Laboratory paths: teeth from a test tube and magnets from rare earths
British scientists have developed an innovative method of growing teeth in the laboratory using patient cells. Russia will produce magnetic materials with rare earth elements using 3D printing. Domestic farmers will be able to fight the main enemy of greenhouse crops, the spider mite, with the help of DNA preparations. These and other studies are described in a selection of the most interesting scientific news prepared by Izvestia.
The Russian Federation has created a technology for printing magnets from rare earth metals
Researchers from the Ural Federal University and the Institute of Metal Physics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a technology for the production of magnetic materials with rare earth elements using 3D printing.
— At this stage, scientists are investigating magnetic effects at the nanometer level. In turn, 3D printing makes it possible to achieve manufacturing accuracy of several microns. Controlling magnetic fields on such a scale makes it possible to achieve completely new energy performance of electromagnetic devices. At the same time, efficiency losses are reduced by reducing eddy currents during operation," Alexey Dubh, first deputy director of the private institution Science and Innovation (part of the Rosatom State Corporation), told Izvestia.
Using the proposed method, experts produce magnets based on neodymium and iron, and through the addition of rare earth elements, they achieve improved properties. For example, when praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium are turned on, a material is obtained that can withstand 200 degrees, and impurities of samarium and cobalt allow products to function at 550 degrees.
DNA is a drug for the main enemy of greenhouse crops
Novosibirsk State Agrarian University and Vernadsky Crimean Federal University have developed a combined drug based on DNA technologies that reduces the number of spider mites by seven times, reduces its reproduction by 80% and does not pollute the environment.
This small arthropod affects more than 200 plant species, leading to their wilting, so the proposed method will help protect greenhouse vegetables, field crops, garden and ornamental plants. According to research, it kills up to 50% of greenhouse crops in Russia every year.
The ability of the spider mite to adapt to chemical pesticides due to its short life cycle and high reproduction rate makes traditional plant protection products less effective. Therefore, new drugs are needed in agriculture to control the number of pests.
— Our development opens a new biorational way for plant protection. In the future, we plan to adapt the method for other pests by studying its effect at various stages of their life cycle," said Ivan Dubovsky, head of the Research Center for Biological Plant Protection at Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, head of the project supported by the Russian National Science Foundation grant.
Lithograph for printing artificial organs
MIPT scientists have developed a unique domestic lithograph for creating three-dimensional microstructures with a size of up to 150 elements and a resolution of 350 nanometers. Using the device, you can print the smallest mechanical devices or frameworks for growing artificial biological organs with the desired geometry.
— To grow bioengineered objects, such as artificial organs, a skeleton system is first produced, on which cells capable of forming tissue are already applied. A special biocompatible polymer is used to produce the frame. Due to this design, we can arrange cells in a certain way so that they can better interact with proteins or other cells. This is important for growing various biological structures," said Danila Kolymagin, chief designer of the project and head of the Optical Lithography Design Bureau.
You can also use a lithograph to create miniature filters that can separate one cell from another. Thus, it is possible to isolate various components in biological substances or to separate healthy and diseased cells. During one of the experiments, experts studied how membranes of various shapes can pass and delay human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293).
The "glamorous" female flight
Six women went on a flight as part of the 31st mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital spacecraft. Among them are the fiancee of Jeff Bezos founder Lauren Sanchez and singer Katy Perry. The launch, which was described in the press as glamorous, was a success. The crew spent just over ten minutes in flight and made a successful landing.
During the flight, the participants experienced several minutes of weightlessness and were able to observe the Earth against the blackness of space.
Before the flight, the company noted that this launch would be the first space launch with an all-female crew since the flight of Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in 1963.
— I believe that this mission is needed more to keep Blue Origin on the space tourism agenda. It has a marketing meaning. Plus, perhaps the mission includes working out technical solutions. In general, it is not new — the flight to the Karman line was completed more than 60 years ago," said Anton Alekseev, CEO of the Novy Kosmos Aerospace Corporation, market expert at the Aeronet National Technology Initiative.
Scientists have grown human teeth in the laboratory
Researchers from King's College London, together with Imperial College London, have developed an innovative method of growing teeth in the laboratory using patient cells.
Scientists have invented a material that mimics the environment necessary for tooth development, which allows cells to send signals and begin tooth formation. At the same time, the study emphasizes that, unlike implants and fillings, a tooth grown from patient cells can integrate into the human jaw and be restored.
The next stage of research is the development of methods for transplanting grown teeth into the patient's oral cavity.
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