Show Notes 21 June 2024
Story 1: The brain can store nearly 10 times more data than previously thought, study confirms
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Emily Cooke
See also: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38658027/
- A team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, and University of Texas, Austin recently published research results showing that the brain may be able to hold nearly 10 times more information than previously thought.
- Similar to computers, the brain’s memory storage is measured in “bits,” and the number of bits it can hold rests on the connections between its neurons, known as synapses.
- In the human brain, there are more than 100 trillion synapses between neurons. Chemical messengers are launched across these synapses, facilitating the transfer of information across the brain. Reminder – 1 trillion = 1,000,000 millions. So, our brains have 100 million millions synapses!!!
- Side note – Unlike classical computers that use binary code (0s and 1s), brain cells employ 26 different ways to encode their “bits.” Researchers have calculated that the brain could potentially store 1 petabyte (or a quadrillion bytes) of information. Source: https://www.livescience.com/53751-brain-could-store-internet.html
- Historically, scientists thought synapses came in a fairly limited number of sizes and strengths, and this in turn limited the brain’s storage capacity. However, this theory has been challenged in recent years — and the new study further backs the idea that the brain can hold about 10-fold more than once thought.
- In the new study, the researchers developed a highly precise method to assess the strength of connections between neurons in part of a rat’s brain. These synapses form the basis of learning and memory, as brain cells communicate at these points and thus store and share information.
- As we learn, the transfer of information through specific synapses increases. This “strengthening” of synapses enables us to retain the new information. In general, synapses strengthen or weaken in response to how active their constituent neurons are — a phenomenon called synaptic plasticity.
- However, as we age or develop neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, our synapses become less active and thus weaken, reducing cognitive performance and our ability to store and retrieve memories.
- To measure synaptic strength and plasticity, the team harnessed information theory, a mathematical way of understanding how information is transmitted through a system. This approach also enables scientists to quantify how much information can be transmitted across synapses, while also taking account of the “background noise” of the brain.
- Side note: Information theory is the mathematical study of quantifying, storing, and communicating information. It emerged from the works of Harry Nyquist, Ralph Hartley, and Claude Shannon in the 1920s and 1940s. At its core, information theory deals with uncertainty and how efficiently we can transmit data. Key concepts include entropy (which measures uncertainty), mutual information, channel capacity, and relative entropy. Applications span diverse fields, from data compression to quantum computing, and even art creation.
Story 2: Researchers leverage inkjet printing to make a portable multispectral 3D camera
Source: Phys.org Story by Science X Staff
To fully understand how ink jet printing mechanics were used to create this breakthrough camera see this research paper: https://opg.optica.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-32-13-23510&id=55164
- Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany have used inkjet printing to create the key optical components needed to make a compact multispectral version of a light field camera.
- The camera, which fits in the palm of the hand, could be useful for many applications including autonomous driving, classification of recycled materials and remote sensing.
- Side note – what is a multispectral light field camera?
- A multispectral camera captures images in different bands of the light spectrum, beyond what our eyes can see. This means that it can capture information in colors that we cannot normally perceive.
- Multispectral imaging involves capturing image data within specific wavelength ranges across the electromagnetic spectrum.
- These wavelengths may be separated by filters or detected using instruments sensitive to particular wavelengths, including light beyond the visible range (such as infrared and ultraviolet) .
- 3D spectral information can be useful for classifying objects and materials; however [to date], capturing 3D spatial and spectral information from a scene typically requires multiple devices or time-intensive scanning processes.
- The new [single device] light field camera solves this challenge by simultaneously acquiring 3D information and spectral data in a single snapshot.
- Research team leader Uli Lemmer noted, “To our knowledge, this is the most advanced and integrated version of a multispectral light field camera. We combined it with new AI methods for reconstructing the depth and spectral properties of the scene to create an advanced sensor system for acquiring 3D information.”
- In the journal Optics Express, the researchers report that the use of inkjet printing to make the camera’s key optical components allows it to be easily customized or manufactured in large volumes. My comment – check out this article for more about the inkjet process used.
- Michael Heizmann, a member of the research team noted, “Reconstructed 3D data from camera images are finding widespread use in virtual and augmented reality, autonomous cars, robotics, smart home devices, remote sensing and other applications. This new technology could, for example, allow robots to better interact with humans or improve the accuracy of classifying and separating materials in recycling. It could also be potentially used to classify healthy and diseased tissues.”
