Science & Technology
AI can now detect COVID-19 in lung ultrasound images
Artificial intelligence can spot COVID-19 in lung ultrasound images much like facial recognition software can spot a face in a crowd, new research shows. The findings boost AI-driven medical diagnostics and bring health care professionals closer to bei…
Severe lung infection during COVID-19 can cause damage to the heart
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can damage the heart even without directly infecting the heart tissue, a new study has found. The research specifically looked at damage to the hearts of people with SARS-CoV2-associated acute respiratory dis…
Cleaning up environmental contaminants with quantum dot technology
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots — objects so tiny, they’re controlled by the strange rules of quantum physics. Quantum dots used in electronics are often toxic, but their nontoxic counterparts are being explored for uses …
Scientists weigh up current status of blue whale populations around the world
The largest living animal, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) which averages about 27 meters in length, has slowly recovered from whaling only to face the rising challenges of global warming, pollution, disrupted food sources, shipping, and other h…
Researchers add swept illumination to open-top light-sheet microscope
Researchers have incorporated a swept illumination source into an open-top light-sheet microscope to enable improved optical sectioning over a larger area of view. The advance makes the technique more practical for nondestructive 3D pathology.
Deep Earth electrical grid mystery solved
To ‘breathe’ in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons, produced during the ‘burning’ of nutrients, to electric hairs called nanowires projecting from …
Metformin during pregnancy affects the brain development in offspring mice, study finds
With the rise in gestational diabetes and metabolic disorders during pregnancy, metformin is also being prescribed more frequently. Although it is known that the oral antidiabetic agent can cross the placental barrier, the impacts on the brain developm…