SciTech #ScienceSunday
Digest - 44/2016.Permalink here: http://www.scitechdigest.net/2016/10/evolved-metamaterial-lenses-machine.htmlEvolved metamaterial lenses, Machine learning encryption explanations, Tank & drone tech, Multiple virus vaccine, Low power transistors, Printed heart on chip, Metallic DNA, Doubly effective immunotherapy, Machine controlled bacteria, 3D printed magnets. 1. Achromatic Lenses from Evolutionary AlgorithmsTwo-dimensional structured metasurfaces show great promise for high resolution imaging, holography, and other applications but suffer from chromatic aberration in which the focus shifts depending on the wavelength. A new approach encodes the desired optical properties as a fitness function and successfully uses evolutionary algorithms to find the structure with the optimised fitness value
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=44932.php. This resulted in the creation of achromatic two dimensional lattice lenses able to focus three distinct wavelengths by utilising the plasmonic properties of different sized and shaped gold nanoparticles arranged in a precise pattern. This provides a pathway to broadband achromatic lenses. Meanwhile metamaterials are paving the way to terahertz technologies
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/new-metamaterial-paves-way-for-terahertz-technologies and cool new acoustic holograms
http://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/acoustic-hologram.
2. Machine Learning Encryption & ExplanationFirst, Google’s deep learning systems have invented basic cryptographic algorithms from scratch, able to send and receive encrypted messages
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2110522-googles-neural-networks-invent-their-own-encryption/. One wonders how strong machine learning cryptography might get and whether we’ll see this rolled out to broader if it surpasses our current efforts. As usual the group doesn’t know exactly how the encryption method works or how the network achieves the result. In light of this we have related news in which a new training method for deep learning that results not only in the predictions and classifications desired but also the rationale or explanation for how the network achieves this
http://news.mit.edu/2016/making-computers-explain-themselves-machine-learning-1028. This will be particularly useful for validation in medical and other fields.
3. Tank, Drone, and Gun ImprovementsSome interesting military technological advances this week. First, a new active protection system carried by tanks can intercept depleted uranium armour-piercing shells
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/10/russia-claims-active-protection-system.html, which is considered a game-changing development. Second, DARPA and the Pentagon’s autonomous military drone program is progressing with autonomous drones able to distinguish between combatants carrying weapons and unarmed civilians
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/us/pentagon-artificial-intelligence-terminator.html?_r=2. Third, a new smart-rifle provides aim-stabilised, target-correction performance to completely remove and compensate for human error
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a23505/the-us-army-stabilized-weapons/.
4. Multiple Cold-Virus VaccineA new type of vaccine for rhinoviruses, combatting the common cold, has shown promising results in mice and monkey studies
http://www.news.emory.edu/stories/2016/09/moore_rhinovirus_vaccine_natcomm/index.html. The sheer diversity of over 100 different rhinoviruses has hindered the development of any effective vaccine, but the new approach combines up to 50 different variants and successfully induced the production of antibodies against all 50 variants in the animals that were challenged. Stage 1 human volunteer studies will be needed next and the group believes that launching an effective all-purpose cold vaccine is now an engineering challenge related to manufacturing.
5. Low Power Transistors and Infinitesimal ComputingThere were a couple of interesting fundamental computing advances this week. First, a new type of transistor has been created that can scavenge energy from the environment and harness tiny current leakage to function with ultra-low power for applications in which energy is more important than speed
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/engineers-design-ultralow-power-transistors-that-could-function-for-years-without-a-battery. Second, researchers have designed what they refer to as an “infinitesimal” computing element, involving stacked memristors in a 50nm by 50nm by 50nm volume form a functional 8-bit adder in a nanoscale computing element
http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/017349/tiny-machine.
6. 3D Printed Heart-On-ChipThe field of human-organs-on-microfluidic chips takes another step with the development of the first completely 3D printed heart on a chip with integrated sensing components
https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2016/10/3d-printed-heart-on-chip-with-integrated-sensors. The advance utilised 6 new “inks” that integrated soft strain sensors within the structure of the tissue, while the prototype chips include multiple compartments with separate cardiac tissues that were tested via drug-effect studies and contractile stress changes. Such tools will help to shorten drug development, animal, and human trials in future and hopefully allow therapeutics to be made available much quicker.
7. Creating Metallic DNAA new chemical reaction has been developed that replaces one of the hydrogen bonds between the DNA bases adenine and thymine with a silver atom
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=44930.php. The structure and properties of the DNA molecule otherwise remain unchanged and still undergo the same dynamics. However, this change greatly improves the stability of the molecule, for example, by significantly boosting the melting point or temperature sensitivity. You could form various DNA origami structures, such as the nanomachines and other blocks that have been demonstrated, then replace these bonds in this way to boost stability, strength, and improve the electrical conduction properties. The group are working on doing the same with the other base-binding of interest between guanine and cytosine to further boost performance.
8. Doubly Effective ImmunotherapyA new therapeutic treatment effectively induces both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system to combat and destroy cancers and tumours
http://news.mit.edu/2016/fighting-cancer-power-immunity-1024. This treatment, effective in mice, used an antibody targeted to the tumour of interest, a vaccine targeted to the tumour of interest, interleukin 2 (IL2), and programmed cell death molecule 1(PD1). The antibody recruits more immune cells, the vaccine stimulates T cell proliferation, the IL2 promotes T cell expansion, and PD1 prolongs T cell activity. In 75% of mice all large tumours were completely eliminated and any new cancer cells reintroduced 6 months later were completely cleared.
9. Machine Controlled BacteriaA new system precisely controls the growth of genetically engineered bacteria placed within it and can ramp this up or down as required by adjusting the light exposure
https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2016/10/cyborg-bacteria.html. The bacteria are engineered to respond to red and green light in different ways and the system measures bacterial cell density to ensure growth and concentration are kept at the desired level indefinitely (assuming nutrients are added) regardless of other environmental influences. This might find application in bioreactors for example, especially if additional levers are present such as differently modified cells or pathways, in order to control the production of more complex molecules.
10. 3D Printed MagnetsNew inks comprising magnetic micro granules suspended in polymers have enabled 3D printers to produce custom magnets for the first time
http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/gadget/newsid=44907.php. In this case the desired shape is printed, allowed to solidify, and then a powerful external magnet is used to set the orientation and strength of the magnetic field. Prototype magnets 90% magnet material and 10% polymer. I wonder how strong a magnetic force the polymer can withstand before the magnetic field threatens to break the grains apart or flip their rotations. Regardless there are still plenty of applications here from custom shaped magnet architectures that might otherwise not be able to be manufactured, as well as gradient or otherwise patterned magnetic fields from concentration and spacing of the granules.
Bonus: I found this proposed theoretical design for a room temperature superconductor based on units comprising a helium atom encased by a C60 fullerene molecule too interesting not to share
http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2016/10/helium-encased-in-carbon-fullerene.html.
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