Story 3: Researchers report exceptionally small implant for future vision correction
Source: MedicalXpress.com Story by Emma Fry
Link: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-exceptionally-small-implant-future-vision.html
See also: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adhm.202304169
- Side note – Before the news, a bit of background on electrodes and vision restoration implants is needed, as the creation of tiny electrodes is key to this breakthrough:
- In vision implants, electrodes serve a crucial role in stimulating the retina or visual cortex. When someone is blind due to eye damage, their brain’s visual cortex may still function.
- By sending electrical impulses via an implant, these electrodes create an image.
- Each electrode represents a pixel, allowing the brain to perceive a simplified, black-and-white version of the visual input. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507145945.htm
- Okay, now the big news – A group of researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, University of Freiburg and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have created an exceptionally small implant with electrodes the size of a single neuron that can remain intact in the body over time—a unique combination that holds promise for future vision implants for the blind.
- Side note – A single neuron typically has a cell body with a diameter ranging from 4 to 100 micrometers. And remember a micrometer equals one millionth of a meter.
- The vision implant outlined in this study can be described as a “thread” with many electrodes placed in a row, one after the other. In the long term you would need several threads with thousands of electrodes connected to each one, and the results of this study are a key step toward such a [vision restoration] implant.
- By creating an electrode, the size of a single neuron, researchers have the potential to fit lots of electrodes onto a single implant and build up a more detailed image for the user.
- The key advancement is the unique mix of flexible, non-corrosive materials that make this a long-term solution for vision implants. My note – one of the challenges the team faced was dealing with corrosion of the metal component used for their electrodes.
- As the article points out, corrosion of metals in surgical implants is a huge problem, and because the metal is the functional part, as well as the corroding part [of the tiny experimental electrodes], the amount of metal is key.
- The electrical implant that the team has created measures a miniscule 40 micrometers wide and 10 micrometers thick, like a split hair, with the metal parts being only a few hundred nanometers in thickness. Any corrosion of the metal parts would cause it to stop working.
- To overcome this corrosion, challenge the team created a conducting polymer metal combination that is revolutionary for vision implants as it would mean they hopefully could remain functional for the entire implant lifetime.
Story 4: Virginia Tech researcher creates new [medical] tool to move tiny bioparticles – “invisible tweezers” use robotics and acoustic energy to achieve what human hands cannot.
Source: Virginia Tech Website Story by Alex Parrish
Link: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/05/eng-me-tian-acoustic-tweezer-robotics-science-advances.html
- While robotic-assisted surgery has its share of advantages, Virginia Tech professor Zhenhua Tian and his team have taken that idea a step beyond its current state: Team members are developing a [sound-based] method of moving small targets, such as cells and medicine, within a body that is noninvasive. That means the method requires no surgical incisions.
- Side note – My comment: we’ve covered numerous stories in the past few years about using magnetics to guide/manipulate objects inside the body without the need for surgery. This news represents a remarkable and innovative new sound-based approach!
- The secret is found in acoustic energy emitters that Tian’s team uses to surround and capture particles, working like invisible tweezers.
- The emitters create 3D acoustic vortex fields that can pass through barriers such as bone and tissue, crossing over one another to form tiny ring-shaped acoustic traps.
- Side note [Co-Pilot response] – An acoustic vortex is a fascinating phenomenon in the field of acoustics. Let me break it down for you:
- 1. Acoustic Vortices: These are essentially helical sound waves that twist around their propagation axis. Imagine a corkscrew-like pattern in the air, created by sound waves. These vortices can be generated using specialized techniques.
- 2. Generation and Characterization: Researchers have developed methods to create and study acoustic vortices. These vortices exhibit interesting properties, such as intrinsic angular momentum and orbital angular momentum. The latter allows them to rotate objects and even transmit data.
- 3. Applications:
- Particle Manipulation: Acoustic vortices can trap particles in three dimensions, making them useful for manipulating tiny objects ranging from nanometers to millimeters.
- Object Rotation: By harnessing the orbital angular momentum, acoustic vortices can rotate objects without physical contact.
- Biomedical Field: Acoustic vortices find applications in biomedical research, where precise manipulation and non-invasive techniques are crucial¹.
- In summary, acoustic vortices offer exciting possibilities for various applications, from particle trapping to biomedical advancements.
- Micro- to millimeter-sized objects caught at the center of an acoustic trap can be moved and rotated.
- By mounting an acoustic vortex emitter onto a robotic platform, the acoustic vortex beam can be moved at the micrometer scale.
