SNN - Science News Network

07/15/2025

World’s First Autonomous Surgical Robot Completes Complex Procedure Without making a single mistake

The SRT-H robot, developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, has successfully performed a gallbladder surgery with 100% accuracy and zero human intervention. Trained on surgical videos, the robot can learn and adapt in real-time, enhancing its ability to handle complex procedures. Equipped with machine learning technology similar to ChatGPT, SRT-H responds to voice commands and adjusts based on feedback. While not yet used on human patients, the robot's success in trials points to a future of autonomous surgery with minimal human oversight.
The SRT-H robot is not limited to executing pre-programmed tasks but can respond and learn in real-time, adapting to the unpredictable nature of surgical procedures. Its training involved analyzing videos of surgical operations, enabling it to internalize and replicate the steps involved in a gallbladder removal procedure. During its trials, SRT-H successfully completed the surgery multiple times on a realistic human-like model, closely mimicking the intricacies of human tissue.
At the core of SRT-H's capabilities lies an advanced machine learning architecture, akin to the technology that powers AI systems like ChatGPT. This allows the robot to process voice commands from medical staff, making it a valuable assistant in the operating room. The robot's ability to adjust its actions based on real-time feedback is crucial for addressing unexpected challenges during surgery.
While the SRT-H robot has achieved remarkable success in controlled environments, it is not yet ready for use on actual human patients. The development team envisions a future where SRT-H and similar robots are trained to conduct a wide range of surgeries, further reducing the need for human oversight.






Source: sustainability-times.com

07/14/2025

Solar Desalination System that can also Harvest Lithium From Seawater

Australian researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking desalination technology called thermodiffusive desalination (TDD), which not only purifies water but also efficiently extracts lithium. The Liquid Burgers Cascade (LBC) is an innovative technique that enhances the efficiency of TDD by optimizing heat distribution and reducing reliance on membranes. This method improves water recovery by up to 40 times, paving the way for sustainable resource management.
The LBC system has demonstrated remarkable results in practical applications, with substantial improvements in water recovery and salt reduction. By insulating system components, adjusting temperature distribution, and optimizing flow conditions, the researchers achieved a roughly 40-fold increase in water production and energy efficiency compared to the basic design. This innovative approach not only enhances water recovery but also offers a scalable, energy-efficient pathway toward zero liquid discharge (ZLD).
The development of the thermodiffusive method marks a significant leap forward in both energy efficiency and technological innovation. By utilizing uneven heat distribution and partial thermal insulation, the system conserves energy and reduces corrosion issues commonly associated with desalination. This dual benefit aligns with the growing need for greener solutions in resource extraction and water purification, particularly as global demand for lithium and other valuable minerals continues to rise.
Collaboration between ANU and institutions like the University of Michigan and Rice University highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research in achieving breakthroughs. These partnerships have led to the creation of carbon cloth electrodes that efficiently remove boron from seawater, further advancing chemical-free desalination methods.
As the world grapples with water scarcity and the need for sustainable resource management, technologies like the ANU's thermodiffusive desalination offer hope by addressing the limitations of conventional methods and providing a means to extract valuable resources in a sustainable manner.





Source: Sustainability-times.com

07/13/2025

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Chinese scientists turn carbon dioxide into sugar.

Chinese scientists have discovered a new method to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and fatty acids, potentially addressing environmental issues and fostering a renewable-electricity-driven manufacturing industry. The technique, published in Nature Catalysis, involves a hybrid electro-biosystem that couples carbon dioxide electrolysis with yeast fermentation, converting carbon dioxide into glucose with high yield. The researchers used a nano-structured copper catalyst to catalyze pure acetic acid from carbon dioxide, and genetically engineered yeast to produce glucose in vitro from electro-generated acetic acid. The method also shows potential for producing other products like fatty acids using carbon dioxide. The upcycling of carbon dioxide into value-added products represents a potential solution to environmental issues and a circular economy. The researchers suggest that with an electrolyte reactor and various microorganisms, the future could produce starch, pigment, or medicines. This innovative approach could help create a circular economy and address environmental concerns.





