Computers

Researchers are using computer models to simulate COVID-19 infections on a cellular level -- the basic structural level of the human body. The models allow for virtual trials of drugs and vaccines, opening the possibility of pre-assessment for drug and vaccine efficacy against the virus. The research team at the University of Waterloo includes Anita Layton, professor of applied … [Read more...] about Mathematical models and computer simulations are the new frontiers in COVID-19 drug trials

A new mathematical model helps predict the tiny changes in carbon-based materials that could yield interesting properties. Scientists at Tohoku University and colleagues in Japan have developed a mathematical model that abstracts the key effects of changes to the geometries of carbon material and predicts its unique properties. The details were published in the journal … [Read more...] about The mathematics of repulsion for new graphene catalysts

For thousands of years, people looked into the night sky with their naked eyes -- and told stories about the few visible stars. Then we invented telescopes. In 1840, the philosopher Thomas Carlyle claimed that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men." Then we started posting on Twitter. Now scientists have invented an instrument to peer deeply into the … [Read more...] about Scientists create tool to explore billions of social media messages, potentially predict political and financial turmoil

By combining oil drops with water containing a detergent-like substance, the scientists found they could produce artificial swimmers that are able to swim independently and even harvest energy to recharge. The oil droplets use fluctuating temperature changes in their surrounding environment to store energy and to swim. When cooled, the droplets release thin 'tail-like' threads … [Read more...] about Scientists create rechargeable swimming microrobots using oil and water

The laws of quantum physics rule the microcosm. They determine, for example, how easily electrons move through a crystal and thus whether the material is a metal, a semiconductor or an insulator. Quantum physics may lead to exotic properties in certain materials: In so-called topological insulators, only the electrons that can occupy some specific quantum states are free to … [Read more...] about Future information technologies: Topological materials for ultrafast spintronics

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland has 3D printed a soft robotic hand that is agile enough to play Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. -- and win! The feat, highlighted on the front cover of the latest issue of Science Advances, demonstrates a promising innovation in the field of soft robotics, which centers on creating new types of flexible, inflatable robots that … [Read more...] about Engineers 3D printed a soft robotic hand that can play Nintendo

Engineers at UC Riverside have unveiled an air-powered computer memory that can be used to control soft robots. The innovation overcomes one of the biggest obstacles to advancing soft robotics: the fundamental mismatch between pneumatics and electronics. The work is published in the open-access journal, PLOS One. Pneumatic soft robots use pressurized air to move soft, rubbery … [Read more...] about Air-powered computer memory helps soft robot control movements

Despite advances in deep neural networks, computers still struggle with the very human skill of 'imagination.' Now, a research team has developed an AI that uses human-like capabilities to imagine a never-before-seen object with different attributes. … [Read more...] about Enabling the ‘imagination’ of artificial intelligence

Measurements of biomechanical properties inside living cells require minimally invasive methods. Optical tweezers are particularly attractive as a tool. It uses the momentum of light to trap and manipulate micro- or nanoscale particles. A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Cornelia Denz from the University of Münster (Germany) has now developed a simplified method to perform … [Read more...] about Simplified method for calibrating optical tweezers: Broadband measurement of viscoelasticity with reduced measurement time

A team of researchers from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), the University of Liège and the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy have developed a microswimmer that appears to defy the laws of fluid dynamics: their model, consisting of two beads that are connected by a linear spring, is propelled by completely symmetrical … [Read more...] about Physicists discover simple propulsion mechanism for bodies in dense fluids