Feature Channels: Nanotechnology

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Because amyloidosis doesn’t affect a specific organ and can be present throughout the body including the heart, kidneys, liver and brain, unraveling the underlying cause of amyloid fibril creation – a hallmark of this disease – is complex and challenging. A monumental $11.5 million gift from philanthropists Ann and John Wood will enable FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine to create a game-changing infrastructure using a whole-body approach and multi-disciplinary team.

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PNNL’s wide-ranging report maps the current nanobiotechnology landscape, flags potential concerns, and details the need for an organizing body to coordinate currently disparate disciplines.

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Researchers of the Biochemistry Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University (CUVET) have developed “Dust Mites Repellent Herbal Spray” and “Pet Fragrance Spray from Mangosteen Peel Extract” by applying nanotechnology to pet products to enhance their potency. Certifiably safe, both products are now available through a CUVET startup company.

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Using nanomagnets composites and conductive yarn, scientists have invented a smart textile that can sense and measure body movements—from muscles flexing to veins pulsing.

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Aleksandra Radenovic, head of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology in the School of Engineering, has worked for years to improve nanopore technology, which involves passing a molecule like DNA through a tiny pore in a membrane to measure an ionic current.

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Scientists have analyzed single atoms using X-rays for the first time at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source. This new capability will find wide application in environmental and medical research, as well as in batteries, microelectronic devices and beyond.

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Nature-based solutions are an effective tool to combat climate change triggered by rising carbon emissions, whether it’s by clearing the skies with bio-based aviation fuels or boosting natural carbon sinks. At the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists are leading research to transform plants into key drivers of decarbonization, from creating biomass crops for new fuels to enhancing the ability of plants to absorb and store carbon.

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Northwestern University engineers have developed a new sponge that can remove metals — including toxic heavy metals like lead and critical metals like cobalt — from contaminated water, leaving safe, drinkable water behind.

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Chula research team is ready to present their inventions and innovations at the 34th International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2023), which will be held from May 11 to 13, 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center Hall 1-4, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have developed a groundbreaking new diagnostic technique that will allow for faster and more accurate detection of neurodegenerative diseases that affect humans, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and similar diseases that affect animals, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) and mad cow disease.

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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.

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A Cornell-led collaboration harnessed chemical reactions to make microscale origami machines self-fold – freeing them from the liquids in which they usually function, so they can operate in dry environments and at room temperature.

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Ammonia (NH3) is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the world, with a production of over 187 million tons in 2020. About 85% of it is used to produce nitrogenous fertilizers, while the rest is used for refining petroleum, manufacturing a wide range of other chemicals, and creating synthetic fibers such as nylon.

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In Biointerphases, researchers develop a fabrication method to increase the efficacy and longevity of membrane separation technology. The team created a nanofibrous membrane with electrospinning, in which a liquid polymer droplet is electrified and stretched to make fibers, and increased the roughness of the membrane surface by loading it with silver nanoparticles. In water, this rough surface promotes a stable layer of water, which acts as a barrier to prevent oil droplets from entering the membrane. The technology is greater than 99% effective at separating a petroleum ether-in-water emulsion.

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Scientists created a nanoscale pattern of holes on a thin film of metal oxide known as titania to control the material’s electronic properties. The thin film noticeably improved the flow of electrons and inhibited the flow of ions in the material, increasing the material’s electrical conductivity. This will aid in next-generation microelectronics applications and quantum information processing.

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Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Andrew Lupini, a scientist and inventor at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected Fellow of the Microscopy Society of America.

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A tiny biobattery that could still work after 100 years has been developed by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

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The nano-scale electronic parts in devices like smartphones are solid, static objects that once designed and built cannot transform into anything else. But University of California, Irvine physicists have reported the discovery of nano-scale devices that can transform into many different shapes and sizes even though they exist in solid states.

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Houston Methodist nanomedicine researchers have found a way to tame pancreatic cancer - one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers - by delivering immunotherapy directly into the tumor with a device that is smaller than a grain of rice.

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With its Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center (Q-NEXT) and its quantum research team, Argonne is a hub for research that could change the way we process and transmit information.

