Charged polymers unlock door to deliver nanoparticles to cancer cells
By Darren Quick
February 11, 2014
In recent years, we've seen various research
efforts looking to specifically target cancer cells as a replacement for
the shotgun approach employed by chemotherapy that also damages healthy
cells. The trick is to develop a delivery vehicle that identifies and
targets only cancer cells, while ignoring the healthy ones. Researchers
have found charged polymers have this ability, opening the door for
nanoparticles containing cancer-fighting drugs to deliver their payload
directly to the cancer cells. Read More
Last year, lithium-ion battery fires became a hot topic, pardon the inescapable pun, with both a Tesla automobile and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
succumbing to fires. In cross-disciplinary research at the University
of North Carolina (UNC), a compound being studied to prevent marine life
from sticking to ships may also be the solvent (and the solution) to
keep lithium ion batteries from catching alight when they overheat. Read More
Imagine if it were possible to send tiny machines
into living cells, where they could deliver medication, perform
ultra-micro surgery, or even destroy the cell if needed. Well, we've
recently come a little closer to being able to do so. Scientists at
Pennsylvania State University have successfully inserted "nanomotors"
into human cells, then remotely controlled those motors within the cells. Read More
Amphibious trimaran is made for more than just water
By Ben Coxworth
February 11, 2014
Here's one you might not have heard before ...
Whaddaya get when cross a hovercraft, an airboat and a pontoon boat?
Give up? An ATASD, or Amphibious Trimaran with Aerostatic Discharge! OK,
it's not that funny, but the vehicle itself is pretty cool. It can
travel over virtually any surface, and should soon be heading into
production. Read More
XStat treats bullet wounds with tiny injectable sponges
By Brian Dodson
February 11, 2014
Uncontrolled hemorrhage (bleeding out) is
responsible for 80 percent of combat deaths. About the same proportion
of those who die after being evacuated to a medical treatment facility
also die of hemorrhage, usually associated with deep arterial wounds
that cannot be treated using tourniquets – people die because we can't
plug a simple hole. Now RevMedX, a small Oregon startup, has developed
an alternative approach to treat such potentially survivable injuries.
Read More
VidaPak produces hot and cold drinks from the same unit
February 11, 2014
Coffee machines have become a fixture of many
offices and homes, but how about a machine that can mix and dispense
cold drinks, saving all those plastic bottles? A team of inventors based
in Tampa, Florida, have developed the prototype of a machine that does
just that. Called VidaPak, the Keurig coffeemaker-like unit can
refrigerate and heat to serve both cold and hot drinks. Read More
Fly6 combines HD video cam and bike tail light
By Paul Ridden
February 11, 2014
The behavior of drivers at junctions monitored by
cameras or on stretches of road under the ever watchful gaze of a radar
can be very different to those without. Keen cyclists Andrew Hagen and
Kingsley Fiegert from Perth in western Australia are on a mission to
give fellow riders the same kind of power. They've designed a rear cycle
light named the Fly6 that's capable of recording everything that goes
on behind, the theory being that if drivers think there's a camera
pointed at them, they'll give cyclists more space and show more
courtesy. Read More
Dual-chamber mountain bike tire takes on the snake bites and the burps
By Ben Coxworth
February 11, 2014
So, you've upgraded your mountain bike's clincher
tires to tubeless, and now you figure you're all up-to-date and on the
cutting edge, right? Well, perhaps not for much longer. German
tire-maker Schwalbe and bike parts manufacturer Syntace have developed a
tubeless dual-chamber tire and wheel system, that they claim should offer better performance than your current old-school single-chamber tires. Read More
Former Nazi bunker transformed into green energy power plant
February 11, 2014
Energy and utilities company Hamburg Energie has
joined forces with IBA Hamburg to transform a former Nazi anti-aircraft
flak bunker into a green energy power plant. The Hamburg-based "Energy
Bunker" has already begun producing energy for the local community, but
once running at full capacity will provide up to 3,000 homes with
heating, and another 1,000 homes with electricity. Read More
Sensor system lights up wind turbines only when aircraft approaches
By Nick Lavars
February 11, 2014
With aspirations to claim 80 percent of its power
from renewable sources by the 2050, it follows that Germany is taking a
proactive approach to its clean energy transformation. Wind farms,
while set to play an important part in achieving this goal, often meet
impassioned opposition from disgruntled neighbors piqued by their
perpetually blinking beacons. In an effort to address this issue,
researchers have developed a sensor system for wind turbines which
detects nearby aircraft, switching on a beacon warning system only as
they approach. Read More
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