- Accordingly, the particle trapping area can be precisely set in a 3D space, and moving a particle after its capture can be engineered.
- For example, when moving a tiny object along the winding path of a blood vessel, this can be a critical feature.
- While Tian’s team is able to move a small object behind a solid structure, the acoustic vortex beams can also move particles within both gases and liquids as well.
- Although the current approach targets small particles within those substances, integrating the acoustic energy emitters together with robotics has applications beyond surgery and very small particles, including:
- Controlling microrobots
- Handling delicate bioparticles, such as cells
- Arranging nanomaterials for composite fabrication
- And so much more!
- FYI, another “sound” for internal medicine research news: Research shows robotic ultrasound systems can aid doctors during surgery, see: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/research-shows-robotic-ultrasound-systems-can-aid-doctors-during-surgery/ar-BB1nhjrU
Honorable Mentions:
Story: New air-to-water converter uses solar power to deliver 19 liters a day – This new solar-based air-to-water dispenser by DrinkingMaker can also dehumidify and purify the air.
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Shubhangi Dua
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/filter-extracts-19-liters-water-from-air
- A new trend has taken over the green technology industry, with a particular focus on converting energy from water or air into drinkable water.
- In a recent development, a firm called DrinkingMaker is soon expected to launch DrinkingWater, a solar-powered, next-generation multifunctional dispenser that extracts water from the air.
- In light of the climate crisis leading to water scarcity, the company drew inspiration from dessert beetles and cacti to develop DrinkingWater, a new air-to-water (AWD) dispenser.
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Story: Physicists create five-lane superhighway for electrons – involving a material that is a unique form of graphene – The work could lead to ultra-efficient electronics and more.
Source: MIT News Story by Elizabeth A. Thomson
Link: https://physics.mit.edu/news/physicists-create-five-lane-superhighway-for-electrons-2/
- MIT physicists and colleagues have created a five-lane superhighway for electrons that could allow ultra-efficient electronics and more.
- The work, reported in the May 10 issue of Science, is one of several important discoveries by the same team over the past year involving a material that is a unique form of graphene.
- “This discovery has direct implications for low-power electronic devices because no energy is lost during the propagation of electrons, which is not the case in regular materials where the electrons are scattered,” says Long Ju, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and corresponding author of the Science paper.
- The phenomenon is akin to cars traveling down an open turnpike as opposed to those moving through neighborhoods. The neighborhood cars can be stopped or slowed by other drivers making abrupt stops or U-turns that disrupt an otherwise smooth commute.
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Story: Researchers have developed a type of flash memory storage that can withstand temperatures higher than the surface of Venus
Source: PC Gamer Story by Nick Evanson
- Time out, first we need this data point: The average temperature on Venus is **864 degrees Fahrenheit** (462 degrees Celsius)
- Modern SSDs are an engineering wonder. They’re extremely fast and very reliable, despite being housed next to massive heat-belching graphics cards in gaming PCs. But like all silicon-based chips, they have limits to how hot they can run before losing data or failing completely. However, two teams of researchers have developed a type of flash memory that’s capable of retaining data at temperatures that make an afternoon on Venus look cold in comparison.
- The details of the work were published in the Nature journal (via Interesting Engineering), though the University of Pennsylvania nicely summarised the findings for those without a background in doctorate-level material science. Two research teams in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, headed by Deep Jariwala and Roy Olsson, dedicated months of work to finding the perfect thickness of ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN), to use as a base material for a flash memory device.
- Everyday flash memory, such as that found in USB memory sticks, SD cards, and SSDs, uses silicon, of course, and it’s pushed to levels that would be unthinkable just a decade ago. The best gaming SSDs hold multiple terabytes of data and can transfer thousands of megabytes in a second. They also last for years, thanks to write endurance levels in the petabyte region.
- However, they do have one significant failing—they’re not very good at dealing with high temperatures. Once above a certain temperature, silicon-based flash cells struggle to retain data and even the very best of them (used in the space industry, for example) fail at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).
- So when Jariwala and Olsson’s teams created a flash memory using AlScN that can withstand up to 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit), you know they had something special on their hands. Not that it was easy to get it right, mind, as the thickness of the AlScN layer had to be just right.
- “If it’s too thin, the increased activity can drive diffusion and degrade a material. If too thick, there goes the ferroelectric switching we were looking for…[s]o, my lab and Roy Olsson’s lab worked together for months to find this Goldilocks thickness,” said Dhiren Pradhan, a post-doctoral researcher in Jariwala’s team