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Research News

Nanotech scaffolding supports tissue growth

Pusan National University researchers analyzed the molecular mechanisms to understand why MXene scaffolds help stimulate muscle growth. They found that MXenes promote calcium ion deposition around cells, which triggers the activation of genes that produce iNOS and SGK1 proteins. SGK1 helps promote cell proliferation, survival, and myogenesis while iNOS increases the production of nitric oxide, contributing to myoblast proliferation and muscle fiber fusion. Visit the website for more information.

Helium-free ultralow-temperature cooling

Due to the relative scarcity of helium in nature, it has become an important challenge within the scientific community to achieve ultralow-temperature refrigeration without using helium. Chinese scientists discovered they could use a triangular-lattice cobaltate material to realize helium-free cooling to a temperature of 94 milli-Kelvin (–273.056°C) with frustrated quantum magnets. Visit the website for more information.

First ‘ghost particle’ image of Milky Way

From visible starlight to radio waves, the Milky Way galaxy has long been observed through the various frequencies of electromagnetic radiation it emits. Now, researchers have obtained the first-ever neutrino-based image of the Milky Way using the U.S. National Science Foundation-supported IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. Drexel University physicist Naoko Kurahashi Neilson proposed the innovative computational analysis used to generate the image and received funding to pursue her idea through a grant from NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development program. Visit the website for more information.