How hypersonic missiles work and the unique threats they pose: An aerospace engineer explains

Russia used a hypersonic missile against a Ukrainian arms depot in the western part of the country on March 18, 2022. That might sound scary, but the technology the Russians used is not particularly advanced. However, next-generation hypersonic missiles that Russia, China and the U.S. are developing do pose a significant threat to national and global security.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/how-hypersonic-missiles-work-and-the-unique-threats-they-pose-an-aerospace-engineer-explains

Combining turgor design and electro-osmosis to create strong and fast hydrogel actuators

A team of researchers at Seoul National University has created a stronger and faster hydrogel actuator by combining turgor design and electro-osmosis. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their approach and how well the resulting actuator performed when tested in a real-world experiment. Zhen Jiang and Pingan Song, with the University of Southern Queensland, outline some of the difficulties researchers have faced in trying to create hydrogels that imitate biological organisms and comment on the work done by the team in Korea in a Perspective article published in the same journal issue.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/combining-turgor-design-and-electro-osmosis-to-create-strong-and-fast-hydrogel-actuators

Charging underwater and body-implanted electronic devices using ultrasonic waves

As the population ages and with the advancements in medical technology, the number of patients using implanted electronic devices, such as artificial pacemakers and defibrillators, is increasing worldwide. Currently, the batteries of body-implanted devices are replaced by an incision surgery, which may lead to health complications. Accordingly, a new charging technique by wireless energy transfer is emerging that can also be used to charge the batteries of underwater devices, such as sensors, that are used for monitoring the conditions of submarine cables.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/charging-underwater-and-body-implanted-electronic-devices-using-ultrasonic-waves

Scientists develop new computational approach to reduce noise in X-ray data

Scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) and Computational Science Initiative (CSI) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have helped to solve a common problem in synchrotron X-ray experiments: reducing the noise, or meaningless information, present in data. Their work aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of X-ray studies at NSLS-II, with the goal of enhancing scientists' overall research experience at the facility.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/scientists-develop-new-computational-approach-to-reduce-noise-in-x-ray-data

Researchers stimulate blind retinas using focused ultrasound technology

The number of Americans with visual impairment or blindness is expected to jump to more than 8 million by the year 2050, according to research lead by the USC Gayle and Edward Roski Eye Institute conducted back in 2016.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/researchers-stimulate-blind-retinas-using-focused-ultrasound-technology