Collaboration between researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) with researchers at Germany’s Bielefeld University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology resulted in identification of a fast-growing microscopic algae that could be used in production of cheaper and more efficient biofuel. Newly tested algae species native to Australia provide real hope for the development of commercially… »

Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) have discovered that ultrasound vibrations applied to specific areas of the brain may affect patients’ moods. This finding could lead to new treatments for various psychological and psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. It could pave the way for a broad range of new applications of ultrasound… »

Collaboration between researchers at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) resulted in the development of stem cells that can be directed by magnetic fields. Stem cells could soon be intravenous injected into the patient to treat heart diseases and vascular problems. By loading stem cells with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs), scientists… »

A Japanese startup called Spiber Inc. has created an artificial spider silk using synthesized genes which persuade bacteria to produce fibroin, a structural protein found in spider silk. Researchers have developed technologies to cultivate these bacteria efficiently and weave the fibroin into fabric. The protein derived from fibroin has been given the name “QMONOS” (from… »

Researchers at the University of East Anglia’s School of Biological Sciences are currently developing a new class of anti-cancer drugs that have powerful activity against drug resistant cancer cells. These anti-cancer drugs circumvent a primary cause of resistance to chemotherapy. The study is inspired by leaf cutter ants that belong to the tribe of the… »

Researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) developed the first telescopic contact lens which can enhance our vision by zooming three times. This 1.17mm thick lens has been created to aid the vision of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which damages the high-resolution center of the… »

A team of researchers at the Vanderbilt University has devised a new vaccination method that uses tiny gold particles to mimic a virus and carry specific proteins to the body’s specialist immune cells. Unlike the conventional approach to vaccines, the new technique does not use inactive or dead viruses during the vaccination process, thus eliminating… »

Researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin showed that the vocal training of older rats led to the reduction of some of the voice problems associated with aging, such as the loss of vocal intensity that accompanies changes in the muscles of the larynx. The results hold promise that voice therapy… »