Futurity.org » Princeton University

3D printed ear binds biology with electronics

John Sullivan-Princeton — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:35:18 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Using 3D printing tools, scientists have created a functional ear that can “hear” radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.

The researchers’ primary purpose was to explore an efficient and versatile method of merging electronics with tissue. The scientists used 3D printing of cells and nanoparticles—with an off-the-shelf printer purchased off the Internet—followed by cell culture to combine a small coil antenna with cartilage, creating what they term a bionic ear.

‘Slope winds’ could have built Mars mound

Morgan Kelly-Princeton — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:00:18 +0000

PRINCETON / CALTECH (US) — New analysis suggests that a roughly 3.5-mile-high mound on Mars came from the planet’s dusty atmosphere, not a massive lake, report researchers.

If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound holds evidence of a large body of water, which would have important implications for understanding Mars’ past habitability.

How ‘jail-breaker’ cancer cells escape

Catherine Zandonella-Princeton — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:16:08 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive than nonmalignant cells and are nimble enough to maneuver their way into small spaces.

A systematic comparison of metastatic breast cancer cells to healthy breast cells revealed dramatic differences between the two cell lines in their mechanics, migration, oxygen response, protein production, and ability to stick to surfaces.

Don’t blame your brain for that bad decision

Catherine Zandonella-Princeton — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:14:18 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Researchers find that bad decisions are usually made because of errors or “noisy” information, not in the brain’s processing of information.

Making decisions involves a gradual accumulation of facts that support one choice or another. A person choosing a college might weigh factors such as course selection, institutional reputation, and the quality of future job prospects.

But if the wrong choice is made, it might be the information rather than the brain’s decision-making process that is to blame. The researchers report in the journal Science that erroneous decisions tend to arise from errors, or “noise,” in the information coming into the brain rather than errors in how the brain accumulates information.

How your brain chunks ‘moments’ into ‘events’

Morgan Kelly-Princeton — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:00:06 +0000

PRINCETON (US) — Scientists say they have a new explanation for how the brain breaks experiences into “events,” or the related groups that help us mentally organize the day’s many situations.

They propose that the brain may actually work from subconscious mental categories it creates based on how it considers people, objects, and actions are related.

Successful once, protesters may hesitate later

Michael Hotchkiss-Princeton — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:48:55 +0000

PRINCETON / NYU (US) — The Arab Spring protests that swept across the Middle East and North Africa could mark more of an isolated occurrence than a permanent rise of people power in the region, warn researchers.

In a paper published by the American Journal of Political Science, Princeton University politics professor Adam Meirowitz and New York University politics Professor Joshua Tucker lay out a theoretical model that helps answer a real-world question: Why do people who take on the considerable costs and risks of protesting to change the type of government in their country sometimes stay off the streets when the new government turns out to be just as bad—or worse?

Antibiotics work better when germs self-destruct

John Sullivan-Princeton — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:37:45 +0000

PRINCETON / BOSTON U. (US) — Scientists find that using bacteria’s own byproducts can make them far more vulnerable to antibiotics.

In a recent paper published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, first author Mark Brynildsen, a Princeton University assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, reports that scientists can force bacteria to increase their production of a class of molecules called reactive oxygen species, which can either kill the bacteria outright or make it easier to kill them with antibiotics.

Bacteria normally produce reactive oxygen species during growth. Small amounts don’t hurt them because of certain protective enzymes within the bacteria, but too much of the substances can lead to “oxidative stress.” The researchers decided this weakness could be exploited.

Electronic chips self-heal after laser blast

Kimm Fesenmaier-Caltech — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:32:11 +0000

CALTECH (US) — Imagine if the chips in your phone or computer could fix themselves almost instantly from problems such as battery power loss and transistor failure.

It might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but a team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), for the first time ever, has developed just such self-healing integrated chips.

Do ‘bad apples’ make the whole bunch nicer?

Daniel Stolte-Arizona — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:09:53 +0000

U. ARIZONA / PRINCETON (US) — Human kindness may come from from our more sinister tendencies, and rules against selfishness have roots in the exploitation they condemn, say researchers.

Altruistic behavior—the seemingly selfless act of helping other members of a group at one’s own expense—has been a mystery. Evolutionary biologists have long struggled to explain how it can arise and remain stable in a world where individuals compete to survive, encouraging selfish behavior of free-loaders that leech their altruistic peers until the community collapses.

Enter “selfish punishment,” a concept developed by evolutionary biologist Omar Tonsi Eldakar, who recently completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the University of Arizona department of ecology and evolutionary biology.

‘Side-kick’ drugs could improve antibiotics

Mark Dwortzan-Boston U — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:05:49 +0000

BOSTON U. (US) — A new technique designed to make current antibiotics more effective works by disabling select genes in bacteria.

Described in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the technique systematically identifies genes within E. coli bacteria that inhibit the production of molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the bacteria’s DNA.