Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) “We engineered E. coli bacteria, the most widely studied microbe, to generate electricity,” says Professor Ardemis Boghossian at EPFL. “Though there are exotic microbes that naturally produce electricity, they can only do so in the presence of specific chemicals. E. coli can grow on a...
Using smart bioelectronic devices to capture and release tumor cells
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer, occurring when a cell leaves the primary tumour, passes into the bloodstream and lymphatic system and reaches distant organs. Non-invasive collection of these circulating tumour cells is essential for the study of cell biology, the diagnosis...
New tracer nanoparticles allow scientists to track nanoplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Plastic pollution poses a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Of particular concern are nanoplastics, plastic particles less than 1,000 nanometers in size. Studies show nanoplastics can be toxic to aquatic organisms, causing physical damage, oxidative stress, and developmental issues. However, detecting and quantifying nanoplastics...
Efficient training for artificial intelligence
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Artifical intelligence not only affords impressive performance, but also creates significant demand for energy. The more demanding the tasks for which it is trained, the more energy it consumes. Víctor López-Pastor and Florian Marquardt, two scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of...
New laser tweezers allow gentle, efficient manipulation of cells and nanoparticles
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Optical tweezers have been a cornerstone technology for manipulating microscopic objects in various fields, including biotechnology and materials science. However, they have limitations, such as the need for high laser power and specific environmental conditions, which can cause thermal and photon damage to sensitive biological...
Study hints at the existence of the closest black holes to Earth in the Hyades star cluster
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A paper published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ("Stellar-mass black holes in the Hyades star cluster?") hints at the existence of several black holes in the Hyades cluster — the closest open cluster to our solar system — which would...
Researchers define a nanopipette fabrication protocol for high resolution cell imaging
Sep 08, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A nanoscale view of living cells can provide valuable insights into cell structure and function. Over the years, various microscopy techniques have been enrolled to obtain a window into biological specimens at the nanoscale but all with their limitations and challenges. Although scanning ion conductance...