Miracles in science: a micromotor, a digital cornea and the "yo-yo" effect in obesity

Researchers from the Swiss Higher Technical School in Zurich have found out that the so-called "yo-yo" effect, when a person regains excess weight, is related to the memory of fat cells. And NASA specialists have developed and tested an enlarged prototype of an underwater robot designed to search for life in the subglacial oceans of the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. About this, as well as about bacteria-long-livers on the ISS, the smallest engine in the world and digital cornea of the eye read in the rating of science news for the week, prepared by "Izvestia".

Scientists found spores of microbes-long-lived on the ISS

Scientists have studied samples of the liquid that serves for heat transfer in the isolated thermoregulation system of the Russian segment of the ISS. In the studied samples were found viable bacteria, which spent about 25 years in a closed loop - since the station was put into operation. The experiment showed that the microorganisms delivered to Earth adapted to space radiation and 100-1000 times better tolerate gamma radiation exposure than similar "ground" strains. Specialists expect to use resistant bacterial cultures as model objects to study the possibilities of survival of organisms in space.

- During the analysis, endospores were detected in the liquid. This is a protective form into which bacteria transform under unfavorable external conditions. In particular, they get rid of most of the water molecules, reduce in volume, form a complex system of coverings and stop all processes of vital activity. In this form, microorganisms can be preserved for a long time. Perhaps the ability to form spores allowed bacteria to survive in the triole on the ISS. After delivery of samples in laboratory conditions bacteria were activated, which confirmed their viability, - told "Izvestia" researcher of the laboratory "Microbiology of habitat and antimicrobial defense" IMBP RAS Alexander Guridov.

Photo: provided by Alexander Guridov

At the same time, he noted, an important factor that limits the ability of organisms to exist in space is a strong radiation background. Therefore, in the course of the analysis, experts irradiated the obtained cultures with strong gamma radiation. Control groups of strains were subjected to the same effect. The latter were isolated from the reagent, which was stored on Earth at the manufacturer's plant.

The smallest engine in the world

Specialists of SIC "Kurchatov Institute" for the first time in the world have developed a micromotor of internal combustion as thick as a human hair. The device is capable of propelling objects 1 thousand times its mass. Salt water is used as fuel, which is converted into gas with the help of electricity. Then in the chamber of the engine there is a reaction of combustion of hydrogen and an explosion, which pushes the membrane, which acts as a piston. After that, the gas turns into a liquid again, and the operation is repeated.

Photo: from the personal archive of Ilya Uvarov

According to the developers, scientists have long been working on reducing the size of internal combustion engines, but as the volume of the chamber decreases, the combustion reaction begins to go out due to increasing heat losses. Now it has been possible to overcome this fundamental difficulty and realize the combustion reaction in a small volume.

- We produce hydrogen and oxygen from water by electrolysis. The bubbles expand and push the membrane, this principle is not new. It is important to remove the gas quickly, so that the actuator is triggered repeatedly, only then this engine can fully function, - said a senior researcher at the Yaroslavl branch of the K.A. Valiev Institute of Physics and Technology (from 2023 - as part of SIC "Kurchatov Institute") Ilya Uvarov.

Long-standing controversy: long-lived microbial forms found on ISS

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A digital twin of the eye cornea has been developed in the Russian Federation.

Application of a digital twin of the eye cornea, developed in Volgograd by a team of researchers, has made it possible to increase the efficiency of keratoconus surgeries by up to 30% by increasing the accuracy of impact on the cornea. The digital corneal twin is used to predict the result of surgical treatment of keratoconus, as well as its personalization. The difference of the method from the standard ones is that the impact is carried out precisely on the area of keratoconus without affecting the entire shell. The mathematical model allows to detect weakened zones, determine their size and position. The approach has received a patent for invention and is used in the Volgograd branch of the ISTC "Eye Microsurgery".

Photo: Izvestia/Alexander Kazakov

"We, together with the staff of the technical university, have developed a digital twin of the cornea - a computer model in which it is possible to enter various parameters of impact on the cornea, predict and analyze the expected effect. This enables the doctor to choose and change the conditions of surgery to maximize the result. We can evaluate the effectiveness of the surgery in terms of visual acuity improvement, corneal strength, and changes in corneal curvature. The increase in the effectiveness of personalized approaches to keratoconus treatment compared to standard methods is about 30%, which is confirmed clinically," Elena Solodkova, acting director of the Volgograd branch of the Fedorov Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Scientific and Technical Complex (ISTC) told TASS Ministry of Health Elena Solodkova.

Underwater robot to search for life in space

NASA engineers have developed and tested an enlarged prototype of an underwater robot designed to search for life in the subglacial oceans of Jupiter and Saturn satellites as part of the SWIM project. The current version of the robot has two water propellers, a 3D printed wedge-shaped body 42 cm long and a mass of 2.3 kg. The prototype has been successfully tested in a swimming pool. It is planned that the final version of the robot will be three times smaller, while launching them in a swarm of multiple units.

Photo: REUTERS/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cover Images via Reuters Connect

In the future they are going to reduce the size of the robot about three times - the length will be about 12 cm. The robots will be equipped with miniaturized components and an underwater acoustic communication system for data transmission and location determination by triangulation. In addition, each robot will carry a miniature multifunctional sensor developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology . It will be able to simultaneously measure temperature, pressure, acidity, conductivity and water chemistry.

Current tests are being conducted in a 25-meter pool at the California Institute of Technology. The robot has already demonstrated the ability to autonomously maneuver, maintain and correct course, and follow a predetermined route.

Fat cells have memory

Fat cells have an epigenetic memory of obesity. Researchers from the Swiss Graduate School of Technology in Zurich have found that this is the so-called "yo-yo" effect. This is a phenomenon in which the kilograms lost during dieting come back.

It turned out that fat cells remember the state of obesity at the level of epigenetic markers that persist even after weight loss. This increases the likelihood of re-gaining weight. Scientists believe that preventing obesity, especially in youth, is the key to preventing the "yo-yo" effect, since it is not yet possible to erase the epigenetic memory.

Photo: Global Look Press/IMAGO/Zoonar.com/Sirijit Jongcha

"It's not the patient's fault," emphasized study co-author Laura Hintze, noting the need for long-term medical follow-up for people losing weight.

The discovery could significantly influence approaches to obesity treatment and emphasizes the importance of obesity prevention.