(Phys.org) —Metamaterials are defined as artificial materials that have been engineered to have unusual properties that are not found in nature. For instance, ordinary materials (say, a rubber band) that are under tension ...
MIT engineers have developed a microfluidic device that replicates the neuromuscular junction—the vital connection where nerve meets muscle. The device, about the size of a U.S. quarter, contains a single muscle strip and ...
Engineering
Aug 3, 2016
0
1886
Self-repair is extremely important for living things. Get a cut on your finger and your skin can make new cells to heal the wound; lose your tail—if you are a particular kind of lizard—and tissue regeneration may produce ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 16, 2015
0
1169
(Phys.org) —Two researchers from Japan's Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute have found evidence that bees share a wing muscle contraction mechanism with vertebrates by using X-rays and high speed cameras. In their ...
A key building block of life, actin is one of the most abundant and highly conserved proteins in eukaryotic cells.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 24, 2013
0
0
(Phys.org) -- Mammals produce sounds in two ways, either via the flow of air over vocal folds (vocal chords), as in humans and many other mammals, or via active muscular contractions as in the cat’s purr. Until now no ...
Researchers have shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying hibernation, publishing their findings today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife.
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2024
0
976
Tiny things matter—for instance, one amino acid can completely alter the architecture of the cell. Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Warwick investigated the structure and mechanics of the main component ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 22, 2023
0
68
Mitochondria in human and mammalian cells are maintained at around 52 ºC, significantly warmer than the cell's external environment. A new study shows that even under external metabolic stresses, mitochondrial metabolism ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 19, 2023
1
65
A recent investigation led by voice scientist Christian T. Herbst from the University of Vienna, published in Current Biology, delivers novel insights into how cats produce their purring sounds. A special "pad" embedded in ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 4, 2023
0
23
