Category Biology/Biotechnology

Robot outperformed expert surgeons and current robot-assisted surgical techniques in open bowel surgery in pigs. (stock image) Credit: © ralamst / Fotolia

Putting surgery one step closer into the realm of self-driving cars and intelligent machines, researchers show for the first time that a supervised autonomous robot can successfully perform soft tissue surgery. The robot outperformed expert surgeons and current robot-assisted surgical techniques in open bowel surgery in pigs. By taking human intervention out of the equation, autonomous robots could potentially reduce complications and improve the safety and efficacy of soft tissue surgeries, about 45 million of which are performed in the U.S. each year.

Robot-assisted surgery currently relies on the surgeon to manually control it, and o...

Iso-surface plot of Q-criterion (2500) showing the vortices generated at the transition between upstroke and downstroke at 2 m/s, viewed obliquely from above and behind. Iso-surface plot of Q-criterion (2500) showing the vortices generated at the transition between upstroke and downstroke at 2 m/s, viewed obliquely from above and behind.

Long-eared bats are assisted in flight by their ears and body, according to a study by researchers at Lund University in Sweden. The recent findings improve understanding of the bats’ flying technique and could be significant for the future development of drones etc. Contrary to what researchers previously assumed, Christoffer Johansson Westheim et al show long-eared bats are helped in flight by their large ears.

“We show how the air behind the body of a l...

Figure 6 from Nikitczuk et al. Credit: GSA Bulletin and Nikitczuk et al.

Tubular microtunnels believed to be the trace fossils formed by microbes inhabiting volcanic rock interiors have only been reported in oceanic and subglacial settings. This is the first observation of such features in basaltic volcanic glass erupted in a continental lake environment, the Fort Rock volcanic field. As a result, the record of subsurface microbial activity in the form of endolithic microborings is prospectively expanded. Our understanding of the range of environments and conditions that microtunnels can form in is enhanced along with our knowledge of potentially habitable environments on Earth and beyond.

The Fort Rock volcanic field has analogous characteristics to locations found on Mars such as Gale an...

Before the delivery of the neurotoxin (left) the SCN oscillate in a synchronized pattern. After the delivery of the neurotoxin (right), neurons in the SCN oscillate randomly. Credit: Image courtesy of the Doyle Lab

For the 1st time it has been shown how neurons in the SCN are connected to each other, shedding light on this vital area of the brain. Understanding this structure – and how it responds to disruption – is important for tackling illnesses like diabetes and PTSD. The scientists have also found that disruption to these rhythms such as shifts in work schedules or blue light exposure at night can negatively impact overall health...