Scientists find Neurochemicals have Unexpectedly Profound Roles in the Human Brain

Electrodes for brain research
Virginia Tech researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Center for Human Neuroscience Research construct carbon fiber microelectrodes for real-time detection of dopamine and serotonin activity in human patients. The in-house, custom-made electrodes are narrow and used during deep brain stimulation electrode implantation surgeries to measure activity of both dopamine and serotonin in patients. Shown at right in comparison with a paper clip.

Dopamine, serotonin involved in sub-second perception, cognition...

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Liquid Metals come to the Rescue of Semiconductors

New deposition approach: synthesising and exfoliating (transferring onto a silicon substrate for example) 2D semiconducting MoS2

Possible pathway to fast-switching, ultra-low energy electronics based on 2D materials. Two-dimensional semiconductors offer a possible solution to the limited potential for further shrinking traditional silicon-based electronics: the long-predicted end of ‘Moore’s Law’. 2D-based electronics, which could eliminate wasted dissipation of heat and allow for very fast, ultra-low energy operation, could be enabled by a new liquidmetal deposition technique.

Moore’s law is an empirical suggestion describing that the number of transistors doubles every few years in integrated circuits (ICs)...

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Death by Spaghettification: ESO Telescopes Record Last Moments of Star Devoured by a Black Hole

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Using telescopes from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other organisations around the world, astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole. The phenomenon, known as a tidal disruption event, is the closest such flare recorded to date at just over 215 million light-years from Earth, and has been studied in unprecedented detail. The research is published today in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Using telescopes from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other organisations around the world, astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole...

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New Class of Highly Effective Inhibitors protects against Neurodegeneration

Interaction of interface inhibitors compound 8 and compound 19 within their binding pockets of the protein contact surface.
Interaction of interface inhibitors compound 8 and compound 19 within their binding pockets of the protein contact surface. | © Hilmar Bading

Neurobiologists at Heidelberg University have discovered how a special receptor at neuronal junctions that normally activates a protective genetic programme can lead to nerve cell death when located outside synapses. Their fundamental findings on neurodegenerative processes simultaneously led the researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences (IZN) to a completely new principle for therapeutic agents. In their experiments on mouse models, they discovered a new class of highly effective inhibitors for protecting nerve cells. As Prof...

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