Engineering

Exploring the Science Behind Allergies

Bio Chemistry, Biomedical, Biotech, Engineering, Immunology, Science, Technology / By

As alarming as it sounds, even a lick of peanut butter could be life-threatening. Allergies. What is it? Let’s see. Had the peanut in peanut butter been harmful to everyone it wouldn’t be called an allergy. Only if something reacts in an unprecedented way to a select few is then called an allergy.

So the question arises, How do I know if I’m allergic and what I am allergic to?

Allergies come in forms, ranging from water to even nickel coins. One can’t possibly predict what substances react weirdly with your body without ever being exposed to it. This is why allergy tests are done.

Well, Only a medical professional could let you know your allergies unless something you had eaten or been exposed to previously didn’t sit right with you. Symptoms of an allergy range from a runny nose to breathlessness and of course, the scary and itchy hives. 

Let’s take a look at what the doctor is doing behind the scenes, shall we?

An immunologist or allergist usually does the test which involves a skin prick or a patch test. The image above, from Westhillsaaa, illustrates a medical personnel checking for unusual reactions in a patient’s skin through various triggers.

The tests could range from injecting the allergens into your skin from an injection to taking out a blood sample. The choice of tests varies according to the patient’s data including their medical history, their condition, and suspected triggers.

Something to note about allergies is that a person can outgrow them with time. This is commonly seen in children getting rid of food allergies but some allergies like that of pollen and medications persist for a long time or even all your life.

Although you can’t possibly get rid of an allergy that still persists in adulthood, you can take certain medications and tests described accordingly to reduce complications.

A common medication is desensitization which is basically building tolerance for your allergen by exposing your body to it periodically under small concentrations. 

A personal suggestion is that you should have an emergency action plan including an EpiPen ready just in case things go south after eating/reacting to something new.

In the near future, who’s to deny that at the rate medical technology is growing, maybe we could even have a permanent remedy for allergies? That’s a topic up for discussion.

Unlocking Limb Regeneration: The Salamander’s Clue to Ending Phantom Pain

Biology, Biomedical, Engineering, Medicine, Science / By

You wake up in the morning with some arm pain. Sounds pretty normal, no? But what if you were told that that pain was all in your head? Alright, well obviously it’s in your head, your brain is what detects the pain, but bear with me. What if your arm wasn’t… there? What if your arm hadn’t been there for years, only for you to still feel it being there despite this objective truth? If all of that applies to you, then you are a victim of phantom pain. 

Over 500 people lose their limbs each day, whether it’s through the brutality of warfare, a freak accident at a job, or otherwise. Of these individuals, approximately 80% of them experience phantom pain. Not to mention that all of them suffer some degree of reduction in quality of life and even mental health for some. For what seems like its conception, limbs and their loss seemed like an unfortunate reality of the world. We all are only given one pair of parts, if we lose them somehow, that’s on us. That’s it. No redos, no replacements, no takesies-backsies. 

But what if there were redos? What if there was a way to replace the irreplaceable? What if there was a way to grow the ungrowable? That may very be possible through researching an animal that most of us have yet to encounter in the flesh: the humble salamander. 

What makes the salamander so special lies in its capability to regrow its limbs in its entirety. It could lose all of its arms and legs: as long as the stump is not destroyed, it can regrow them again and again without fail. These were only possible through the salamander’s natural capabilities to salvage what was left and prevent the wound from festering. The blood vessels quickly contract and a layer of skin cells swiftly encase the wound site. This wasn’t what made the salamander’s capability to regrow limbs so odd though, it was that it had other parts of its body (namely the opposite side of the missing limb) chip in to regrow the lost part. Although it would sometimes appear in a slightly different place, it would, for all anatomically sound purposes, be a perfectly functional limb. 

Although humans and salamanders are not the same, we both possess some form of a regeneration factor (with the former resorting to healing and the latter resulting in completely regrowing a limb). It is just a matter of time before we transform our natural capability to heal into being able to regrow lost limbs, perhaps indefinitely. No more will those who are missing an arm or a leg through horrid circumstances have to suffer a poor quality of life. No more will they have to make do with painkillers and accept the never-ending pain. No more will they have to live their life to a fraction of their potential all because of an unfortunate sequence of events. With the help of some salamanders, these circumstances may very well become a thing of the past. 

Image Credit: CAS.org, depiction of limbs regenerating.

Sources

  1. https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/programs/2021-04/llam-infographic-2021.pdf
  2. https://www.montefiore.org/limb-loss-facts
  3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12092-phantom-limb-pain
  4. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2014/jun/limb-regeneration-do-salamanders-hold-key
traffic jam, automotive, row-688566.jpg

Bilateral Control: MIT’s answer to Traffic Jams

Automotive, Engineering, Mathematics / By

Navigating traffic can be a test of patience, especially when tailgating adds stress to an already congested commute. But what if a simple change in driving behavior could significantly ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time? New research from MIT suggests that maintaining a safe and equal distance between the car in front and the car behind could be a game-changer.

A computer simulation by MIT researchers showing traffic flow when equal distance on both the front and back is maintained (top) and when drivers focus on the vehicle in front (bottom)

Tailgating, aside from being aggressive and unsafe, exacerbates traffic jams, according to a study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. The researchers propose a behavioral shift: drivers should consider not only the car in front but also the one behind, maintaining equilibrium to keep traffic flowing smoothly — in what they call “bilateral control”. This adjustment, backed by mathematical simulations, could potentially reduce commute times in half on certain roads.

The study’s co-author, Berthold Horn, a professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science expands on his previous work on “bilateral control” and takes a more macro level view in this new paper. He states “Birds have be doing this for centuries. To program this behavior, you’d want to look at the birds all around you and not just the ones in front of you.”

