Gels are soft condensed matter systems consisting of a percolating, solid-like network dispersed within a continuous fluid phase, exhibiting a finite elastic modulus and yield stress despite being predominantly liquid by volume. The network can arise from physical associations (e.g., hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, chain entanglements) or covalent crosslinks between polymer chains, colloidal particles, or other mesoscopic building blocks, producing a mechanically stable, non-flowing structure. Their rheological behavior is characterized by viscoelasticity, with solid-like response at low stresses and flow under higher stresses, and their properties depend sensitively on crosslink density, microstructure, and solvent quality.
Cell cultures—single layers of cells grown in a small dish—have enabled researchers to study biological growth, develop or test drugs and even discover what causes some diseases. Cell spheroids, 3D versions of cell cultures ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 6, 2026
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8
For decades, lab-grown cells have been studied in materials that don't reflect the softness and flexibility of human tissue. Now researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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12
Swallowing is a fundamental human function that supports nutrition and communication. Damage to swallowing muscles can reduce quality of life and even lead to aspiration pneumonia or malnutrition. Many patients suffer from ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 11, 2026
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18
How do biological cells join forces to form a structure? In her Ph.D. research, Daphne Nesenberend uses mathematics to show how forces and cooperation between cells create structure—and how simulations and experiments can ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 5, 2026
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13
A stretchy, conductive type of plastic could help power the next generation of implantable biomedical devices, like longer-lasting pacemakers or glucose monitors, according to Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 23, 2026
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18
Polymer micelles are tiny, self-assembled particles that are revolutionizing the landscape of drug delivery and nanomedicine. They form when polymer chains containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments organize into ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 9, 2026
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16
Each year, bacterial infections are responsible for roughly 7.7 million deaths worldwide, with this problem further exacerbated by rising antibiotic resistance. Not only are wound infections increasingly difficult to treat, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 3, 2026
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14
Researchers at the University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are collaborating on a new way to dry non-aggregated cellulose nanofiber—a material that could replace ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 31, 2026
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45
The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can't just neatly glide past each other.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 31, 2026
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105
Researchers have developed a new class of ultra-thin, flexible bioelectronic material that can seamlessly interface with living tissues. They introduced a novel device called THIN (transformable and imperceptible hydrogel-elastomer ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 10, 2025
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