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The coronavirus structure is an all-too-familiar image, with its densely packed surface receptors resembling a thorny crown. These spike-like proteins latch onto healthy cells and trigger the invasion of viral RNA. While the virus geometry and infection strategy is generally understood, little is known about its physical integrity.
A new study by researchers in MIT s Department of Mechanical Engineering suggests that coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, within the frequencies used in medical diagnostic imaging.
Through computer simulations, the team has modeled the virus mechanical response to vibrations across a range of ultrasound frequencies. They found that vibrations between 25 and 100 megahertz triggered the virus shell and spikes to collapse and start to rupture within a fraction of a millisecond. This effect was seen in simulations of the virus in air and in water.
Credit: Photo: Swen Reichhold, Leipzig University
He and his research group have found a way to more precisely determine the properties of these materials, because they can better account for the underlying disorder. Their article has been designated ACS Editors Choice by the editors of the American Chemical Society journals, who recognise the importance to the global scientific community of the Leipzig researchers work and see it as a breakthrough in the accurate description of phase transition phenomena in disordered porous materials.
In mesoporous materials, the pore openings are far smaller than in a normal sponge: their diameters range from 2 to 50 nanometres and are invisible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, they have a number of interesting properties, including with regard to separating substances. This occurs as a function of molecule and pore size, for example.
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IMAGE: An illustration of potassium atoms undergoing changes in fundamental characteristics such as radius, energy and electronegativity as they are compressed by surrounding neon atoms view more
Credit: Neuroncollective, Daniel Spacek, Pavel Travnicek
A study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has yielded new answers to fundamental questions about the relationship between the size of an atom and its other properties, such as electronegativity and energy. The results pave the way for advances in future material development. For the first time, it is now possible under certain conditions to devise exact equations for such relationships. Knowledge of the size of atoms and their properties is vital for explaining chemical reactivity, structure and the properties of molecules and materials of all kinds. This is fundamental research that is necessary for us to make important advances, explains Martin Rahm, the main author of the study and research le
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IMAGE: When worn under a helmet, a fit cap reveals the pressure exerted by the helmet on 16 different sensors. view more
Credit: Adapted from
2021, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c02122
Many athletes, from football players to equestrians, rely on helmets to protect their heads from impacts or falls. However, a loose or improperly fitted helmet could leave them vulnerable to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), a leading cause of death or disability in the U.S. Now, researchers reporting in
ACS Sensors have developed a highly sensitive pressure sensor cap that, when worn under a helmet, could help reveal whether the headgear is a perfect fit.
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VIDEO: ICREA Research Professor Samuel Sánchez (IBEC) explains how they have observed in vivo the collective movement of nanorobots view more
Credit: IBEC - CIC biomaGUNE
Nanobots are machines whose components are at the nano-scale (one millionth of a millimetre), and can be designed in such a way that they have the ability to move autonomously in fluids. Although they are still in the research and development phase, very significant advances are being made to make nanorobots a reality in the field of biomedicine. Their applications are very varied: from the identification of tumour cells, to the release of drugs in specific locations of the body. Nanorobots powered by catalytic enzymes are among the most promising systems because they are fully biocompatible and can make use of fuels already available in the body for their propulsion. However, understanding the collective behaviour of these nanorobots is essential to advance towards their use in clinica