MA Alexander Stark

Nearly all of us have in one way or another come into contact with PCR tests in recent months. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) only requires a small DNA sample of the virus to detect an infection with Covid-19. In recent weeks and months, companies have successfully launched ever faster test kits — some of which we are presenting in this article.

The Labvolution Smartlab showcase will again provide answers to how intelligent laboratories might look like in the future. The showcase has become a mainstay of Labvolution, Europe’s fair for innovative lab equipment and laboratory workflow optimization.

One of the most pressing shortages facing hospitals during the Covid-19 emergency is a lack of ventilators. These machines can keep patients breathing when they no longer can on their own, and are quite expensive. Now, a rapidly assembled volunteer team of engineers, physicians, computer scientists, and others, centered at MIT, is working to implement a safe, inexpensive alternative for emergency use, which could be built quickly around the world.

Can obesity define health? It is a question for much debate. Still, obesity is generally classified into metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and an unhealthy version of obesity. Korean scientists have now identified the protein that induces benign obesity.

Palm oil has become part of our daily lives, but a recent study by EPFL and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) serves as a reminder that intensive farming of this crop has a major impact on the environment. Both short- and long-term solutions exist, however.

Engineers at MIT have studied the simple act of shaving up close, observing how a razor blade can be damaged as it cuts human hair — a material that is 50 times softer than the blade itself.

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow has identified a cat in the UK that was infected with Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Researchers have developed a way to use a simple home aroma diffuser to test whether N95 and other types of sealing masks, such as KN95 and FFP2 masks, are properly fitted, a result which could be used to help protect healthcare workers and the public from contracting or transmitting Covid-19.

Researchers at Linköping University (LIU) are attempting to convert carbon dioxide to fuel using energy from sunlight. Recent results have shown that it is possible to use their technique to selectively produce methane, carbon monoxide or formic acid from carbon dioxide and water.

A team of Norwegian and Estonian scientists has identified effective combination drug treatments for Covid-19. Their screening identified six existing drugs that had some effect, and several combinations of drugs that acted synergistically.

Nearly all of us have in one way or another come into contact with PCR tests in recent months. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) only requires a small DNA sample of the virus to detect an infection with Covid-19. In recent weeks and months, companies have successfully launched ever faster test kits — some of which we are presenting in this article.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the risks to public health from Listeria contamination of vegetables that are blanched — scalded in hot water or steam for a short time — before they are frozen. They conclude that the risks associated with the consumption of these products is lower than for ready-to-eat foods such as smoked fish, cooked meat, sausages, pâté, soft cheese.

Grain-based materials fermented with Propionibacterium freudenreichii have enough vitamin B12 to be nutritionally significant. With the help of Lactobacillus brevis in the fermentation process, vegans can also be guaranteed a sufficient and safe B12 intake directly from grain-based food, without pills, says a study conducted by scientists at the University of Helsinki.

Large numbers of three-spined stickleback have gradually taken over larger parts of the Baltic Sea’s coastal ecosystem, shows a new scientific study. Stickleback is a small prey fish common in aquatic food webs across temperate Europe. The stickleback contributes to local ecosystem ‘regime shifts’, where young-of-the-year pike and perch decline in individual bays, and these shifts gradually spread like a wave from the outer archipelago into the mainland coast.

The Arctic Ocean will take up more CO2 over the 21st century than predicted by most climate models. This additional CO2 causes a distinctly stronger ocean acidification. These results were published in a study by climate scientists from the University of Bern and École normale supérieure in Paris.

Researchers have analysed immune cell types and numbers from the blood of healthy volunteers, Covid-19 patients experiencing mild-to-moderate effects and patients classified as severe. After comparing the T cell immune response, the researchers noted the surprising absence of a strong anti-viral response in the blood of Covid-19 patients.

Scientists at Hokkaido University and colleagues in Japan have demonstrated a quick and effective mass testing approach using saliva samples to detect individuals who have been infected with Covid-19 but are still not showing symptoms.

Empa researchers have succeeded in applying aerogels to microelectronics: Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers can effectively shield electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range — and they are unrivalled in terms of weight.

Researchers have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests. If a suitable reagent is developed, this technology could be used to detect antibodies against Sars-Cov-2, the causative virus of Covid-19.

An ultrathin, lightweight, porous polymeric membrane designed at Kaust can turn the N95 respirator into a reusable facemask while potentially improving its ability to keep out Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

A new polymeric heart valve with a life span potentially longer than current artificial valves has been developed by scientists at the universities of Bristol and Cambridge. The valves would also prevent the need for the millions of patients with diseased heart valves to require life-long blood thinning tablets.

Compared with meat eaters, fish eaters have a lower risk of several adverse heart diseases, including stroke. These findings, which were part of new research looking at the diets and risk of developing or dying from heart diseases of more than 420,000 people in the UK, also concluded that vegetarianism was associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease.

A Nagoya University-led research team in Japan has found a new neural pathway that links the circadian clock, stress, and wakefulness in mammals. The team identified a neuron, called the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuron, that becomes excessively active when the mammal is under stress, which could trigger insomnia and other sleep disorders.

For the first time, scientists successfully extracted genetic material from insects that were embedded in six- and two-year-old resin samples. DNA – in particular, DNA from extinct animals – is an important tool in the identification of species.

