Collaborate Disseminate
The immune system is incredibly complex, but a new breakthrough could help scientists unravel more of its secrets. Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute have created a more accurate model of the human immune system in a microfluidic chip, providing a… Continue reading Immune-system-on-a-chip could speed up future vaccine development
It’s important for people with conditions such as depression and anxiety to know when they’re becoming stressed, so they can initiate coping strategies. An experimental new smartwatch could someday warn them, by detecting a stress hormone in their swea… Continue reading Sweat-analyzing smartwatch could warn wearers of elevated stress
It’s important to maintain proper chlorine levels in a pool, as too much can cause skin and eye irritation, and too little won’t kill bacteria or other microbes. A new device could help, by cheaply and automatically checking a pool’s pH and chlorine co… Continue reading Simple sensor designed to continuously analyze pool water
When it comes to research in fields such as chemistry or biology, historically these are things that have taken place in well-financed labs in commercial settings or academic institutions. However, with the wealth of technology available to the average person today, a movement has sprung up of those that run …read more
Continue reading An Open-Source Microfluidic Pump For Your Science Needs
In people with liver disease or other metabolic disorders, blood ammonia levels can quickly climb to dangerous levels. And unfortunately, checking those levels is not a fast and easy process. A newly developed device, however, could change that.Continu… Continue reading Portable blood ammonia detector could be “life-changing”
Human blood can typically only be stored for six weeks. It also needs to be refrigerated, which may be challenging in poor countries or remote locations. A new study, though, could lead to a method of drying blood for long-term room-temperature storage… Continue reading Just add water – scientists developing method of freeze-drying blood
Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system releases chemicals to fight an infection, triggering widespread inflammation. If not treated soon enough, organ failure and even death can ultimately result. A new device, however, could detect it e… Continue reading Microfluidic device uses tiny beads to detect sepsis within minutes
Microfluidics, the precise control and manipulation of small volumes of liquids, is heavily used in any field that does small-scale experiments with expensive reagents (We’re looking at you, natural sciences.) However, the process commonly used to create microfluidic devices is time and experience intensive. But, worry not: the Uppsala iGEM team has created Chipgineering: A manual for manufacturing a microfluidic chip.
Used while developing everything from inkjet print heads to micro-thermal technologies, microfluidic systems are generally useful. Specifically, Uppsala’s microfluidic device performs a simple biological procedure, a heat-shock transformation, as a proof of concept. Moreover, Uppsala uses commonly available materials: …read more
Perhaps our future overlords won’t be made up of electrical circuits after all but will instead be soft-bodied like ourselves. However, their design will have its origins in electrical analogues, as with the Octobot.
The Octobot is the brainchild a team of Harvard University researchers who recently published an article about it in Nature. Its body is modeled on the octopus and is composed of all soft body parts that were made using a combination of 3D printing, molding and soft lithography. Two sets of arms on either side of the Octobot move, taking turns under the control of a …read more
