Collaborate Disseminate
Further expanding the scope of its international competitions designed to solve global problems through technology, XPrize has launched a contest to develop new and improved testing methods for COVID-19. With millions of dollars of prize money up for g… Continue reading XPrize launches $5-million competition for a cheap, rapid COVID-19 tests
Lured by the prospect of nearly inexhaustible source of clean energy, scientists have been investigating nuclear fusion reactors for decades, but a new facility taking shape in southern France will provide them with their biggest proving ground yet. IT… Continue reading Assembly begins on ITER, the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor
Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots are eye-catching machines with some very useful capabilities – beyond just towing trucks and twerking. The versatility of these four-legged robotic dogs has seen them find use on farms in New Zealand and oil rigs in Norway,… Continue reading Ford recruits Spot robotic dogs to laser scan its plants for retooling
Earlier this year, we looked at a research project in the UK where scientists were exploring how dogs could be trained to sniff out signs of the novel coronavirus. Similar ventures are now being carried out around the world, including one at Germany’s … Continue reading Trained sniffer dogs detect coronavirus with 94-percent success rate
Materials that can heal themselves after becoming damaged have opened up some interesting new possibilities over the past decade or so, pointing to a future of scratch-resistant car paints and space ships that can plug their own holes. A newly develope… Continue reading Squid-inspired robotic muscles heal themselves in a second
Such is the environmental devastation caused by large oil spills like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster that scientists the world over are exploring new ways to contain the mess. The latest product of these efforts is a recyclable mat developed at Sa… Continue reading Porous, recyclable mat soaks up oil spills with great efficiency
Guide dogs play an important role as a mobility aid for the visually impaired, but they aren’t the perfect solution for everyone. Things like the cost, smaller living quarters or even allergies can mean that these canines aren’t suitable for many, but … Continue reading Mobility device for the blind works like a handheld robotic guide dog
As a semi-permeable layer that protects vessels in the brain from harmful invaders, the blood-brain barrier is highly selective in what it does and doesn’t allow to pass through. This is helpful in stopping pathogens and toxins escaping the bloodstream and entering the organ, but poses a real problem when it comes to delivering drugs. A new particle that borrows chemical passports from neurotransmitters to slip through this defense could help overcome this problem, with the technique showing promise as a way of tackling Alzheimer’s and other conditions.
Tags: Tufts University, Blood-brain barrier, Alzheimer’s Disease, Brain, New Atlas Audio
Continue reading “Chemical passports” grant Alzheimer’s drugs entry to the brain
With its production continuing to increase at an exponential rate, our problem with plastic pollution is showing no sign of slowing down. A new study mapping mapping the movement of plastic waste has outlined just how drastic the situation might become… Continue reading 1.3 billion tonnes of plastic to pollute environment by 2040, study warns
As much of the world has ground to a halt in 2020 due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, it has provided scientists with a unique opportunity to observe some of the impacts we humans have on the planet. Researchers from Imperial College London hav… Continue reading COVID-19 lockdowns halve human-related seismic vibrations across globe