RNA-DNA Hybrids: Diagnosis and Transcriptomics
RNA-DNA Hybrids Diagnosis and Transcriptomics Imagine you find a very nice cooking recipe online and you want to replicate it. You print it out and head to the kitchen. But when you get there, you realize that some of the steps have been printed several times. You begin to prepare the dish, but the repeated […]
Solar batteries â Catching sunlight in a jar
Solar Batteries â Catching Sunlight in a Jar In 1752, Benjamin Franklin attempted to catch lightning in a bottle with a kite, a key, and a Leyden jar. Whilst it wasnât his purpose with these experiments, he would have been able to experience first-hand the difficulties in storing electrical energy in a jar. 270 years […]
The ultimate smart device: the Brain
The Ultimate Smart Device the Brain Science Communication in Media Smart devices and technologies surround us more than we are aware. From face recognition smartphones to consumer preference cookies, we produce data at every technological interaction. To give one example, operating the engines for a two-jet plane on a 24h journey can produce as much […]
Combining holograms to make devices
Combining Holograms to Make Devices Holography is a technique used to generate images that look like 3D objects. These images (also called holograms) give a perception of depth through interaction of waves of light beams. Over the years people have used holography in numerous fields, from making art and museum exhibits to environments of augmented […]
Magnesium – the rising plasmonic
Magnesium – the Rising Plasmonic Plasmonic nanomaterials have the unique ability to sustain collective oscillations of electrons when they interact with light. This property can be utilised in many different applications ranging from sensing to photothermal cancer treatment. Traditionally, Au and Ag have been the dominant plasmonic metals studied in this field, and there is […]
Multispectral cameras for detecting early cancer
Multispectral Cameras for Detecting Early Cancer In my PhD, I make multispectral cameras for detecting early cancer and pre-cancerous disease in Barrettâs Oesophagus. Barrettâs Oesophagus is a largely benign condition impacting up to 1 in 15 people. Barrettâs occurs when repeated stomach acid reflux causes the usually smooth lining of the lower food-pipe becomes bumpy […]
Observing biological systems in 3D
Observing Biological Systems in 3D Since its invention in the 1600s, the microscope has enabled scientists to study biological systems previously invisible to understand structure and function. Fluorescence microscopy is a non-invasive and gentle technique that involves âtaggingâ biological molecules of interest with fluorescent dyes (ranging from fluorescent proteins to chemically designed organic dyes) and […]
Designing and Understanding Microbes in Energy-Conversion Systems
Designing and Understanding Microbes in Energy-Conversion Systems Microbes are the hidden heroes of our Earth, populating the dirt, the oceans, our skin, and more. Some microbes specialize in breaking things down, like the bacteria that cause food to decay over time. Others specialize in building- creating the fundamental building blocks of life. A special class […]
Detection efficiency of mid-infrared light
Detection Efficiency of Mid-Infrared Light The world around us shines with light of all different colours â some visible, some invisible to the human eye. Light is an oscillation in the electromagnetic field, and the length-scale of that oscillation determines the lightâs wavelength, which, in turn, determines how that light behaves or how it can […]
Folding DNA to trap light at the nanoscale
Folding DNA to Trap Light at the Nanoscale Over the past century, the invention of antennas has revolutionised the way our society works. From giant telescopes that allow us to observe the universe of many light-years ago, to the simple TV devices or cellular phones, we are now able to communicate with objects that are […]