New DNA Biosensor could unlock Powerful, Low-Cost Clinical Diagnostics

A graphical representation of a DNA biosensor device for clinical diagnostics that is the size and shape of a smartphone.
In a new study, researchers demonstrate the capability of DNA biosensor components for a unique modular DNA biosensor. The researchers plan to integrate their design within a device the size and shape of a smartphone for low-cost clinical diagnostics. 
Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST

DNA can signal the presence of or predisposition to a slew of diseases, including cancer. The ability to flag down these clues, known as biomarkers, allows medical professionals to make critical early diagnoses and provide personalized treatments. The typical methods of screening can be laborious, expensive or limited in what they can uncover. A new biosensor chip that boasts an accurate and inexpensive design may increase accessibility to high-quality diagnostics.

The biosensor, developed by researchers at the ...

Read More

Webb spies Chariklo Ring System with High-Precision Technique

Graphic titled “Centaur 10199 Chariklo: Surface Composition; NIRSpec PRISM.” The graphic shows a reflectance spectrum in the form of a graph of the Brightness of Light (relative reflectance) on the vertical y-axis versus Wavelength of Light in microns on the horizontal x-axis. The spectrum is plotted as a continuous jagged white line. The overall shape of the line is curvy, with broad peaks and valleys. Three prominent valleys are highlighted in blue and labeled “Water Ice, H2O.” In the background is a grayscale illustration of Chariklo and its rings, as seen from an oblique angle. For more details, see the Text Description PDF.
Webb captured a spectrum with its Near-infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) of the Chariklo system on Oct. 31, shortly after the occultation. This spectrum shows clear evidence for crystalline water ice, which was only hinted at by past ground-based observations. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI). Science: Noemí Pinilla-Alonso (FSI/UCF), Ian Wong (STScI), Javier Licandro (IAC). Download the full-resolution version from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

In 2013, Felipe Braga-Ribas and collaborators, using ground-based telescopes, discovered that Chariklo hosts a system of two thin rings. Such rings had been expected only around large planets such as Jupiter and Neptune.

The astronomers had been watching a star as Chariklo passed in front of it, blocking the starlight...

Read More

Novel Microneedle Bandage could Save Lives by Stopping Blood Loss from Wounds

Graphic of microneedle patch repairing bleeding liver.
Hemostatic microneedle technology can be applied like a typical adhesive bandage to quickly stop bleeding. The biocompatible and biodegradable microneedle arrays (MNAs) on the patch increase its surface contact with blood to accelerate the clotting process and also increase the adhesive properties of the patch via mechanical interlocking to promote wound closure. Credit: Designed by Amir Sheikhi and Reihaneh Haghniaz/Executed by Natan Barros. All Rights Reserved.

A soldier suffers a serious gunshot wound on a remote battlefield or a machinist has a work accident and gets stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital. Secondary, uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury is the leading cause of death of Americans from ages one to 46.

Amir Sheikhi, assistant professor of chemical engin...

Read More

Were Galaxies much Different in the Early Universe?

The HERA radio telescope consists of 350 dishes pointed upward to detect 21-centimeter emissions from the early universe. It is located in a radio-quiet region of the arid Karoo in South Africa. (Photo credit: Dara Storer, 2022)

Newest data from HERA improves search for cosmic dawn radiation, tests theories of galaxy formation. An array of 350 radio telescopes in the Karoo desert of South Africa is getting closer to detecting “cosmic dawn” – the era after the Big Bang when stars first ignited and galaxies began to bloom.

In a paper accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) team reports that it has doubled the sensitivity of the array, which was already the most sensitive radio telescope in the world dedicated to exploring ...

Read More