Science
Newfangled nanoscale scanning technique could improve heart health
Feb 27th
Oh, — your wonders never cease. Boffins at have been able to use live nanoscale microscopy (a technique called scanning ion conductance microscopy) in order to see the surface of the cardiac muscle cell at more detailed levels than those possible using conventional live microscopy. Without getting too gross on you, the new process could lead to improved designs of beta-blockers, the drugs that can retard the development of heart failure. Researchers are hoping that the findings could also lead to “improvements in current therapeutic approaches to treating heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms,” and while these exceptionally detailed images are helping the cardiac muscle right now, we’re hoping that this stuff could also bleed over to other fields of medicine. Ventricles crossed!
originally appeared on on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our .
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New helicopter blades not only look cool but are way more quiet
Feb 25th
From now on, you won’t even hear the black helicopters coming. Just a breath of wind rustling your blinds, and then — bag on the head! At least, that’ll be the case if the NSA gets hold of some of these Blue Edge rotor blades from Eurocopter. They’re not only shaped like a sword you might find in Final Fantasy XIII, but they have little mechanized flaps that are automatically adjusted in order to reduce the wup-wup-wup noise that results from the blade cutting through turbulent air.
See? Hear, rather?
If you’re interested in a more technical perspective,. There’s still a long way to go before these things are actually quiet enough to sneak up on you, but I’ll tell you what, I guarantee nature photographers are going to enjoy them. Losing a few decibels means you can hover a couple hundred feet closer to your subject critter.
