As the fall semester progresses, exciting discoveries continue to emerge around the world. This week’s highlights include a paint that makes mouse skin “transparent,” a super-precise nuclear-powered clock, new insights into the role of cholesterol in heart disease, and mushroom-controlled robots.
Transparent mice provide non-invasive monitoring of live animals
Mice have long been central to medical research, and their study often requires invasive procedures such as biopsies. However, a new study published in Science demonstrates a non-invasive method to make living mice “transparent”.
In the experiment, scientists rubbed a solution of water and tartrazine – a yellow food coloring – on the skulls and stomachs of rats. Once absorbed, the skin became transparent and researchers could observe the structures underneath, such as blood vessels and internal organs.
Surprisingly, this effect is reversible: washing off the dye restores the skin’s darkness. Much more effective than previous methods of tissue transparency, this technique could revolutionize the study of the nervous system and neurological diseases in living animals.
Scientists develop key components for a nuclear clock
A recent publication in Nature details an intriguing breakthrough in timekeeping: a prototype “nuclear clock” works by measuring energy shifts within an atomic nucleus, providing unprecedented precision in timekeeping.
While atomic clocks have long been perceived as more accurate, nuclear clocks could potentially surpass this accuracy by shifting the focus to the nucleus. Since the protons and neutrons inside the nucleus are less affected by external electromagnetic fields, nuclear clocks are more stable than their atomic counterparts.
Such a clock could also have profound applications in fundamental physics: the nuclear forces that drive the “ticks” could reveal subtle interactions with dark matter, an elusive substance that makes up 85% of the Universe.
Elevated cholesterol in young adults is associated with atherosclerosis risk
Atherosclerosis – a cause of heart disease – is characterized by the accumulation of plaques composed of fat, cholesterol and other substances in blood vessels. Traditionally seen as a disease of the elderly, most prevention efforts target individuals over 50 years of age.
However, researchers from the University of Cambridge found that high cholesterol levels in young people significantly accelerated the development of atherosclerosis later in life. The study found that early exposure to high cholesterol changes gene activity in a way that accelerates plaque formation even at a young age.
In an interview with ScienceDaily, Professor Ziad Mallat – one of the authors of the study – said: “What this means is that we shouldn’t leave it until later in life before we start looking at our cholesterol levels.”
Mushroom-controlled robots shed light on new control methods
Researchers at Cornell University have created a new class of biohybrid robots powered by fungal mycelium, a branching root-like fungal structure. As reported in Science Roboticsresearchers grew micelles on the robot’s electronics to sense environmental changes and control the robot’s movements.
Two biohybrid robots were created: a soft “spider-like” robot and a wheeled robot. The robots exhibited movement in response to natural electrical spikes from the mycelium and changed their gait when exposed to ultraviolet light.
The experiment proved the ability of the mycelium to respond to environmental stimuli. It is a key step towards developing robots that can integrate natural sensing mechanisms, potentially providing a more adaptive and responsive interface than traditional synthetic robots.