A convenient aggregation of breakthrough discoveries and research headlines from the Big Ten Academic Alliance member universities.
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January 18, 2019
Northwestern University
Northwestern University researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind technique for creating entirely new classes of optical materials and devices that could lead to light bending and cloaking devices -- news to make the ears of Star Trek’s Spock perk up. Using DNA as a key tool, the scientists took gold nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes and arranged them in two and three dimensions to form optically active superlattices. The structures could be programmed to exhibit almost any color across the visible spectrum.
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more about: New method uses DNA, gold nanoparticles and top-down lithography to fabricate optically active structures
Contact:
Megan Fellman,
847-491-3115,
fellman@northwestern.edu
May 29, 2018
Purdue University
Steelhead trout, a member of the salmon family that live and grow in the Pacific Ocean, genetically adapted to the freshwater environment of Lake Michigan in less than 120 years. The steelhead introduced into Lake Michigan continue to spawn in small freshwater tributaries and streams, but now treat the entirely freshwater habitat of the Great Lakes as a surrogate ocean.
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more about: Ocean-migrating trout adapt to freshwater environment in 120 years
Contact:
Kayla Zacharias,
765-494-9318,
kzachar@purdue.edu
May 24, 2018
Purdue University
eta-amyloid peptides, protein fragments that form naturally in the brain and clump into plaques in Alzheimer’s disease patients, are thought to be responsible for neuron death, but it hasn’t been clear how the substances kill cells. Now, a Purdue scientist has shown through computer simulations that beta-amyloid may accumulate to kill neural cells by boring holes into them.
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more about: Simulations show how beta-amyloid may kill neural cells
Contact:
Brian Wallheimer,
765-532-0233,
bwallhei@purdue.edu
April 26, 2018
Northwestern University
Consumers should be wary of cosmetic surgeons’ online reviews, which have grown 40 percent a year. The ratings are highly polarized, and some are written by non-patients, reports a new study. The reviews lack balance; people are either very happy or very unhappy with the surgeon. Surprisingly, patients report treatment by the doctor’s staff is almost as important as surgical outcome. The study examined online reviews in six major U.S. cities.
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more about: Be wary of cosmetic surgeons’ online reviews
Contact:
Marla Paul,
312-503-8928,
marla-paul@northwestern.edu
April 23, 2018
Purdue University
Less than half the patients diagnosed with cancer respond favorably to chemotherapy, but a new method for testing how patients will respond to various drugs could pave the way for more personalized treatment. Using Doppler light scattering, like a weather radar, researchers can determine how a patient will respond to chemotherapy even before they begin treatment.
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more about: New test could tell doctors whether patients will respond to chemotherapy
Contact:
Kayla Zacharias,
765-494-9318,
kzachar@purdue.edu
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