Lifeboat Foundation

Human evolution is linked to the manipulation of the environment. Since the first hominid to use a stone as a tool — or a bone according to the iconic scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey —, we have come to recognise this as materials science. This discipline uses physics, chemistry and engineering to study how materials are formed and what their physical properties are, as well as to discover and develop new materials, such as smart materials in order to find new uses applicable to any sector.

Smart materials are materials that are manipulated to respond in a controllable and reversible way, modifying some of their properties as a result of external stimuli such as certain mechanical stress or a certain temperature, among others. Because of their responsiveness, smart materials are also known as responsive materials. These are usually translated as “active” materials although it would be more accurate to say “reactive” materials.

For example, we can talk about sportswear with ventilation valves that react to temperature and humidity by opening when the wearer breaks out in a sweat and closing when the body cools down, about buildings that adapt to atmospheric conditions such as wind, heat or rain, or about drugs that are released into the bloodstream as soon as a viral infection is detected.

Glass might soon have some competition from an unlikely rival – bamboo. Scientists in China have turned regular old bamboo into a transparent material that’s also resistant to fire and water, and suppresses smoke.

Silica glass, made from sand, is still the go-to building material when you need something transparent but strong, like windows. But it’s not particularly sustainable, and can be heavy and brittle.

Transparent wood has actually been muscling in on glass’s turf for a few years now. Scientists chemically remove the lignin from the wood fibers, then treat the remaining material with plexiglass or epoxy. The end result is a material that’s transparent, renewable, and as strong as or stronger than glass, while being lighter and a better thermal insulator.

Electrons, those fundamental particles that orbit atomic nuclei, are central to electromagnetism and chemical processes. Ever since their discovery, scientists have pondered over what electrons are made of and their basic structure. While particles such as protons and neutrons have shown internal complexity, electrons appear impenetrable to such analysis. So, what constitutes an electron? Are they truly indivisible, or do they hide smaller components within?

Speaking of the atom, the term “indivisible” now seems outdated, especially with modern scientific understanding. The notion that atoms are the most fundamental units of matter dates back to Democritus over 2,000 years ago. However, as centuries passed and scientific discoveries unfolded, it became clear that atoms were not the ultimate particles of matter. Indeed, advancements in physics have shown that atoms are made up of even smaller particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. While protons and neutrons can be broken down into quarks, the question remains for electrons: are they also made of smaller components, or are they indivisible?

Since their discovery over 125 years ago, electrons have challenged the logic of decomposition. No experiment has yet detected any more complex internal structure, even during high-energy collisions aimed at probing deeper levels of matter. Electrons thus seem to defy the notion of being made up of smaller particles. They are currently regarded as fundamental particles within the standard model of particle physics, meaning they are entities that cannot be divided further.

The breakthrough marks a promising target for drug therapies that slow, possibly reverse, the disease’s development

NEW YORK, NY, December 23, 2024 — Researchers with the CUNY ASRC have unveiled a critical mechanism that links cellular stress in the brain to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study, published in the journal Neuron, highlights microglia, the brain’s primary immune cells, as central players in both the protective and harmful responses associated with the disease.

Microglia, often dubbed the brain’s first responders, are now recognized as a significant causal cell type in Alzheimer’s pathology. However, these cells play a double-edged role: some protect brain health, while others worsen neurodegeneration. Understanding the functional differences between these microglial populations has been a research focus for Pinar Ayata, the study’s principal investigator and a professor with the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative and the CUNY Graduate Center’s Biology and Biochemistry programs.

ZMQ-1, a novel aluminosilicate zeolite with interconnected meso-microporous channels, addresses limitations of traditional zeolites by enhancing stability and catalytic efficiency.

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking aluminosilicate zeolite, ZMQ-1, designed with a distinctive intersecting meso-microporous channel system. This innovation is poised to significantly improve catalytic processes in the petrochemical industry.

Published in Nature, the study presents ZMQ-1 as the first aluminosilicate zeolite featuring interconnected intrinsic 28-ring mesopores. This breakthrough addresses long-standing challenges in zeolite design, including limitations in pore size, stability, and catalytic efficiency.

Researchers at Australia’s Monash University are using a common medicine cabinet antiseptic in unique battery chemistry that could soon power drones and other electric aircraft, according to a school news release.

The team is tapping Betadine, a common brand name for a topical medication used to treat cuts and other wounds, in research garnering surprising results.

Continue reading “Engineers develop ultra-fast charging battery that could lead to futuristic aircraft: ‘A major breakthrough’” »

Understanding the behavior of the molecules and cells that make up our bodies is critical for the advancement of medicine. This has led to a continual push for clear images of what is happening beyond what the eye can see. In a study recently published in Science Advances, researchers from Osaka University have reported a method that gives high-resolution Raman microscopy images.

Raman microscopy is a useful technique for imaging biological samples because it can provide chemical information about specific molecules—such as proteins—that take part in the body’s processes. However, the Raman light that comes from biological samples is very weak, so the signal can often get swamped by the background noise, leading to poor images.

Continue reading “Unlocking Microscopic Mysteries of Nucleotides” »

Quantum sensing is a rapidly developing field that utilizes the quantum states of particles, such as superposition, entanglement, and spin states, to detect changes in physical, chemical, or biological systems. A promising type of quantum nanosensor is nanodiamonds (NDs) equipped with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. These centers are created by replacing a carbon atom with nitrogen near a lattice vacancy in a diamond structure.

When excited by light, the NV centers emit photons that maintain stable spin information and are sensitive to external influences like magnetic fields, electric fields, and temperature. Changes in these spin states can be detected using optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), which measures fluorescence changes under microwave radiation.

In a recent breakthrough, scientists from Okayama University in Japan developed nanodiamond sensors bright enough for bioimaging, with spin properties comparable to those of bulk diamonds. The study, published in ACS Nano, on 16 December 2024, was led by Research Professor Masazumi Fujiwara from Okayama University, in collaboration with Sumitomo Electric Company and the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology.

At the Berlin synchrotron radiation source BESSY II, the largest magnetic anisotropy of a single molecule ever measured experimentally has been determined. The larger a molecule’s anisotropy is, the better suited it is as a molecular nanomagnet. Such nanomagnets have a wide range of potential applications, for example, in energy-efficient data storage.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Kohlenforschung (MPI KOFO), the Joint Lab EPR4Energy of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI CEC) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin were involved in the study.

The research involved a bismuth complex synthesized in the group of Josep Cornella (MPI KOFO). This molecule has unique magnetic properties that a team led by Frank Neese (MPI KOFO) recently predicted in theoretical studies. So far, however, all attempts to measure the magnetic properties of the bismuth complex and thus experimentally confirm the theoretical predictions have failed.