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Researchers are designing nanoparticles to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as such as Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Key innovations are the design of self-assembling nanoparticles that carry drugs and naturally target inflamed colons. The nanoparticles could deliver relief to more than 3 million Americans who suffer from the diseases.

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A multi-institutional team, including Argonne, has discovered surprising spin properties in thin films of an iron-containing magnetic material. These properties could be applicable as basic units in information storage applications.

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A new nano-optical bioimaging technology in development at PNNL enables researchers to watch climate-bellwether microbes exchange metabolites and other essential signals.

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The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), led by Prof. Antonio Giordano, in collaboration with the Texas Scientific Italian Community (TSIC), led by Prof. Andrea Giuffrida, will present the XVII Conference of Italian Researchers in the World on Saturday April 1st from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at Temple University of Philadelphia.

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The Institute for the Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP) is helping to address the plastic waste accumulation problem by developing the science needed to turn used plastic into valuable materials.

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Scientists report using a single-atom-thick nanomaterial to build a device that can simultaneously detect the presence of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu — at much lower levels and much more quickly than conventional tests for either. They will present their results at ACS Spring 2023.

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Corneal transplants can be the last step to returning clear vision to many patients suffering from eye disease. Each year, approximately 80,000 corneal transplantations take place in the U.S. Worldwide, more than 184,000 corneal transplantation surgeries are performed annually.

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Swanson School of Engineering researchers develop self-sensing metamaterial concrete for smart infrastructure systems

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Two young Empa scientists each receive an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship to develop innovative products based on their research. Abdessalem Aribia is developing environmentally friendly and safe batteries, while Subas Scheibler is working on nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

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On May 20 Argonne National Laboratory opens its doors to the public. Registration is required for this event, which features a full day of hands-on science activities, tours of cutting-edge research facilities, and more.

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When lymphatic vessels fail, typically their ability to pump out the fluid is compromised. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have developed a new treatment using nanoparticles that can repair lymphatic vessel pumping. Traditionally, researchers in the field have tried to regrow lymphatic vessels, but repairing the pumping action is a unique approach.

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In a major breakthrough in the fields of nanophotonics and ultrafast optics, a Sandia National Laboratories research team has demonstrated the ability to dynamically steer light pulses from conventional, so-called incoherent light sources.

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Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridioides difficile, Candida auris, Drug-resistant Shigella. These bacteria not only have difficult names to pronounce, but they are also difficult to fight off. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global public health threat.

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A novel cancer therapeutic, combining antibody fragments with molecularly engineered nanoparticles, permanently eradicated gastric cancer in treated mice, a multi-institutional team of researchers found.

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Inspired by the hardiness of bumblebees, MIT researchers have developed repair techniques that enable a bug-sized aerial robot to sustain severe damage to the actuators, or artificial muscles, that power its wings — but to still fly effectively.

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In the latest advance in nano- and micro-architected materials, engineers at Caltech have developed a new material made from numerous interconnected microscale knots.

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Scientists develop method for chemically modifying nanoscale tubes of carbon atoms, so they can host spinning electrons to serve as stable quantum bits in quantum technologies.

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Dr. Sang Kyung Kim (Director) and Dr. Seungwon Jung’s research team at the Center for Augmented Safety System with Intelligence, Sensing of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President: Seok Jin Yoon) announced that they had developed an ultrafast PCR technology.

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A research team led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Seok Jin Yoon) Jeonbuk Institute of Advanced Composite Materials collaborated with a research team led by Professor Han Gi Chae from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST, President Yong Hoon Lee) to develop a low-cost fabrication technology for carbon-nanotube-based composite carbon fibers with extremely high tensile strength and high modulus.

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“Twisted” X-ray beams carrying orbital angular momentum hold great promise for imaging and probing materials at the nanoscale. Scientists have now developed and demonstrated a new technique that uses a special patterned array of engineered nanoscale magnets called an artificial spin ice to impart OAM to X-ray beams. The beams can be switched on and off using changes in temperature and magnetic fields.

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A tiny robot that could one day help doctors perform surgery was inspired by the incredible gripping ability of geckos and the efficient locomotion of inchworms.

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By illuminating a sample surface with short laser beam pulses, it is possible to film sequences of various chemical and physical reactions.