Source: news.cgtn.com

07/13/2025

Black holes explained

Black holes hold unfathomable mysteries, but they are not out to get us. They are not whizzing around the universe looking for galaxies, suns, and planets to devour. Instead, our understanding of the very fundamentals of the universe has been transformed over the past decade by new telescopes and sensors that are letting scientists see more black holes and at every stage of their lives.

The original understanding of how black holes formed was that when a sufficiently large sun reached the end of its life, it could explode into a supernova that then collapses back into a black hole. The matter can collapse down into something only a few miles across, becoming so dense that its gravity is strong enough that nothing, not even light, can escape. This is what is called a stellar mass black hole.

In the past two decades, new types of black holes have been seen and astronomers are beginning to understand how they form. Called supermassive black holes, they have been found at the center of pretty much every galaxy and are a hundred thousand to a billion times the mass of our sun. The original idea was that small black holes formed and then they grew, but there's a timing crunch to explain the monsters seen in the early universe. In 2017, she theorized that these supermassive black holes from the early beginnings happened when galactic gas clouds collapsed directly in on themselves, skipping the star stage entirely and going straight from gas to a massive black hole seed, with a head start, that could then grow.

Black holes don't suck everything into them, as they have such massive gravity that they gobble up stellar gases and anything else that gets too close to them. They have their own gravitational pull, but it isn't infinite. If a human being fell into a black hole, the difference in gravity between their head and toes would be so intense that they would be stretched out and spaghettified.

There's no fear that our sun will become a black hole, as it's not big enough. Lower mass stars burn through their hydrogen to make helium and then start burning helium into carbon. Our sun will eventually expand and envelop the Earth and destroy it, but it won't become a black hole.





Source: usatoday.com

06/21/2025

Metal that can heal itself

In an experiment published in 2023, scientists observed a damaged section of metal healing itself at a nanoscale level. The team from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University tested the resilience of a small piece of platinum suspended in a vacuum using a specialized transmission electron microscope technique to pull the ends of the metal 200 times every second. After about 40 minutes of observation, the crack in the platinum started to fuse back together and mend itself before starting again in a different direction.

The discovery confirms that metals have their own intrinsic, natural ability to heal themselves, at least in the case of fatigue damage at the nanoscale. Although the exact conditions and how this is happening or how we can use it are unknown yet, the difference self-healing metals could make is unimaginable.

This is not wholly unexpected, as in 2013, Texas A&M University materials scientist Michael Demkowicz worked on a study predicting that this kind of nanocrack healing could happen, driven by the tiny crystalline grains inside metals essentially shifting their boundaries in response to stress. Demkowicz also used updated computer models to show that his decade-old theories about metal's self-healing behavior at the nanoscale matched what was happening here.

The automatic mending process happened at room temperature, which is another promising aspect of the research. It remains to be seen whether the same process will happen in conventional metals in a typical environment. A possible explanation involves a process known as cold welding, which occurs under ambient temperatures whenever metal surfaces come close enough together for their respective atoms to tangle together.

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06/19/2025

Scientists Achieve “Impossible” Feat in Quantum Measurement

Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a quantum device that uses cold atoms and lasers to track 3D acceleration. The device, a new kind of atom "interferometer," could eventually improve navigation for submarines, spacecraft, cars, and other vehicles. Traditional atom interferometers can only measure acceleration in a single dimension, but we live within a three-dimensional world. The researchers published their paper in the journal Science Advances and used six lasers, each as thin as a human hair, to trap a cloud of tens of thousands of rubidium atoms. With the help of artificial intelligence, they adjusted the lasers in complex patterns, allowing them to observe how the atoms respond to small accelerations, similar to pressing the gas pedal in a car.

The quantum device is an impressive feat of engineering, as it uses six lasers, each as thin as a human hair, to trap a cloud of tens of thousands of rubidium atoms. With the help of artificial intelligence, they adjust the lasers in complex patterns, allowing them to observe how the atoms respond to small accelerations, similar to pressing the gas pedal in a car. While the quantum device is not yet ready to replace GPS and traditional electronic devices called accelerometers, the researchers see strong potential for atom-based navigation technology.

