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Australia
(UNSW)
The smart sensor is cheap and can be printed from an ordinary inkjet printer using special ink made from food dye and titanium dioxide — the active ingredient in many sunscreens.Like dog poo baking in the Australian sun, the sensor will turn white when it is cooked.”It’s smart because when UV light hits the piece of paper, the ink loses its colour,” Professor Gooding said.Variations of the slap-on sticker can be made that take into account skin tone and whether you have put on sunscreen.Professor Gooding said he hoped the sensor would make it to store shelves in the next year or two.Dragonfly wings can kill even antibiotic-resistant bacteria
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Dragonfly wings physically kill bacteria with tiny spikes. (Flickr: Virginia Sanderson)
Normally when you think about killing bacteria you think about attacking them with a chemical.But researchers at Swinburne University of Technology have discovered the surface of dragonfly and cicada wings will physically self-sterilise, with no chemicals necessary. (Supplied: ACES)
Surgeons will use the Biopen and its ink of living cells and growth factors to fill in damaged bone during surgery, giving them great control and precision.The stem cells are encased in gel when dispensed and an ultraviolet light on the pen hardens the “hydrogel” ink.It is being tested on sheep at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, where stem cells are delivered directly to a knee to regrow damaged cartilage.So far the testing is showing better results than any current treatment used on humans.”Although we have used this primarily for cartilage, we can already see how this can be used in a variety of other clinical situations,” St Vincent’s Hospital orthopaedic surgeon Professor Peter Choong said.Dialysis for just a few dollars a day with mini machine
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The Affordable Dialysis System dramatically cuts the cost of treatment. (ABC News)
Operation Crayweed started more than five years ago and sought the help of volunteer citizen scientists to replant the seaweed in affected areas from Palm Beach to Botany Bay.The crayweed is installed on the reef floor in specially designed mats, and in just months new generations of the seaweed were sprouting and rejuvenating the coastline.Biopen doodles could erase arthritis
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Professor Peter Choong says repairing cartilage is just the beginning for the Biopen. (Supplied: John Turnbull, Marine Explorer.)
Pollution, including sewage being pumped into the ocean off areas including Bondi Beach, is thought to have killed off a huge 70-kilometre stretch of underwater seaweed forests.The crayweed, which supported lobsters and abalone, disappeared and even an improvement in water quality in the 1990s could not bring back what was lost.So scientists at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science at UNSW decided they would do a large-scale transplant of the underwater forest. Photo:
The Biopen writes in a “hydrogel” ink. (Supplied: St Vincent’s Hospital)
Doctors might not be famous for their legible writing, but their penmanship will soon be put to the test repairing damaged or diseased bone during orthopaedic implant surgery.A team of scientists from Wollongong working with doctors in Melbourne have made a pen-like handheld 3D printer that can deliver stem cells right to where they need to go. (Supplied: Swinburne University of Technology)
They do that with tiny spikes called nanopillars that catch, stretch and rupture the bacteria.Scientists hope a new generation of nanotextured material based off the wings can provide an antibacterial surface for medical implants that will physically stop and kill bacteria.Swinburne researcher Professor Elena Ivanova said the new surfaces had exciting potential in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”Because this is a mechanical process it’s less likely that the bacteria will be able to develop resistance to this material,” she said.Balding Sydney coastline gets transplant
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Crayweed is planted onto mats that are distributed along the coastline. Photo:
The UNSW invention fades in colour after sun exposure. It’s awe-inspiring, it’s a shocking thought,” Mr Garvey said.It is being heralded by the institute as the first major leap forward in dialysis design in more than 50 years. Video: Scientists say underwater seaweed forests along Sydney's coastline have made a remarkable recovery. From new ways to protect us from sunburn to a stem cell pen for surgeons, 45 finalists with groundbreaking projects are vying for one of Australia’s top science prizes.Tonight the Australian Museum Eureka Prize will be awarded across 15 categories.Until then, check out some of the best entrants on the frontier of Australian research.Smart sun sensor lets you know when you’re cooked
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The stick-on sensor will fade to white when you’ve had too much sun. (UNSW/Grant Turner – Mediakoo)
Where else but this sunburnt country would scientists invent a sticker that changes colour when you have had too much sun.Professor Justin Gooding, Dr Parisa Khiabani and Dr Alexander Soeriyadi from the University of NSW created the simple sensor to alert people they need to get under shade or slap on more sunscreen. (The George Institute)
If you have kidney disease, you will find it can cost more than $50,000 a year to undergo dialysis.This creates a massive burden on many people and locks out millions worldwide who simply cannot afford the life-saving treatment.But a new portable invention can reduce that cost to just $1,000.UK engineer Vincent Garvey won a worldwide competition set up by Australia’s George Institute for Global Health to create an affordable dialysis machine.The winning entry is solar powered and miniaturises existing technology to fit the whole thing inside a suitcase.The Affordable Dialysis System uses the sun to power a small distiller capable of purifying water for use in the machine.It is a perfect design for use in remote locations where sunshine is plentiful but sterilised water is not.”We’re presented with an opportunity where you can save millions of lives. Photo:
A surface covered in nanopillars will bust bacteria.
By Daniel Miller
Updated
August 30, 2017 16:17:30