Wearable sensors mimic skin to help wound healing
Reading Time: 2 minutesRESEARCHERS at Binghamton University, State University of New York, have developed skin-inspired electronics to conform to the skin, allowing for long-term, high-performance, real-time wound monitoring in users. “We eventually hope that these sensors and engineering accomplishments can help advance healthcare applications and provide a better quantitative understanding in disease progression, wound care, general health, fitness […]
‘Astrocomb’ opens new horizons for planet-hunting telescope
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE hunt for Earth-like planets, and perhaps extraterrestrial life, just got more precise, thanks to record-setting starlight measurements made possible by a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) “astrocomb.” NIST’s custom-made frequency comb — which precisely measures frequencies, or colors, of light —ensures the precision of starlight analysis by an instrument called a spectrograph […]
Engineers create ‘lifelike’ machines
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTAPPING into the unique nature of DNA, Cornell engineers have created simple machines constructed of biomaterials with properties of living things. Using DASH (DNA-based Assembly and Synthesis of Hierarchical) materials, engineers constructed a DNA material with capabilities of metabolism, in addition to self-assembly and organisation — three key traits of life. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] […]
Blind mice regain sight after single gene insertion
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIT was surprisingly simple. University of California, Berkeley, scientists inserted a gene for a green-light receptor into the eyes of blind mice and, a month later, they were navigating around obstacles as easily as mice with no vision problems. They were able to see motion, brightness changes over a thousandfold range and fine detail on an iPad sufficient to distinguish letters. The researchers say that, within as […]
M’sian made aptamer-based biosensor makes its mark
Reading Time: 2 minutesKUALA LUMPUR: A locally developed aptamer-based biosensor is set to change the way we monitor human body, pathogens, food and environmental contaminants. The innovation also has the potential to be developed into portable diagnostic kits that is robust and convenient for field use. The technology was recently introduced by Biogenes Technology Sdn Bhd (Biogenes) in […]
Chemists tap body heat to power ‘smart garments’
Reading Time: 2 minutesMANY wearable biosensors, data transmitters and similar tech advances for personalised health monitoring have now been “creatively miniaturised,” says materials chemist Trisha Andrew at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but they require a lot of energy, and power sources can be bulky and heavy. Now she and her PhD student Linden Allison report that they have developed a fabric that can harvest body heat to power small wearable microelectronics such as […]
MERMAIDs reveal secrets from below the ocean floor
Reading Time: 2 minutesSEISMOLOGISTS use waves generated by earthquakes to scan the interior of our planet, much like doctors image their patients using medical tomography. Earth imaging has helped us track down the deep origins of volcanic islands such as Hawaii, and identify the source zones of deep earthquakes. “Imagine a radiologist forced to work with a CAT scanner that is missing two-thirds of its necessary sensors,” said Frederik […]
Saturn hasn’t always had rings
Reading Time: 3 minutesONE of the last acts of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft before its death plunge into Saturn’s hydrogen and helium atmosphere was to coast between the planet and its rings and let them tug it around, essentially acting as a gravity probe. Precise measurements of Cassini’s final trajectory have now allowed scientists to make the first accurate […]
Missing link in planet evolution found
Reading Time: 2 minutesFOR the first time ever, astronomers have detected a 1.3 km radius body at the edge of the Solar System. Kilometre sized bodies like the one discovered have been predicted to exist for more than 70 years. These objects acted as an important step in the planet formation process between small initial amalgamations of dust […]
Asthma monitoring gets easier
Reading Time: 2 minutesNew local innovation is world’s first with potential for assessing other respiratory functions. BANGI: A locally innovated asthma monitoring device is all set to create a new revolution in respiratory medicine, especially for the examination of asthmatic attacks in real time. Developed by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Penang Hospital, the gadget called Spironic is […]