Tag: nanotechnology

Australian Academy of Science welcomes new head

Australian National University Distinguished Professor Chennupati Jagadish has been named as the next president of the Australian Academy of Science. Jagadish, a world-renowned physicist and nanotechnology expert, will serve a four-year term. Jagadish was born in humble circumstances in Andhra Pradesh, south-eastern India, and was largely educated there. He grew up without electricity and studied … Continue reading Australian Academy of Science welcomes new head

Library in a glass chip: laser-writing trick can store vast amounts of data

An team of UK researchers has figured out a laser-writing technique that can store vast amounts of data in glass. So-called five-dimensional (5D) data storage uses molecule-sized nanostructures created in silica glass to store information, and is 10,000 times denser in storage than a Blu-Ray disc. “Individuals and organisations are generating ever-larger datasets, creating the … Continue reading Library in a glass chip: laser-writing trick can store vast amounts of data

A new candidate for defeating Candida

Australian researchers have developed nanoparticles that could be used to treat a widespread and dangerous fungal infection. Candida albicans is a pathogenic yeast that is common worldwide, and it can be very harmful to people with compromised immune systems. It can form biofilms: microbial colonies which are particularly good at developing antimicrobial resistance. “These are … Continue reading A new candidate for defeating Candida

Teeny tiny transistors

Back in May, a research team spread across the United States and Taiwan made a stunning announcement: they’d mastered the fabrication of transistors with elements just one nanometre in size. Inhabiting the macroscale of centimetres and metres and kilometres, we find it difficult to visualise anything so small. The width of the very finest human … Continue reading Teeny tiny transistors

Medical imaging with nanoparticles

Australian researchers have launched a new technology that uses magnetic nanoparticles for medical imaging. While still preclinical, the Momentum MPI system based at Monash University has the potential to create medical imagery of a higher resolution than MRI scans, and it could even be used to direct treatments to certain parts of the body. Cosmos … Continue reading Medical imaging with nanoparticles

Manipulating molecules with fluids

Fluids are fiendishly unpredictable, but fluid dynamics is a very useful area of science. With a machine called a Vortex Fluidic Device, it’s possible to manipulate molecules in very neat and specific ways – like refolding proteins to unboil an egg. “How fluid flows is one of the grand challenges of science,” says Colin Raston, … Continue reading Manipulating molecules with fluids

COVID Booster

An accurate saliva COVID test A group of US researchers has developed a saliva-based test for SARS-CoV-2 that can give accurate results in 30 minutes. “We developed a rapid, highly sensitive and accurate assay, and a portable, battery-powered device for COVID-19 testing that can be used anywhere at any time,” says Huimin Zhao, a professor … Continue reading COVID Booster

Bacteria + nanowires = organic building blocks

US chemists have reported a “milestone” in their quest to combine bacteria and nanowires in a hybrid system that uses energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into building blocks for organic molecules. It’s been an eight-year project to date, and the team – from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and … Continue reading Bacteria + nanowires = organic building blocks