Tag: "lasers" at biology news

Catching cancer's spread by watching hemoglobin

...nse to anti-cancer drugs. In the technique, two lasers at different wavelengths (colors) send ultra-short...l. The hemoglobin absorbs light from both of these lasers at the same time, in a process known as "two-photon absorption," and then gives off signals that can...

Magnetic computer sensors may help study biomolecules

...ne molecule at a time. Optical tweezers, which use lasers to trap and manipulate biomolecules, tend to be slow and limited in force, and the particles need to be micrometer sized or larger. Existing magnetic tweezers can trap smaller particles and apply torque, but typically require permanent immobilization...

Fast and slow -- How the spinal cord controls the speed of movement

... nerve cells activated. A confocal microscope with lasers allowed the researchers to image the cells at very high resolutions. Using this set up, they watched nerve cells light up as the animals moved at different speeds. While no one knows how this pattern relates to other vertebrates, the research open...

Nanotechnology shows promise as next wrinkle fighter

... with science fiction ?from microdermabrasians to lasers to Botox injections ? and nanoparticles are poised to join the war by warding off dreaded buckles in human skin. Ilsoon Lee, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, along with Ph.D. student Troy Hendricks, published an online article in the...

New sensor detects gaseous chemical weapon surrogates in 45 seconds

Using lasers and tuning forks, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a chemical weapon agent sensing technique that promises to meet or exceed current and emerging defense and homeland security chemical detection requirements. The te...

St. Jude announces breakthrough in eye cancer treatment

...of several possible therapies such as radiation or lasers to destroy the remaining cancer cells in the eye. "When successful, this therapy often saves vision," Wilson said. "Clinicians at major medical institutions generally save 70 percent of all eyes treated, even in the case of advanced disease." ...

Gold nanoparticles prove to be hot stuff

...dy nanoscale and even picoscale mechanics by using lasers to both apply force to and track the position of fragile biomolecules such as DNA or protein by manipulating a tiny sphere--typically polystyrene--attached to the molecule. The JILA team would like to find new microsphere materials that can be trappe...

A buffet for early human relatives

...ts to determine the animals' diets. Until now, lasers were too destructive to use on the smaller teeth of human ancestors and their relatives ?even those of Paranthropus, known for relatively large teeth and a strong, heavy jaw. Passey improved the laser technique. "What I did was fine-tune the meth...

Boston University biomedical engineers win major grant for pursuit of the '$1,000 Genome'

... from the nanopore. Meller has devised a system of lasers and highly sensitive detectors which greatly increase the process' resolution. He is the only researcher in the world using this method, which he names "Opti-Pore." Weng's involvement centers on bioinformatics ?using computational methods to organi...

Connect the Quantum Dots

...ckly found their way into homes in many electronic lasers including the new PlayStation 3 and high-definition DVD players. Nanotechnology, the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, is valuable research since matter at the nanoscale has unique properties that enab...

'Micro-boxes' of water used to study single molecules

...en watch through a microscope while using infrared lasers as "optical tweezers" to manipulate and combine the droplets (dubbed "hydrosomes") inside a tiny chamber on a slide. A green laser is then used to excite the molecules in individual droplets, and the light emissions over several seconds are analyze...

Purdue creates new low-cost system to detect bacteria

...f inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware, such as red lasers and low-resolution digital cameras available at consumer electronics stores, and likely would cost less than $1,000, Hirleman said. A critical part of the technique was made possible by adapting a mathematical method created in 1934 by Dutch physic...

New Scripps Oceanography project to study sediments and ecosystem restoration in Venice lagoon

... '70s, to nondestructive cleaning of statuary with lasers and (Scripps Research Geodesist) Yehuda Bock's use of global positioning system technology to measure the actual rate of sinking, to today's understanding of the implications of sediment removal and transplantation. This is a wonderful opportunity to...

Microscopes at microscopic size

...ls are then used together with tiny light emitting lasers to allow the scientists to analyse the cells or targets within the cells. Researchers can use this capability to examine cellular conditions for certain diseases or to develop new treatments by studying the way cells react to a drug. The biochips al...

Confocal imaging promises early detection of skin cancer

...ed in the life sciences area. Because it calls on lasers and high-end imaging, confocal technology is expensive. One project goal was to reduce the manufacture costs ?by stripping away everything not needed for skin diagnosis, redesigning optical components and producing a user-friendly design. “We can cut...

Pulsating ultrasound enhances gene therapy for tumors

... investigated for enhancing gene delivery, such as lasers and electric current, are limited to surface lesions or require needles to be inserted in the body. Pulsed-HIFU is non-invasive and can treat any area of the body accessible by ultrasound, the exceptions being the lungs and bones. Additional advantag...

“Nano-scissors?laser shows precise surgical capability

...damaging surrounding tissue. Usually, conventional lasers usedin surgery heat the area to be cut, then cut it, but this heightens therisk for tissue damage.Ben-Yakar’s nanosurgery technique used a series of low-energy“femtosecond?laser pulses to partially sever the axons of severalanesthetized C. elegans, a...

1