Summary: Cool News A new type of killer T-cell can stop attacks on healthy tissue | Interesting Engineering (01:14) A team of scientists has discovered a brand new form of human T cell that suppresses attacks on healthy tissues, which could lead to treatments for illnesses ranging from lupus to cancer.T cells are significant white blood cells in the immune system, playing a crucial role in adaptive immune response by killing diseased or malignant cells Studies in mice have shown that some of these cells may also kill T cells responsible for orchestrating autoimmune responses.Believed that humans share the same cells but not able to prove it The newly discovered class of T cells in the human immune system may be capable of killing other T cells, Aid in the healing of infections and reducing autoimmune disorders. Stanford researchers evaluated the number of these human cells in patients with autoimmune illnesses like multiple sclerosis, lupus, and celiac disease to see if they are immunological inhibitors. Saw that the specific T cells (CD8) were more abundant in patients' blood than in healthy people's blood. Gathered in regions of the body that had been injured by the autoimmune response like the joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis The researchers looked at genetically altered mice that had 50 percent to 75 percent fewer suppressive CD8 cells than normal mice to see how much protection the cells provide against autoimmunity.Experienced kidney inflammation after being exposed to viruses that can cause autoimmune illness. (Control did not) The paper provides data that these CD8 cells exist in humans, and could indicate that techniques that enhance the number of cells in the body may aid in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Tiny 'skyscrapers' help bacteria convert sunlight into electricity | TechXplore (05:24) The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used 3D printing to create grids of high-rise 'nano-housing' where sun-loving bacteria can grow quickly.3D-printed custom electrodes out of metal oxide nanoparticles that are tailored to work with the cyanobacteria as they perform photosynthesis. Developed a printing technique that allows control over multiple length scales, making the structures highly customisable They extracted the bacteria's waste electrons, left over from photosynthesis, which could be used to power small electronics. These researchers have found that providing the bacteria with the right kind of home increases the amount of energy they can extract by over an order of magnitude. For several years, researchers have been attempting to 're-wire' the photosynthesis mechanisms of cyanobacteria in order to extract energy from them. Lead researcher, Dr. Jenny Zhang, stated: “There's been a bottleneck in terms of how much energy you can actually extract from photosynthetic systems, but no one understood where the bottleneck was … Most scientists assumed that the bottleneck was on the biological side, in the bacteria, but we've found that a substantial bottleneck is actually on the material side." Dr. Zhang ends it off by talking on cyanobacteria:“Cyanobacteria are versatile chemical factories. Our approach allows us to tap into their energy conversion pathway at an early point, which helps us understand how they carry out energy conversion so we can use their natural pathways for renewable fuel or chemical generation." Concept Touchscreen Uses Temperature to Create Feel of Friction | Gizmodo (10:34) Researchers at Texas A&M have come up with a novel way for touchscreens to feel more than just perfectly smooth by fooling a user’s sense of touch through temperature changes. Some theorize a full touchscreen future, but the article argues that being able to feel physical keys with our fingers is an important part of the muscle memory that allows many of us to type at impressive speeds without having to look down and hunt-and-peck on a keyboard. The researchers in a recent study, found th
