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New York Post
3 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Creepy, futuristic ‘cyborg' beetles may help rescue victims of natural disasters, scientists say
It's a different kind of 'Help' by the Beetles. Between bomb-detecting rats and medical-grade maggots, it's clear that one person's pest is another's savior. The latest member of this unlikely league of heroes is a remote-controlled beetle that could potentially be used to rescue victims of natural disasters, per a spine-tingling study published in 'Advanced Science.' 'It [the beetle] could be used in search-and-rescue missions as it could go into small nooks and crevices in a collapsed building to locate injured survivors,' said Dr. Thang Vo-Doan, a researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia who spearheaded the research, reported. Advertisement The team's revolutionary rescue project involves outfitting darkling beetles with removable backpacks that control the insect's antenna and forewings through the use of electrodes. 4 One of the cyborg bugs. 'If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out,' said Dr. Thang Vo-Doan. University of Queensland These cybernetically-enhanced insects are then piloted remotely using video game controllers so they can access survivors following a mine or building collapse. Advertisement Why deploy one of the world's oldest lifeforms instead of seemingly more advanced bots? Vo-Doan explained, 'Beetles possess many natural gifts that make them the masters of climbing and maneuvering in small, complex spaces such as dense rubble, that are difficult for robots to navigate.' 'Our work harnesses these gifts and adds programmable controls that allow for precise directional guidance, without affecting the lifespan of the beetle,' he added. 4 Unlike robots, the rescue beetles can navigate walls. University of Queensland In a video demonstration, these fun-size first responders can be seen navigating an obstacle course by moving side to side and going over walls like miniature marines — capabilities that elude their synthetic counterparts. Advertisement 4 Rescue teams continue efforts to locate and recover individuals trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 30, 2025. Varit Soponpis/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The rescue beetles are strong for their size, able to climb while toting a battery that weighs as much as their own body. The team is currently tweaking the design so the tiny recon artists can be outfitted with cameras and a power system that will enhance their ability to navigate rubble. 4 Dr. Thang Vo-Doan (right) and Research Assistant Lachlan Fitzgerald preside over their rescue beetle project. University of Queensland With their maneuverability, sensory capabilities and strength, these beetles could reduce the time it takes to locate disaster survivors to mere hours instead of days. Advertisement 'If people have been trapped under an extensive amount of rubble, you want to be able to find them as quickly as possible and start planning how to get them out,' said Vo-Doan. He said he hoped the beetles would be able to 'easily move through chaotic environments to pinpoint a person's exact location, provide clues to any injuries, and give rescuers a picture of what needs to be done to free them.' Researchers hope to test the tech in a real-life rescue situation within five years. This is not the first time scientists have trialed using cyborg bugs as emergency responders. In 2014, researchers at North Carolina State University turned common cockroaches into remote-controlled biobots – bionic rescuers that can locate people trapped in rubble by using microphones. 'The goal is to use the biobots with high-resolution microphones to differentiate between sounds that matter – like people calling for help – from sounds that don't matter, like a leaking pipe,' said Alper Bozkurt, an assistant professor at the university.
Asahi Shimbun
19-06-2025
- Health
- Asahi Shimbun
Research: Sex hormone makes men less prone to Alzheimer's
This schematic diagram explains that testosterone suppresses the mTOR signaling pathway via the cell membrane receptor GPRC6A, thereby enhancing autophagic activity and prompting decomposition of amyloid beta. (Provided by Akiko Mizokami) FUKUOKA—Testosterone, a sex hormone produced primarily in male testes, could be the reason why men are less likely than women to develop Alzheimer's disease, researchers with Kyushu University here said. Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the accumulation of a protein called 'amyloid beta' in the brain. The team's experiments showed that administration of testosterone triggers a process that reduces that protein. The researchers said their findings could help in the development of new therapies. There are about twice as many female Alzheimer's disease patients than male patients, studies in Japan and abroad have shown. The research group said mechanisms behind the sex-based differences in patient numbers have not been determined, although some studies say a drastic decline in estrogen, a female sex hormone, in postmenopausal women is the primary factor. The Kyushu University researchers decided to focus on testosterone to find out why men are less prone to the disease. After the team removed testicles from male mice to reduce their testosterone levels, the accumulation of amyloid beta in them increased. However, the accumulation levels dropped in the mice when testosterone was administered. An experiment using cultured cells showed that testosterone administration enhances the activity of microglia, which are immune cells in the brain. Studies have shown that microglia have an 'autophagy' function that decomposes abnormal proteins, including amyloid beta. The university team's study showed that testosterone plays a role in prompting decomposition of the substance responsible for Alzheimer's disease and suppressing the onset of the illness, the scientists said. 'Establishing the cause of the sex-based differences in the onset of the disease is key to understanding the disease itself,' said Akiko Mizokami, a Kyushu University associate professor of dental science and neuroscience and a leading member of the research team. 'We hope to continue with our study so we can help propose therapies and prophylactics.' The research results were published in Advanced Science, a scientific journal (
Herald Sun
02-06-2025
- Health
- Herald Sun
Revolutionizing Women's Health: The MenstruAI Device
