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Polymer network reconfigures in sequence, helping elastomers stay tough under strain

Shock-absorbing sneaker soles are likely made of polyurethane, a highly elastic and tough polymer. The ability of these elastomers to absorb impact without breaking is extremely important for practical applications. While multiple strategies exist for enhancing elastomer toughness, each has its limitations. However, achieving synergistic toughening by integrating all three mechanisms within a single material remains challenging.

Now, researchers at the University of Osaka have overcome these limitations by developing a multipath synergistic strategy to toughen elastomers. This discovery is reported in Nature Communications.

Elastomers are polymers that are exceptionally elastic; they can deform strongly under external stress and revert to their original shape when the stress is removed. However, traditional elastomers are not very tough because microscopic cracks can cause the material to tear.

In a First For Science, A Satellite Has Identified What It’s Seeing From Space

The standard approach to satellite imagery is to snap huge batches of pictures and beam them back to Earth, where they can be sifted through by human operators and the best available algorithms.

It’s all worked well so far, but the time, transmission bandwidth, and energy required are starting to become bottlenecks. Modern satellites are simply capturing more pixels than scientists have time to look at.

However, the YAM-9 satellite has just done something different: It has identified and described features in its image scans without needing to check back with ground control.

Ryan Janzen: Jarring is What We Need

Fourteen years ago, I sat down with Ryan Janzen, and his title said it all:

Jarring is What We Need.

Ryan is an engineer and a composer. He builds bridges between electrical #engineering, #physics, and #music. He also plays the hydraulophone, an instrument you sound by touching jets of water.

Think about that. Not strings. Not keys. Water.

Most people chase technology for its own sake. Ryan asked a harder question. Why are we building this? What is it for? He worried openly about careerism in both the arts and the sciences, about the quiet drift toward doing things simply because we can.

That worry has aged well. In an age of #AI abundance and endless capability, the scarce resource is not the How. It is the Why.

Continue reading “Ryan Janzen: Jarring is What We Need” | >

How intermittent fasting may shield the brain from chronic stress

Chronic stress, the prolonged exposure to psychological and/or physical strain, is known to be a risk factor for depression, anxiety and some other psychiatric disorders. Past studies suggest that chronic stress disrupts the integrity of myelin, a fatty insulating layer that surrounds nerve fibers and helps electrical signals travel efficiently between brain cells.

Identifying lifestyle changes that can reverse or diminish the adverse effects of chronic stress on the brain could be advantageous, as they could potentially help prevent or delay the onset of various psychiatric conditions. Recently, some researchers have been exploring the potential brain benefits of intermittent fasting (IF), a dietary pattern that entails alternating between set periods of eating and fasting.

Past findings suggest that IF can improve people’s metabolism and help reduce inflammation, the body’s natural response to disease or injury. Yet its effects on people’s mental health and well-being have not yet been clearly determined.

‘Pink noise’ can help make anesthesia work better during surgery

In the brain, specific electrical waves are associated with different states of consciousness. For instance, delta waves—also known as slow waves—are especially prevalent during deep sleep, as well as during states of unconsciousness induced by coma and general anesthesia. They are considered a “signature” of these altered states of consciousness.

Over a decade ago, research showed that it is possible to amplify these delta waves through highly precise auditory stimulation, a technique initially studied in the context of sleep.

Now researchers at Université de Montréal are bringing this technique into the operating room to help optimize general anesthesia, which also induces a state characterized by abundant delta waves.

Biomarkers could help identify ICU patients at risk of chronic critical illness

New research, published in The Journal of Immunology, identifies biomarkers of a distinct immune profile that could be used to identify patients at risk for chronic critical illness (CCI) on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) after traumatic injury. Identifying which patients are at increased risk for CCI could allow doctors to intervene earlier, leading to shorter ICU stays and improved patient outcomes.

“Our findings are highly novel, challenging what scientists have long thought about the immune changes that cause organ dysfunction and mortality in severely injured trauma patients. Rather than the immune system being exhausted, our data show overactivity and dysfunction,” said Dr. Scott Brakenridge, professor of surgery at the University of Washington and senior author of the study.

Severe traumatic injury, such as from a car crash or fall, causes changes to the immune system that can lead to immune and organ dysfunction, as well as recurrent infections. Researchers have long thought this was due to a deficiency in an immune signal, or cytokine, called interferon-gamma (IFN which regulates immune responses.

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