Plasticisers impair normal brain function in vertebrates

"This is a factor that must be taken into account in future risk assessments of these substances"

25-Oct-2024 - Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have discovered that the plasticisers DEHP and DINP have negative effects on normal brain function in vertebrates. These plasticisers are used in products such as PVC, paints, and cosmetics. The researchers reported their findings in the journal ...

PFAS reduce the activity of immune cells

A study demonstrates immune-modifying effect using a new method

21-Jul-2023 - Because they are persistant, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are also known as "chemicals for eternety". They can lead to liver damage, thyroid disorders, obesity, hormonal disorders, and cancer. A team of researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has now ...

Creating 3D objects with sound

Scientists introduce a new technology to assemble matter in 3D using sound waves for 3D printing

14-Feb-2023 - Scientists from the Micro, Nano and Molecular Systems Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials at Heidelberg University have created a new technology to assemble matter in 3D. Their concept uses multiple ...

Synapses as a model: solid-state memory in neuromorphic circuits

Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich publish guide for memristor hardware design

17-Aug-2022 - They are many times faster than flash memory and require significantly less energy: memristive memory cells could revolutionize the energy efficiency of neuromorphic computers. In these computers, which are modeled on the way the human brain works, memristive cells function like artificial ...

How do cells react to micro- and nanoplastics?

Plastic particles could also bind potentially harmful substances to themselves and introduce them into the cell as a "Trojan horse"

13-Jul-2022 - The smaller plastic particles are, the more easily they can be taken up by cells. In addition, the shape, surface and chemical properties play an important role in answering the question of how the particles could affect human tissue. This is the result of a study by researchers at the German ...

Soft matter on new ways to self-organization

The groove of the self-organized active nematic ribbon

29-Sep-2020 - Nematic materials, such as the liquid crystals in our displays, contain molecules that align themselves in parallel. When they are constructed from microtubules and kinesins, materials found in our cells, they become active and move and deform without the supply of energy from the outside. In a ...

Artificial Synapses Made from Nanowires

07-Dec-2018 - Scientists from Jülich together with colleagues from Aachen and Turin have produced a memristive element made from nanowires that functions in much the same way as a biological nerve cell. The component is able to both save and process information, as well as receive numerous signals in parallel. ...

New Processes in Modern ReRAM Memory Cells Decoded

30-Sep-2015 - Resistive memory cells or ReRAMs for short are deemed to be the new super information-storage solution of the future. At present, two basic concepts are being pursued, which, up to now, were associated with different types of active ions. But this is not quite correct, as Jülich researchers ...

Adhesion at 180,000 frames per second

Scientists of Kiel University unravel widespread natural adhesion system

16-Oct-2013 - Adhesion is an extremely important factor in living nature: insects can climb up walls, plants can twine up them, and cells are able to adhere to surfaces. During evolution, many of them developed mushroom-shaped adhesive structures and organs. Lars Heepe and his colleagues at Kiel University ...

Battery and memory device in one

Future nanoelectronic information storage devices are also tiny batteries – astounding finding opens up new possibilities

25-Apr-2013 - Resistive memory cells (ReRAM) are regarded as a promising solution for future generations of computer memories. They will dramatically reduce the energy consumption of modern IT systems while significantly increasing their performance. Unlike the building blocks of conventional hard disk drives ...