Tag: #139

Heart muscle cells could soon be regrown. Bone injuries, meanwhile, are often treated by using healthy bone from other body parts. A time-consuming method that doesn’t guarantee a strong bond, issues that a South Korean research team is addressing with its new hydrogel. The gel comprises sugar polymers from brown algae, calcium ions and adhesive proteins from mussels. It...

Laser light can distinguish between legally and illegally acquired ivory. Whether books have been written by humans or machines, however, is increasingly hard to establish owing to the prevalence of AI. Which is why America’s largest professional writing organisation wants to highlight "human intelligence". Once the human-authored works have been registered through an online portal, a certificate can be...

Adding algae to food reduces emissions in livestock. Cultivating rice also generates methane, a fact that prompted a Swedish-based research team to take action. The source lies in substances secreted by rice roots and metabolised by microorganisms. Studies involving a bioengineered rice strain with low methane emission showed that two substances in particular had a decisive influence. Secreted salts...

Depression can be identified through video games. Now, a joint research team from Britain and the US has used a similar concept to diagnose autism in children. All children have to do is watch a one-minute video and mimic the dance moves displayed on screen. People on the ASD spectrum often have difficulty responding physicalls to sensory input. A...

Printed circuit boards and mushrooms make an uncommon pair. Now, an international research team led from Glasgow has likewise taken nature as its inspiration, developing a semiconductor component for use in machine vision systems. The team’s prototype field-effect transistor recognises colours. Built on a glass substrate, it combines gold electrodes and light-sensitive hydrocarbon molecules with a layer of honey...

Some toys are rightfully unwanted. The multi-coloured building blocks manufactured by a Danish firm, however, have given children and grown-ups joy for decades. But when themed sets are dismantled and the bricks get mixed up, that enjoyment can be lost. Enter an independent Lithuanian startup and its new service for used and undamaged original bricks. The team will first...