New Atlas

Science Audio available

Graphene-enhanced material may be bound for the brain

Ben Coxworth November 26, 2018

There are a variety of situations that may call for the implantation of electrodes in the brain, ranging from the treatment of neurological conditions to restoring the function of paralyzed limbs. A newly-developed hydrogel could someday replace such electrodes, allowing for better functionality.

A sample of the electrically-conductive antibacterial hydrogel

Materials Audio available

Device uses salty hydrogel to pull drinking water from the air

Ben Coxworth November 26, 2018

There may not be much water on the ground in arid parts of the world, but there still is some water vapor that can be drawn from the air. While so-called "fog nets" provide one way of doing so, scientists have now created a higher-tech alternative – it's a device that incorporates a salty hydrogel.

A diagram illustrating how the system works – unfortunately, no other images of the device are ...

Medical Audio available

Highly adhesive hydrogel sticks to the task of tissue regeneration

Nick Lavars November 22, 2018

Scientists in Switzerland have developed a new form of hydrogel they say has unparalleled adhesive properties, a characteristic that could prove particularly useful in trying to repair cartilage and meniscus.

Scientists in Switzerland have developed a new hydrogel that remains adhered to broken tissues for longer ...

Medical

New healing hydrogel is full of holes

Ben Coxworth November 20, 2018

Although we've already heard about hydrogels that help to heal chronic wounds, the University of New Hampshire's Asst. Prof. Kyung Jae Jeong states that most of them aren't porous enough. An inexpensive micro-hole-filled gel made by his team, however, is claimed to perform much better.

An electron microscope image of the porous hydrogel

Medical

Chemotherapy hydrogel could fight skin cancer from the outside

Michael Irving September 26, 2018

Skin cancer treatment often still requires chemotherapy, which is delivered intravenously and can cause a whole range of unpleasant side effects. Now, researchers have made the first steps towards a kind of chemo that can be “painted” onto the skin.

Researchers have made the first steps towards a chemotherapy gel that can be rubbed into the ...

Medical Audio available

Injectable hydrogel could keep root canals from killing teeth

Ben Coxworth August 22, 2018

When a root canal is performed, the infected dental pulp inside a tooth is replaced with tiny rubber rods – unfortunately this leaves the tooth dead, and thus likely to become infected again. A new procedure, however, may be able to keep such teeth alive and strong.

Traditional root canals, such as this one, leave teeth without any living soft tissue inside

Medical

Stem cell-loaded hydrogel boosts healing process of aging muscles

Michael Irving August 20, 2018

Georgia Tech researchers have developed a hydrogel that holds muscle stem cells, and by injecting this near the site of a muscle injury they can get to work repairing it. The team says the technique could be effective at treating injuries in the elderly and people with muscular dystrophy.

A hydrogel structure successfully introduces new muscle stem cells, which helps patch up damage in older ...

Science

Humidity-hungry hydrogel could be the next cool thing

Ben Coxworth May 30, 2018

Many people will say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." It was with this in mind that scientists at the National University of Singapore recently created a hydrogel that draws moisture from the air, making the heat more tolerable … but the material also has a few other tricks up its sleeve.

Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching (left) and his team, with a sample of the hydrogel

Medical

Injectable hydrogel helps brain tissue regrow after stroke in mice

Michael Irving May 21, 2018

The brain may be an incredible organ, but it struggles to repair itself after sustaining damage from a stroke. Now, researchers from UCLA have developed an injectable hydrogel that can coax healthy tissue to patch up damage by helping regenerate new brain tissue, nerve fibers and blood vessels.

A photomicrograph of the new tissue grown in the stroke-damaged cavity of a mouse brain: the ...

Materials

3D-printed hydrogel humanoid goes for an underwater walk

Michael Irving May 20, 2018

Hydrogels could make for robots that are more flexible, safer to be around and simpler to build and use. Now researchers at Rutgers University have developed a smart gel that can be 3D printed into a variety of shapes, and electrically-activated to make it “walk” underwater, grab and move objects.

Rutger University researchers have created a humanoid figure out of a smart gel that can walk ...