Articles Archives

Physical Sciences

Unifying quantum mechanics with Einstein’s general relativity

The quantum nature of gravity is an enigma which has eluded even the brightest of physicists for many decades. Now, Dr Norma G. Sanchez at the French CNRS LERMA Observatory of Paris-PSL Sorbonne Université describes a possible solution. Her approach takes the form of a general theory, incorporating both quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of general relativity. If correct, her […]

Health & Medicine

New therapy offers hope for wound healing in severely burned patients

Serious burns are difficult to treat and can cause many complications. A common treatment for these injuries is a split-thickness skin graft, where a thin layer of healthy skin is taken from elsewhere on the patient’s body, meshed and transplanted onto the wound bed. Unfortunately, this type of treatment can lead to graft failure, contracture and scarring. PolarityTE, Inc., a biotechnology […]

Health & Medicine

Setting the gold standard in care for acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis, which causes severe upper abdominal pain, is one of the leading gastrointestinal causes of hospitalisation. Dr Paul Tarnasky and his colleagues at the Methodist Digestive Institute, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Dallas, USA, are aiming to reach the highest standards in quality of care for pancreatitis patients. The team has designed a new, streamlined protocol for diagnosis of the […]

Health & Medicine

Preventing aluminium oxide contamination of dental implant surfaces

When a dental implant is inserted, the speed at which it integrates into the surrounding bone and tissue, known as osseointegration, is key to its eventual success. Treating the surface of implants to make them rougher helps this process. However, contaminants from this surface modification process can remain on the implant. A study carried out by Dr Peter Schupbach who […]

Earth & Environment

New technology for earthquake prediction: Nankai Trough, Japan

Dr Yusuke Yokota and colleagues at the University of Tokyo are developing so-called GNSS-A technology, which combines satellite positioning technology (GNSS) and acoustic positioning technology (A) to create precise observations of the seafloor position. This has significantly contributed to seismology and earthquake disaster prevention. Dr Yokota is currently focusing on observing so-called slow slip events in which there is a […]

Behavioural Sciences

In search of the perfect leader: Selecting the next CEO

On most days of the week, the business news will carry a story of at least one Fortune 500 CEO leaving their role; some for the next big role in a gilded career, others less willingly leaving behind the pay and the perks, and thinking about how to make the most of a less than stellar track record. For the […]

Physical Sciences

Insights into the complex world of amorphous solids

Solid materials come in many different varieties, from highly rigid, ordered crystalline materials to the more slippery, irregular world of amorphous solids. While we have good theories for understanding the properties and behaviour of crystalline materials, the disorder in the structure of amorphous solids makes their fundamental physics complicated to understand. However, Professor Hideyuki Mizuno at the University of Tokyo […]

Earth & Environment

Water and planetary health: Protecting the lifeblood of human civilisation

Water is the lifeblood of planetary health and human civilisation. As a critical source of fresh water, rivers underpin civilisations, past and present. However, rivers constantly change in response to environmental and human pressures. Protecting global river systems from climate change and other anthropogenic activities (e.g., mining, pollution, dam construction), and understanding the interactions with human health (e.g., through the […]

Biology

Could functional oils solve the antibiotic resistance problem?

Antibiotics have traditionally been used to control disease in farmed animals, such as broiler chickens and cattle. However, with the rise in antibiotic resistance, many countries have banned the use of antibiotics in this way. Dr Joan Torrent and his colleagues at Oligo Basics, of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil, are investigating novel alternatives to antibiotics. They are focusing their efforts on plant-derived functional […]

Engineering & Technology

How Industry 4.0 affects SMEs in Germany and China

The world has experienced three industrial revolutions in 250 years. Each has radically changed both manufacturing processes and our working and daily lives. Now we are on the threshold of a fourth, the digitally enabled and interconnected “Industry 4.0” whose impact could be even greater still. Professor Dr Julian Müller, from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Austria, studied small […]