Dec 14, 2022 (Nanowerk News) RIKEN researchers have imitated the formation of organs in the lab by ‘hacking’ certain signaling pathways that guide the development of connective tissues in the embryo, which support the formation of the liver, gut and other organs (Nature Protocols, "Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem...
New technology allows efficient encapsulation and UV light-regulated release of biomolecules and drugs
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from Tel Aviv University developed a new technology that will allow controlled encapsulation and release of molecules by exposure to UV light. Efficient encapsulation of molecules is considered a major technological challenge, say the researchers. The new technology, which allows for efficient encapsulation and...
Researchers flash new life into lithium-ion anodes
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) How many rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are you wearing? How many are in your general vicinity? Probably more than a few, and they’re great for powering all the things important to modern lives: cellphones, watches, computers, cars and so much more. But where they go when...
Proposal for picogram-scale probes to explore nearby stars
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) In a forward-looking article, George Church, PhD, from Harvard University and the Wyss Institute, proposes the use of picogram to nanogram-scale probes that can land, replicate, and produce a communications module at the destination to explore nearby stars. The fascinating new article is published in...
Scientists enhance stability of hybrid perovskites materials for solar cells
Dec 14, 2022 (Nanowerk News) New materials that can both harvest and emit light offer exciting potential for technologies that range from solar cells to TV and display screens. In a new study (ACS Applied Electronic Materials, "Temperature-Dependent Phase Stable Hybrid Halide Perovskite Films by Chemical Vapor Deposition"), researchers have developed a new...
Scientists get first-ever sound recording of dust devils on Mars
Dec 14, 2022 (Nanowerk News) When the rover Perseverance landed on Mars, it was equipped with the first working microphone on the planet’s surface. Scientists have used it to make the first-ever audio recording of an extraterrestrial whirlwind. The study was published in Nature Communications ("The sound of a Martian...
Ingestible biobatteries could allow new view of digestive system
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Tech companies have developed many devices that work outside the body, such as cell phones, smart watches, tablets and hundreds of others. Inside the body, though? That’s obviously trickier for several reasons, but power for a device is a big one. Biobattery researchers at Binghamton...
Graphene oxide influences gut microbiome and immune system interactions
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) The nanomaterial graphene oxide – which is used in everything from electronics to sensors for biomolecules – can indirectly affect the immune system via the gut microbiome, as shown in a new study on zebrafish by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings are...
Cellular ‘glue’ to regenerate tissues, heal wounds, regrow nerves
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have engineered molecules that act like “cellular glue,” allowing them to direct in precise fashion how cells bond with each other. The discovery represents a major step toward building tissues and organs, a long-sought goal of regenerative medicine. Adhesive...
Discovery overturns major assumptions in crystal photochemistry
Dec 13, 2022 (Nanowerk News) Photochemical reactions were thought to occur uniformly so that when light shines on crystals evenly, they change color evenly. But a research group at Osaka Metropolitan University has discovered that a photomechanical molecular crystal, 2,5-distyrylpyrazine (DSP), undergoes photochemical reactions differently, with the color change spreading...