Mitigating the spread of respiratory illnesses: DOD funds research into portable, easy-to-use breath analyzers

Breath analyzers are handheld, rapid testing devices that could transform how the medical community diagnoses diseases and disorders. A new program housed under the U.S. Department of Defense aims to accelerate development of breath analyzers for rapid diagnosis of respiratory illnesses among warfighters. The program has so far provided funding to three different organizations, including ACerS Fellow Perena Gouma’s research group at The Ohio State University.

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Harnessing nature for nano design—glass-coated DNA scaffolds demonstrate potential as lightweight and high-strength materials

In recent decades, researchers have explored using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a scaffold for programmable nanostructures. Now, researchers at Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, and Brookhaven National Laboratory collaborated to show that glass-coated DNA scaffolds have potential as lightweight and high-strength materials.

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Video: Silica, a common food additive, may be chemically reactive

The increasing use of nanoparticles across all sectors has led to some concerns within the food industry, as nanoparticles do not necessarily behave the same way as their larger counterparts. A new study by Stanford University researchers showed that mesoporous silica, a common food additive, can react with key biomolecules, which could lead to increased oxidative stress in the body.

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