Interferometers have existed in various forms for centuries and have been used in a wide range of applications, from transmitting information through optical fibers to detecting gravitational waves. In this study, the team achieved the same feat, but with atoms instead of light. The device currently fits on a bench about the size of an air hockey table. One of the secrets to that success comes down to an artificial intelligence technique called machine learning.

So far, the device can only measure accelerations several thousand times smaller than the force of Earth's gravity. The group is continuing to improve its engineering and hopes to increase the performance of its quantum device many times over in the coming years.





Source: scitecvhdaily.com

06/19/2025

Physicists entangle 13,000 nuclear spins, unlocking the power of the 'dark state'

Scientists have discovered a method to link photons and local quantum bits in a single system using quantum dots. By carefully steering atomic nuclear spins, researchers have found a way to store and retrieve quantum information without sacrificing stability or flexibility. Recent experiments with gallium arsenide quantum dots revealed a technique where 13,000 entangled nuclear spins cooperated to form a robust "dark state."

Quantum networks rely on nodes that can send photons and keep data in local storage. The research team applied methods inspired by many-body physics to arrange a collective "dark state" of these nuclei, storing electron-based qubits into the spin register, which retained that data reliably. They reported a storage fidelity of nearly 69% and a measured coherence time that exceeded 130 microseconds for certain operations.

A dark state is a type of entangled arrangement that avoids regular environmental coupling, allowing less information to be lost to external disturbances. This breakthrough is a testament to the power many-body physics can have in transforming quantum devices. By combining advanced feedback loops and carefully tuned magnetic fields, the team significantly improved the performance of quantum dots, highlighting a new path for connecting various quantum components into larger systems.

Devices that distribute entangled particles over long distances need network nodes that can handle photon signals and keep data safe. The gallium arsenide approach may accomplish this by providing a register of multiple nuclear spins for holding onto states as needed.

The success of this experiment depends heavily on the principles of many-body physics, which studies how large numbers of interacting particles behave as a whole. The dark state formed in this experiment gives the system new properties, such as resistance to certain types of noise, and opens the door to scalable designs that treat large atomic ensembles as single programmable units.
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Source: earth.com

06/19/2025

“Jumping Genes” Found Hijacking Cell Division To Rewrite Human DNA

A recent study published in Science Advances reveals that LINE-1, a viral-like genetic element making up 20% of the human genome, can copy itself by exploiting moments during cell division when the nuclear envelope breaks down. LINE-1, short for long interspersed nuclear element 1, is the only one still capable of copying and pasting itself entirely on its own. It works in a clever way, first creating a copy of itself using RNA, the close chemical cousin of DNA. Then, that RNA is converted back into DNA and inserted into a new spot in the genome. This copy-and-paste process is similar to how the retrovirus HIV operates, which is why LINE-1 is known as a retrotransposon.

In this way, retrotransposons add code to the human genome every time they move, which explains why 500,000 LINE-1 repeats now represent a "staggering" 20% of the human genome. These repeats drive genome evolution but can also cause neurological diseases, cancer, and aging when LINE-1 randomly jumps into essential genes or triggers an immune response like a virus to cause inflammation.

To copy itself, LINE-1 must enter each cell's nucleus, the inner barrier that houses DNA. The research team found that LINE-1 RNA takes advantage of these moments, assembling into clusters with one of the two proteins it encodes, ORF1p, to hold tightly to DNA until the nucleus reforms after cell division. The work revealed that LINE-1 can only bind to DNA when ORF1p—which can bind to RNA, DNA, and itself in linked copies called multimers—accumulates into clusters of hundreds of molecules called condensates. As more ORF1p molecules build up, they eventually envelop the LINE-1 RNA, making more binding sites available for the entire cluster to attach to DNA.

The study provides crucial insight into how a genetic element that has come to make up a large part of human DNA can successfully invade the nucleus to copy itself. The work also suggests that the LINE-1 condensate acts as a delivery vehicle to bring its RNA into proximity of the right sequences (rich in the DNA bases adenine and thymine) on DNA where the retrotransposon tends to insert. Packaged in its condensates, LINE-1 is thought to evade mechanisms that exclude large particles from the nucleus during mitosis as a cellular defense against viruses.

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Source: scitechdaily.com

01/15/2024

12/10/2023

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