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18/03/2022

A groundbreaking biodegradable battery that can potentially transform energy storage as we know it, has been developed by a team of researchers.
The revolutionary device created by Empa researchers provides a versatile biodegradable battery that is both environmentally friendly and comprised of a renewable raw material, taking us one step closer to realising a green future.

The innovative cell was designed by modifying a commercially available 3D printer, with specially designed gelatinous inks being the vital key to its genius. The ink is an amalgamation of cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystallites, black carbon, graphite, and activated carbon, which is then liquefied with water, glycerine, and alcohol solution.

The team constructed a functioning capacitor from these materials by building four layers: a flexible substrate, a conductive layer, the electrode, and the electrolyte. The result born from this process was a mini-capacitor capable of thousands of charging cycles, years of storage, and resistance to shock, pressure, and freezing temperatures.

Perhaps the most alluring characteristic of the cell is that it truly is a biodegradable battery; once discarded, the capacitor takes a mere two months to disintegrate, leaving little trace of carbon particles.

18/03/2022

A study led by Quantum Communications Hub researchers has brought the world one step closer to secure conference calls by facilitating quantum-secure communications.
Scientists at Quantum Communications Hub based at Heriot-Watt University have demonstrated a quantum-secure communication taking place between four parties simultaneously. Their research has been published Science Advances.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global dependence on forms of remote collaborative working – such as conference calls – has massively increased. With this, there has been a significant escalation of cyber-attacks on teleconference platforms.

This novel advance in quantum-secure communications could result in conference calls with unhackable security measures reinforced by the principles of quantum physics.

Professor Alessandro Fedrizzi, the senior author, who led the team at Heriot-Watt, commented: “We’ve long known that quantum entanglement, which Albert Einstein called ‘spooky action at a distance’ can be used for distributing secure keys. Our work is the first example where this was achieved via ‘spooky action’ between multiple users at the same time — something that a future quantum internet will be able to exploit.”

Secure communications depend on the sharing of cryptographic keys. The keys used in most systems are quite short and thus can be corrupted by hackers, and the key distribution procedure is at a growing risk from rapidly advancing quantum computers. These increasing threats to data security necessitate new, secure methods of key distribution.

18/03/2022

Researchers at Boston University (BU) have used computer simulations of the brain to predict language recovery in stroke survivors.
The research group is currently working to better comprehend how language and speech are processed in the brain and how best to rehabilitate and aid language recovery in people who have lost their ability to communicate as a result of brain damage caused by brain injuries such a stroke, or trauma.

This type of language loss is called aphasia, which is a long-term neurological disorder triggered by injury to the part of the brain accountable for language production and processing. This disorder affects over a million people in the US alone.

“It’s a huge problem,” said Swathi Kiran, director of BU’s Aphasia Research Lab, and College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “It’s something our lab is working to tackle at multiple levels.”

Over the last decade, Kiran’s team have been observing the brain and analysing how it changes as people’s language skills improve with speech therapy. They have now established a novel technique to predict a person’s capacity to improve before starting therapy.

The researcher’s findings have been reported in Scientific Reports and outline how BU scientists along with collaborators at the University of Texas at Austin have been able to predict language recovery in Hispanic patients who speak both English and Spanish fluently – a group of aphasia patients particularly at risk of long-term language loss – by utilising advanced computer models of the brain. They say that this groundbreaking development could have transformative impacts in the field of speech therapy and for stroke survivors impacted by aphasia.

18/03/2022

A team of scientists have developed an innovative strategy for manipulating insulin production that utilises the commonly used smartwatch.
The ETH research team have devised a novel method that proficiently controls the behaviour of cells and genes through the use of the LED lights emitted by smartwatches; this groundbreaking technique can potentially regulate the vital insulin production that impacts diseases such as diabetes.

Their research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have been a futuristic addition to the health industry that has captivated millions of users in the UK alone, allowing users to track their steps, record workouts, listen to their favourite music, and record their heart rate as they burn off calories, oh and they tell the time too.

However, perhaps the most futuristic function of smartwatch technology has only just been realised, with the ETH scientists utilising the integrated green LED light – usually used to measure heart rate – to trigger an implanted molecular switch that can effectively manage insulin production.

Martin Fussenegger, the leader of the research from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, said: “No naturally occurring molecular system in human cells responds to green light, so we had to build something new.”

18/03/2022

17/03/2022