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    Engineers investigate a simple, no-Bake Recipe to make Bricks from Martian Soil

    April 28, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    1.(A) A photo of solid Mars-1a beam quasi-statically compacted with rigid boundary condition. The curved ends show the boundaries of the steel mold. The width of the sample is ~1 cm. (B) Flexural strength of compacted Mars-1a as a function of the initial average particle size. 2. (A) SEM image of a solid Mars-1a fracture surface. The inset displays a TEM image of several basaltic grains bonded together; fuzzy and diffuse areas on the exterior of each particle are indicative of npOx, and the contact suggests npOx binding. The material had the initial particle size of 25–45 μm, and was compressed under 360 MPa quasi-statically with flexible boundary condition; the compression pressure was oriented horizontally in the SEM image. (B) Typical XRD curves of reference Mars-1a and solid Mars-1a compressed to 360 MPa with flexible boundary condition. Asterisks indicate the two main peaks of the bottom curve.

    1.(A) A photo of solid Mars-1a beam quasi-statically compacted with rigid boundary condition. The curved ends show the boundaries of the steel mold. The width of the sample is ~1 cm. (B) Flexural strength of compacted Mars-1a as a function of the initial average particle size.
    2. (A) SEM image of a solid Mars-1a fracture surface. The inset displays a TEM image of several basaltic grains bonded together; fuzzy and diffuse areas on the exterior of each particle are indicative of npOx, and the contact suggests npOx binding. The material had the initial particle size of 25–45 μm, and was compressed under 360 MPa quasi-statically with flexible boundary condition; the compression pressure was oriented horizontally in the SEM image...

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    Smartphone-Controlled Cells help keep Diabetes in Check

    April 27, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Image shows bone progenitor cells labeled by red glow inside a cleared femur. Credit: A. Greenbaum et al., Science Translational Medicine (2017)

    Image shows bone progenitor cells labeled by red glow inside a cleared femur. Credit: A. Greenbaum et al., Science Translational Medicine (2017)

    Cells engineered to produce insulin under the command of a smartphone helped keep blood sugar levels within normal limits in diabetic mice. More than 415 million people worldwide are living with diabetes, and frequently need to inject themselves with insulin to manage their blood sugars. Human cells can be genetically engineered into living factories that efficiently manufacture and deliver hormones and signaling molecules, but most synthetic biological circuits don’t offer the same degree of sensitivity and precision as digital sensors.

    Combining living tissues and technology, Jiawei Shao et al...

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    New Eye Test Detects earliest Signs of Glaucoma

    April 27, 2017, Categories  Uncategorized

    A patient’s retina showing hyperfluorescent signals – each white spot is single 'sick' retinal nerve cell

    Credit: UCL/Western Eye Hospital A patient’s retina showing hyperfluorescent signals – each white spot is a single ‘sick’ retinal nerve cell.

    A simple, inexpensive diagnostic tool DARC (Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells) has been developed. In clinical trials it allowed for the first time visualization of individual nerve cell death in patients with glaucoma. Early detection means doctors can start treatments before sight loss begins. Ongoing trials are investigating the potential of the test for other neurodegenerative conditions.

    Glaucoma affects 60 million people in the world, with 1 in 10 suffering total sight loss in both eyes. Early detection means doctors can start treatments before sight loss begins...

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    Wireless Power can drive Tiny Electronic devices in the GI tract

    April 27, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    This is an artistic interpretation of how an electronic device in the stomach could be powered wirelessly. Credit: Ella Maru Studio / Giovanni Traverso / Abubakar Abid

    This is an artistic interpretation of how an electronic device in the stomach could be powered wirelessly. Credit: Ella Maru Studio / Giovanni Traverso / Abubakar Abid

    Using mid-field wireless powering, investigators can transfer power from outside the body to electronics in the gastrointestinal tract. Imagers, gastric pacemakers and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools could someday transform the way diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are measured and treated. But in order for these electronic devices to work, they need a power source. Traditional power sources, eg. batteries, can be incompatible with the mucosal lining and have a limited lifespan within the body. A more promising possibility is to power electronic devices from outside the body...

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