Some viruses can get inside cells via a mechanism that involves sulfur organic molecules. Chemists at Unige have discovered effective inhibitors and blocked the uptake of Sars-Cov-2.

On an emergency basis, a vaccine against the coronavirus could be ready in autumn, provided it proves safe in tests. A first step was taken by Bio N Tech and Pfizer: the companies announced completion of dosing for a first cohort of Phase 1/2 trial of Covid-19 vaccine candidates in Germany.

MIT engineers have developed a way to closely track how plants respond to stresses such as injury, infection, and light damage, using sensors made of carbon nanotubes. These sensors can be embedded in plant leaves, where they report on hydrogen peroxide signaling waves.

Tecan has entered into a collaboration with smart lab provider Labforward. The company introduced Well Plate Templates and the Tecan Connector App add-ons for their electronic lab notebook software that offers connectivity with Tecan microplate readers.

Generating a supercontiuum in laser technology is essential for lidar systems used for instance in object recognition systems. Most techniques used for creating a supercontinuum are quite limited, however. Dutch researchers have now found a way to solve these problems.

A new Trinity study highlights that fitness may be a more important clinical endpoint for improvement in patients with fatty liver disease during exercise trials, rather than weight loss. The findings have been published in the medical journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Scientists have created a new way to detect the proteins that make up the pandemic coronavirus, as well as antibodies against it. They designed protein-based biosensors that glow when mixed with components of the virus or specific Covid-19 antibodies. This breakthrough could enable faster and more widespread testing in the near future.

In a new study, Velia Fowler, PhD, and her lab at The Scripps Research Institute report that a protein called myosin IIA contracts to give red blood cells their distinctive shape. The findings, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could shed light on sickle cell diseases and other disorders where red blood cells are deformed.

The world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, could be driven to extinction by climate change unless significant measures to intervene are taken soon.

Covid-19 has drastically changed the perception of hygiene and cleanliness, spurring interest in antimicrobial coatings, according to a new report from Lux Research.

To confront the many challenges that infectious diseases pose to mankind head-on, a multi-disciplinary team of bioengineers, materials-scientists and immunologists at Harvard’s Wyss Institute has developed a broadly deployable biomaterials-based infection vaccine technology called “Omnivax.”

At abandoned oil and gas wells in the North Sea, considerable quantities of the potent greenhouse gas methane escape uncontrolled into the water. This is shown in a new study recently published by researchers from the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control.

Scientists at Osaka University have developed a label-free method for identifying respiratory viruses based on changes in electrical current when they pass through silicon nanopores, which may lead to new rapid Covid-19 tests.

A team of scientists at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) have applied human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC) to study the development effects of Neanderthal DNA.

Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed efficient blue light-emitting diodes based on halide perovskites. The new LEDs may open the way to cheap and energy-efficient illumination.

Summer Arctic sea-ice is predicted to disappear before 2050, resulting in devastating consequences for the Arctic ecosystem. The efficacy of climate-protection measures will determine how often and for how long. These are the results of a new study involving 21 research institutes from around the world, including McGill University.

In a new study published neuroscientists at Oxford University have found that raised blood pressure and diabetes in mid-life alter brain structure to slow thinking speed and memory.

There are high hopes for the next generation of high energy-density lithium metal batteries, but before they can be used in our vehicles, there are crucial problems to solve. An international research team led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has now developed concrete guidelines for how the batteries should be charged and operated, maximising efficiency while minimising the risk of short circuits.

An international team of scientists, of which the University of Granada is a member, has developed a new nanoparticle-based artificial retina prosthesis that can be injected into the eye. Thanks to this scientific finding, published recently in the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology, blind rats had their vision restored vision for eight months without the need for surgery.

A study conducted by the UAB certifies that despite the presence of microplastics in deep-sea shrimp, the amounts detected do not cause any types of health problems. The research coincides with other studies pointing to the fact that there is no danger for human consumption, either.

The Alice collaboration has presented new results on the production rates of antideuterons based on data collected at the highest collision energy delivered so far at the Large Hadron Collider. The new measurements are important because the presence of antideuterons in space is a promising indirect signature of dark matter candidates.

An extensive Nordic research project has looked at microplastics in marine bivalves from 100 sites spread throughout much of the Nordic waters. The study showed that microplastics were found in 4 of the 5 bivalve species investigated, and that there was a huge variation in the occurrence and type of microplastics.

Irrigated Scots pines in the dry Pfyn Forest (canton of Valais) had their water supply turned off after 11 years. The trees' response surprised the international research group as it suggests that tree growth is also influenced by past conditions. Trees, you might say, do not forget.

The formation of four-stranded DNA has been tracked in living human cells, allowing scientists to see how it works, and its possible role in cancer.

A new paper in Nature Communications outlines how an international research team has identified potential ways forward to rapidly design improved and more potent compounds in the fight against Covid-19.  The work is the result of a massive fragment screening effort to develop an antiviral targeting the Sars-Cov-2 main protease.

Insects offer a plethora of inspirational concepts for novel technologies. One such example has been studied by Dutch scientists: the antennae of moth. They could allow for new approaches to the development of microsensors.

The global in vitro diagnostics company EKF Diagnostics has signed a three-year distribution agreement with Tosoh Europe for the distribution of its Quo-Test HbA1c point-of-care (POC) analyzer in the Middle East and Africa.