More testing to do but an elegant step by University of British Columbia towards addressing life-threatening intraoperative or traumatic internal bleeding (also see http://tinyurl.com/qdmrjp5). Micro-particles of calcium carbonate mixed with solid acid generate carbon dioxide gas through contact with blood. The gas propels the particles in the bloodstream to the bleed site. With the particles […]
Science & Technology
Lotus leaf-inspired feature helps drug dosage form stay in GI tract
Fascinating how the lotus leaf model has been applied in a number of fields – here, its remarkable hydrophobicity features in the sustained drug release field. One face of this group’s dosage form adheres to the gastrointestinal mucosa. The exposed face emulates the lotus leaf’s surface micro-/nano-structure, as well as being fluoropolymer-coated, to repel GI contents […]
Historical STI’s may explain humans transiting from polygyny to monogamy
As an adjunct to mainstream Darwinian evolutionary theory, this is a fascinating piece of work focusing on socially mediated, or at least socially sustained, evolution as early humans transitioned from hunter-gatherer to agriculturalist society. The referenced 2015 Nature Communications paper (http://tinyurl.com/z6gcd4o) fills some gaps although it’s a bit of a demanding read for the non-expert. […]
Salk scientists take a step forward towards pancreatic cell replacement therapy for diabetes
This looks like the crossing of a threshold in the effort to produce replacement human pancreatic beta cells that are glucose-responsive and transplantable as a personalized cell replacement therapy for diabetes. Read Story Here
Record-breaking steel could be used for body armor, shields for satellites
Another terrific advance in materials science – extraordinary performance from amorphous steel alloy, withstanding >1.8 million psi without permanent deformation. A well-deserved slot in March Nature’s Scientific Reports (http://tinyurl.com/jqmecbl). Read Story Here
Liquid hydrocarbon fuel created from CO2 and water in breakthrough one-step process
Terrific piece of cutting edge chemistry from “oil country”, which looks beyond proof of concept to using solar-generated heat and full spectrum light to drive a single-step, clean, commercial process producing fuel-value hydrocarbons + oxygen from carbon dioxide + water. Key to the future commercial model of what they’re calling “reverse combustion” appears to be […]
Stretchable Hydrogel Electronics
The renaissance of materials science continues apace. Hydrogel is no stranger to the medical field. MIT’s multidisciplinary development marries a novel surface-bondinghydrogel matrix with electronics and on-demand drug delivery capabilities, producing a highly flexible smart wound dressing. Innovative stuff that must make life easier if passes inevitable further testing. Read The Story Here