1/6 Researchers have developed a promising new detection device using something most would consider to be a waste product, hopefully bridging the gap between affordable diagnostic practices and women all around the world. When it comes to our health, we're lucky to be living in a time of ever-increasing research and innovation, with each discovery, study, and trial bringing mankind one step closer to eradicating and treating all kinds of life-threatening illnesses. But much like our approach to technology, the more advanced our knowledge and application of medicine has become, the faster we demand answers and information. Now, a new device developed by researchers at ETH Zurich is set to change the face of women's health forever, efficiently detecting health biomarkers using only menstrual blood and sanitary napkins . 2/6 The device, known as MenstruAI, is set to be a simple, non-invasive and affordable diagnostic alternative for women, and has been designed to seamlessly record health data in everyday life. Unlike existing diagnostic methods, which can be time-consuming, uncomfortable and expensive, MenstruAI requires a person to simply place an integrated non-electronic sensor inside a sanitary pad and wear it as usual. Once it's time to change the pad, users need to take a picture of the used sanitary pad with their smartphone, where they will be able to analyse the result on the device's corresponding app. 3/6 Most diagnostic health tests conducted today analyse biomarkers found in blood or urine, among other bodily fluids. Until now, menstrual blood has not been considered to be anything other than a waste product with no diagnostic benefit, despite being produced by roughly half of the population. But unlike regular blood, which primarily consists of plasma and blood cells, menstrual fluid contains a complex mixture of uterine tissue, cervical mucus and blood. Containing hundreds of proteins, many of which can be indicators of numerous diseases such as endometriosis and ovarian cancer, menstrual blood carries more information about women's health than most may think. 4/6 'To date, menstrual blood has been regarded as waste. We are showing that it is a valuable source of information,' says Lucas Dosnon, doctoral student and researcher involved in the development of ETH Zurich's revolutionary new device. 'We are showing that it is a valuable source of information. Courageous projects [like this one] are called for to break down existing patterns of behaviour to ensure that women's health finally takes the place it deserves.' Much like a rapid antigen COVID-19 test, the device is a simple, paper-based diagnostic platform that can detect and quantify the target substance in a liquid sample. The results of the device's preliminary testing and trial stage, as well as commentary by the study's lead authors and researchers, have been published in the journal Advanced Science . 5/6 When designing the diagnostic device, researchers focused on three specific women's health biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of infection and inflammation; CA-125, a marker associated with endometriosis; and CEA, a marker associated with gynecological cancers. When these specific biomarkers in the menstrual blood come into contact the the test strip located in the wearable device, a coloured indicator appears, with its intensity dependent on the concentration of the biomarker. The results can be seen with the naked eye or can be further analysed through the smartphone-compatible app. 'The app also recognises subtle differences, such as the amount of proteins present, and makes the result objectively measurable,' Dosnon explains. 6/6 'Right from the outset, the aim was to develop a solution that can also be used in regions with poor healthcare provision and would be as cost-effective as possible, potentially enabling population-based screening,' says Inge Herrmann, PhD , corresponding author of the study and head of The Ingenuity Lab Zurich. 'MenstruAI can revolutionise women's health by offering a non-invasive, affordable, and accessible health monitoring method, democratizing healthcare, and enhancing service availability and equity.' While only in its initial testing phase now, researchers emphasise that even if the device is cleared for everyday use under real-life conditions, it is not designed to replace existing diagnostic tests. In other words, MenstruAI should be viewed more as an early warning system to alert women to potential health issues and should always be followed by a visit with a medical professional. More related stories Lifestyle Joining the travelling circus that is the Great Victorian Bike Ride is no walk in the park, but this traveller has no regrets. Read more Lifestyle Sydney airport is auctioning off a trove of forgotten treasures, with everything from laptops to teddy bears up for grabs. Read more
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Built a Memory Device That Doesn't Lose Power—and the Implications Are Mind-Blowing
MRAM is one of the most promising emerging memory technologies we have, as it can theoretical improve on nearly every metric of existing DRAM and SRAM technologies. However, MRAM requires significant current to switch the magnetic vectors required to write information. A new study by scientists at Osaka University created a new material that can help lower that current threshold while maintaining all of MRAM's inherent efficiencies. The story of computing is one of progressively better, faster, and more efficient machines powered by incremental-yet-substantial improvements made to every piece of tech they contain. The oft-mentioned fact that the computer that flew the Apollo 11 mission was less powerful than the phone in your pocket just goes to show the immense progress made in only half a century. However, this story of progress has yet to end, and one area in which computers could still make huge gains is by replacing volatile dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) with what is known as magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM). MRAM uses an electron's spin to store information instead of the tiny electrical chargers on the capacitors inside DRAM. This makes it non-volatile, meaning it can store information without a power supply. Theoretically, MRAM devices could make computers more powerful and more efficient by lowering power needs in a standby state. Although the idea for MRAM dates back to the late 1980s, engineers still can't get the tech into high enough densities to be truly functional, due to the amount of current needed to change magnetization vectors and write information. Now, scientists in Japan may have a solution called a 'multiferroic heterostructure.' Let's break it down. In a new paper published in Advanced Science, scientists at Osaka University essentially developed an improved method for controlling the electric fields in MRAM devices. The new component in question— the multiferroic heterostructure—consists of two layers of ferromagnetic and piezoelectric material with a super-thin strip of the element vanadium sandwiched between—something previous MRAM devices lacked. When passing a current through these materials, Live Science reports that the magnetic state switched direction, materials maintained shape, and the magnetic state remained after the power supply was cut off. This breakthrough could help lower the power needed to write information while finally opening the doors for higher MRAM densities. 'Through precise control of the multiferroic heterostructures, two key requirements for implementing practical magnetoelectric (ME)-MRAM devices are satisfied, namely a non-volatile binary state with zero electric field, and a giant converse magnetoelectric effect,' Kohei Hamaya from Osaka University said in a press statement. As Live Science notes, it's uncertain exactly how well this new technology will hold up under consistent use, but the researchers remain confident that their technology can be implemented on 'practical MRAM devices.' Like most emerging technologies, it's unlikely that MRAM will be seen on laptop spec sheets anytime soon, as the technology will find its way into more niche applications first. But... maybe someday? You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
