News by Subject Biology

In an article published in the peer-reviewed SPIE publication Neurophotonics, 'High density functional diffuse optical tomography based on frequency domain measurements improves image quality and spatial resolution,' researchers demonstrate critical improvements to functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based optical imaging in the brain.

Researchers have developed artificial 'chameleon skin' that changes colour when exposed to light and could be used in applications such as active camouflage and large-scale dynamic displays.

Amyloid fibrils play a crucial role in neurodegenerative illnesses. Scientists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Forschungszentrum Jülich have now been able to use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to decode the spatial structure of the fibrils that are formed from PI3K SH3 domains - an important model system for research. Although the fibrils examined are not themselves connected with an illness, the findings made and methods developed could serve to understand diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

When insects carry the pollen from one flower to another to pollinate them, the pollen must attach to and detach from different surfaces. Scientists from Kiel University have discovered that the mechanisms are far more complex than previously assumed. They differ depending on the duration of the contact and the microstructure of the plant surfaces. The results could be interesting for drug delivery and for developing alternative strategies in agriculture and food production.

Monitoring and tracking biological threats or epidemics require the ability to carry out tests in the field during austere situations. Expensive laboratory equipment is often unavailable in these settings, so inexpensive point-of-care technology is needed. Ordinary paper is often used, since it's cheap, portable and widely available. However, paper poses some problems that hinder its usefulness. In this week's Biointerphases, investigators report a technique that greatly improves the performance of paper-based point-of-care technologies.