Tag: Disease

Wasabi supports memory and chilli has anti-inflammatory properties. Now a research team in Japan is taking a closer look at cardamom seeds. In a study with human lung cells and a simulated viral infection, they established that an extract made with hot water could have antiviral effects. The bioactive component in the cardamom extract, known as 1.8 cineole, activates...

New glasses make blind spots visible again. In Australia, however, a research team is focusing on how to treat retinal diseases such as macular degeneration in the early stages of the condition. Preferably without the need for the injections. Lipo-soluble pigments from Gac fruit were integrated into a solution similar to eye drops. Using nanotechnology allowed the pigments -...

Fleas have inspired researchers hoping to guard implants against bacterial settlement. A much bigger animal is now proving similarly inspirational for a Massachusetts-based research team. Supposedly stubborn but highly intelligent, donkeys have sebaceous glands which secrete a compound which provides protection against deer ticks. More precisely, the smell of the chemical substance (E)-2-Octenal repels the ticks. It prevents them...

Laser light can cool down high performance processors. It can also make things hot for viruses and bacteria… A US startup’s new photonic chip, measuring the size of a 1 cent coin, can render pathogens inactive with the help of far-UVC light. By using the so-called ‘Second Harmonics’ effect. When blue laser light with a 445 nm wavelength is...

Maze-like paths keeps insects away from plants. Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying; they are also carriers of disease. Sometimes simple concepts are the best. An idea that an Alabama research team has developed to create a material that protects humans from mosquito bites. The insects can bend their piercing and sucking proboscises at 90 degree angles, penetrating even the thickest...