making skin-like sensory neural networks for all sorts of applications.”

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Can we examine the teeth of living fish and other vertebrates in detail, repeatedly over time, without harming them?

Previously, often had to be euthanized to obtain precise information, but now scientists have found a new way to humanely study detailed dental characteristics of vertebrates. This customizable method can be used for both living animals and museum specimens and has been published in the Journal of Morphology.

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A groundbreaking clinical trial has revealed that nerve-stimulating therapy can bring significant improvements to people with severe, treatment-resistant depression.

Nearly 500 participants, many unable to work due to their condition, received devices that stimulate the vagus nerve—a critical connection between the brain and body. After a year, those with activated devices reported measurable improvements in symptoms, quality of life, and daily functioning.

Breakthrough in Treatment-Resistant Depression.

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