May 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Northwestern investigators have demonstrated that fine-tuning DNA interaction strength can improve colloidal crystal engineering to enhance their use in creating an array of functional nanomaterials, according to a recent study published in ACS Nano ("Programming Nucleation and Growth in Colloidal Crystals Using DNA"). Chad Mirkin,...
The influence of AI on trust in human interaction
May 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) As AI becomes increasingly realistic, our trust in those with whom we communicate may be compromised. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have examined how advanced AI systems impact our trust in the individuals we interact with. In one scenario, a would-be scammer, believing he...
Centipede-inspired multi-legged robots master challenging terrains
May 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Centipedes are known for their wiggly walk. With tens to hundreds of legs, they can traverse any terrain without stopping. “When you see a scurrying centipede, you're basically seeing an animal that inhabits a world that is very different than our world of movement,” said...
Smart surgical implant coatings provide early failure warning while preventing infection
May 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Newly developed “smart” coatings for surgical orthopedic implants can monitor strain on the devices to provide early warning of implant failures while killing infection-causing bacteria, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. The coatings integrate flexible sensors with a nanostructured antibacterial surface inspired by the wings...
Precision mass measurements of nuclei reveal neutron star properties
May 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators recently measured the masses of several key nuclei with high-precision by employing a state-of-the-art storage-ring mass spectrometry technique. Using the new mass data, they investigated X-ray bursts...
AI could run a million microbial experiments per year
May 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) An artificial intelligence system enables robots to conduct autonomous scientific experiments—as many as 10,000 per day—potentially driving a drastic leap forward in the pace of discovery in areas from medicine to agriculture to environmental science. Reported in Nature Microbiology ("BacterAI maps microbial metabolism without prior...
World’s smallest LED and holographic microscope enables conversion of existing mobile phone cameras into high-resolution microscopes
May 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from the Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) and the Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore have developed the world’s smallest LED (light emitting diode)...
Spatial artificial intelligence: how drones navigate
May 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) People are able to perceive their surroundings in three dimensions and can quickly spot potential danger in everyday situations. Drones have to learn this. Prof. Stefan Leutenegger refers to the intelligence needed for this task as ‘spatial artificial intelligence’, or spatial AI. This new approach...
DNA data storage within reach thanks to new PCR technique
May 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Storing data in DNA sounds like science fiction, yet it lies in the near future. Professor Tom de Greef expects the first DNA data center to be up and running within five to ten years. Data won’t be stored as zeros and ones in a...
Alternative fuel for string-shaped motors in cells
May 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Cells have a fascinating feature to neatly organize their interior by using tiny protein machines called molecular motors that generate directed movements. Most of them use a common type of fuel, a kind of chemical energy, called ATP to operate. Now researchers from the Max...