It’s fascinating that scientists from time to time think the unthinkable. Here, this MIT group have actually merged mass-less photons of light together to get … well, a new form of light, one where the photons have mass and a slower speed. So, if gaining mass also slowed the photons down, as this paper says, […]
Science & Technology
The World’s Biggest Lithium-ion Battery
Another “first” for Mr Musk. Australia isn’t the only place where power outages are frequent enough to be troublesome; it happens in rural parts, and even urban parts, of Europe. Note the reported millisecond reaction time after the conventional grid failed. Bravo to Tesla innovation!
Painless, self-administered, dissolving – Microneedle Patches
Here’s something in an area where we’ve worked on IP – microneedle patches. There’s been a lot of news flow on this technology but this piece is worth singling out as it’s a report on Phase I trials. Virtually painless, capable of self-administration and the microneedles themselves dissolve whilst still penetrating the skin – fascinating, […]
Novel MRSA-killing anibiotic from newly discovered nasal bacterium
The war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria continues to produce interesting new knowledge. Antibiotic production by microbes has tended to be found in the fungus kingdom and amoungst soil bacteria which compete with each other. This group at University of Tubingen near Stuttgart report discovery of an antibiotic-producing Staphylococcus bacterium in human nasal passages, one of just […]
Helium exploration strategy developed on new reserves find to supply MRI scanners etc
Helium-free MRI scanners have been developed in the last few years. But He is still used in the earlier generation of these critically important pieces of medical equipment. It’s also used in semiconductor manufacture and other applications. Known reserves have been dwindling alarmingly – mostly due to lack of viable gas exploration strategies. This Oxford/Durham […]
Research focusses attention on how climate change can effect the soil ecosystem
The sheer scale of microorganism species diversity even in small soil samples verges on the fantastic. This piece summarizes a complex original paper (http://tinyurl.com/gwhsozs) that illustrates how this area of microbiology is getting attention, and puts across how complex the soil ecosystem is. Through the example of how anticipated climate change may affect larger bacteria-grazing […]
Milestone in the search for a universal cancer vaccine
In a tough field, this work led from Johannes Gutenberg University might be a real milestone. RNA encoding cancer-specific antigen is carried by lipoprotein-complex nanoparticles and administered intravenously. An electrical charge targets them to immune system lymphoid dendritic cells to get immune defences going. What’s attracting attention is that almost any tumour antigen can be […]
Important innovations in combatting MRSA and other biofilm-producing bacteria
The large public health impact of protective biofilms built by bacteria is not as well-known is it could be. NIH considers biofilms implicated in up to 80% of chronic infections, and Staph bacteria such as MRSA are major players in the biofilm arena. These realities underline the importance of the natural products chemistry reported here […]
Clever research work much needed to out-wit HIV-1
It’s hard to trip up a virus as smart as HIV-1, but this group reports a chink in its armour. Viruses commonly mask from immune surveillance critical components of the apparatus they use for cell entry. However, HIV-1 doesn’t quite succeed, leaving a small amino acid sequence exposed in a fusion peptide forming part of […]
Astonishing anti-Greenhouse effects of Tropical Cyclones in SE United States
Underlining the ecological value of forests assets, this is, in scale terms, an unexpected example of Nature’s magnificent ability to compensate for challenges mankind throws at it. It isn’t just that tropical cyclones in the SE United States have been found substantially to increase forest photosynthesis/growth – and thus uptake of carbon. Nor is it that […]