Researchers used synthesized DNA to store and read data

By Maja Bosanac
One Comment25 January 2013

data-into-dna-1EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) researchers have developed a method to store and read information from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules. The researchers devised a method to convert data into DNA code, and used it to encode 739 kilobytes of data into actual DNA. The information was retrieved with 100% accuracy by sequencing the sample and reconstructing… »

Turning CO2 into useful carbon–boron synthetic reagents

By Damir Beciri
One Comment25 January 2013

riken-co2-into-catalystWhile some groups search for ways to lower and store carbon dioxide (CO2) gas emissions, there are efforts worldwide to convert this molecule into a chemical feedstock. Researchers at RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako, Japan, developed the first protocol for attaching both CO2 and boron atoms to unsaturated carbon–carbon triple bonds. This protocol uses… »

Bioinspired gel with helical polymers acts opposite to gelatine

By Damir Beciri
24 January 2013

super-gel-1Our life experience has taught us that materials around us melt or turn into vapor when we heat them, but a group of chemists at Radboud University Nijmegen managed to create a super gel which stiffens when it is warmed. Once it is cooled bellow the projected threshold, the gel melts back into the liquid… »

Polymer coated cotton can harvest water from desert air

By Damir Beciri
6 Comments23 January 2013

polymer-coated-cottonCollaboration between researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) resulted with the development of a special treatment for cotton fabric that allows it to absorb exceptional amounts of water from misty air. Since the coated cotton releases the collected water by itself when it… »

Diego-san – humanoid robot toddler

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments22 January 2013

diego-san-robotWhile photos and videos of the robot have been presented at scientific conferences in robotics and in infant development, the general public recently got the first glance at the expressive face of a robot named Diego-san. The project is led by a researcher from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and it will be used… »

Regeneration of hair cells in an adult mammalian ear achieved

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments22 January 2013

meei-hearingSensorineural hearing loss is the most common form and it is caused by the loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea. Unlike birds and fish, mammals do not regenerate these auditory hair cells, so we relied on hearing aids and cochlear implants to aid in these situations. Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School… »

Using graphene oxide to remove radiation particles from liquids

By Damir Beciri
One Comment20 January 2013

rice-go-radionuclides-1While roboticists efforts to develop robots able to withstand exposure to high levels of radiation are helpful for needed actions and monitoring after disasters with increased levels of radiation, researchers at Rice University and Lomonosov Moscow State University have found that graphene oxide (GO) could actually be used to quickly remove radioactive material from contaminated water…. »

Gliding Robot ACE – robotic fish that can both swim and glide

By Damir Beciri
19 January 2013

gliding-robot-ace-grace-robot-fishThere are many research groups around the world with a goal to develop robotic fish that could be used to monitor potential environmental problems before they become too large to handle. Back in 2009, a group of researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) came up with their prototype of robotic fish. Recently, they revealed a… »