Evidently, he hopes that car companies incorporate rear sensors and update cruise control systems to account for these distances, so that traffic flow could significantly improve. However, the full benefits would only be realised if a substantial number of cars implement this system in the real world. According to Horn, traffic would improve drastically if just a small percentage of all cars implemented such systems. In future work funded in part by Toyota, he hopes to produce further simulations to test whether this method improves both the speed and safety of transportation on public road systems.

In conclusion, such systems can drastically improve transportation time and even reduce our global Carbon footprint by 25.4 billion kilograms of CO2.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8861133
https://stormy.biology.utah.edu/publications/1984_Potts_Nature.pdf
https://people.csail.mit.edu/bkph/articles/Suppressing_Traffic_Flow%20Instabilities_IEEE_ITS_2013.pdf
https://math.mit.edu/traffic/

Self Healing Metal might be a reality

Engineering, Physics / By

Every single day, humans utilize objects that contain metal in them. From the joints that make a phone function to cars that drive through bridges that are suspended off of metallic pipes and tubes, it would make sense that metal is just about ingrained into everyday life. 

Just as this is completely undeniable, so too is the logic of deterioration, or wear and tear after usage. As we use our phones, it slows down and eventually shuts itself off permanently. As we drive our cars, they eventually break down, only to never be salvaged again. As we walk on bridges, each step causes the metallic tubes to bear even more weight upon their shoulders, struggling to hold on and eventually collapsing.

All of these issues cause an eventual loss of life within these objects, resulting in billions of dollars and millions of hours being spent to replace them. This was seen as an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice: we gain the ability to use these things, so it’s only fair that eventually, we lose (and need to replace) them. 

But what if wear-and-tear would cease to exist? What if this fundamental law of nature that humans have accepted as common sense was broken? That may just be possible. 

July of 2023 brought more than just sunny weather and humidity (at least in New York): it also brought the impossibility of self-healing metal to life. Although you might imagine this like T-1000 in Terminator Two: Judgement Day, in which the robot repaired itself no matter what it was hit with, you’d be a little off.  In reality, this healing happens in a realm the human eye could hardly even fathom: the nanoscopic level. That’s not to say that you can’t see the repair eventually, but it’s not as prominently quick as you may initially believe so. 

Onto the process that was used. This method (known as cold welding), was ironic by nature, and yet successful by design. The metal had to have the ends of its tiny metallic pieces pulled rapidly (approximately 200 times per second). This resulted in cracks forming and expanding, but around 40 minutes into the utilization of this process, the metal began to fuse back together.

Red depicts the pulling apart (tensile stress) of the metal, whereas the green represents the repairing of itself. 

Although this may seem insignificant at first (after all, it’s just recombining some metal), it does call into question the possibilities. If harnessed and mastered to the point where it was automated, it would enable anything, from bridges to cars to cell phones to microchips and everything in between to repair itself. 

This not only reduces the cost and time of fixing it manually but would also usher in a new era of engineering: with less to fix, there’d be more opportunity to create. If we can break the laws of nature and make inanimate objects heal themselves, what else can we do?

  • https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.145501
  • https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06223-0
  • https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/healing_metals/
Alef Aeronautics

Flying cars become a reality – FAA approves

Aeronautical, Automotive, Editors Pick, Technology / By

What the world once considered to be something out of a sci-fi movie might just become reality. Alef Aeronautics, an automotive aviation company, has been working on this flying car for the past 7-8 years and has without a doubt left not only the world of flight and travel but also the general public in awe. This electric vehicle is expected to hit the American skyline in the year 2025, and preorders begin at a whopping $300,000 (USD). 

As per a report from Times Now, the company has already started accepting pre-orders and money deposits for the vehicle, but the vehicle itself will only be delivered by 2025. The design is urban, futuristic, and the car itself is sustainable. CEO Jim Dukhonvy backs this claim, as he says “We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.” 

Not only is this a huge step towards technological advancements, but also is an insight to the future. As several sources report, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved and certified this yet-to-be automobile. With a vertical take-off stance, “Model A,” can currently carry 2 people and travel about 200 miles. 

Alef’s newest development and the approval of the FAA is only the stepping stone to a more sustainable and safer future. 

Stopping the Energy Crisis Clock?

Engineering, Technology / By

Less than 120 years. That’s the duration in which all nonrenewable energy will be fully exhausted. Although that sounds like a long time away, a whole lifetime away, in fact, this is a problem that needs to be addressed. 

Part of the reason as to why this issue needs to be solved is because of the exponential growth of fossil fuel usage. Compared to 1950, approximately 70 years ago from the date of this article, gas consumption has risen nearly twenty times as much, a staggering increase. 

Image Credit: https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels, depiction fossil fuel consumption rates over the years.

It’s not unrealistic to say that, as time progresses, consumption of fossil fuels will continue to rise and thus, reduce their supply and hasten their end.

Thankfully, people have been paying attention to this issue (dubbed the energy crisis). Many have even made adjustments in varying degrees, from installing solar panels and foregoing nonrenewable resources (a relatively minor contribution) to proposing bills such as the Green New Deal, which would implement a gradual nationwide swap into renewable resources (a massive commitment). These are just two examples of how humans have been attempting to solve this problem.

Unfortunately, many of these potential methods have posed their innate issues. When it comes to adopting renewable energy resources, they either run the risk of being too costly (such as hydroelectric and solar) or unreliable (such as wind and solar), which are only available around 30% of the time. 

In addition, there has been extreme pushback against any means to delay (if not outright prevent) the energy crisis when it comes to large legislation such as the Green New Deal, with some citing that it’s too expensive (with a $93 trillion, twelve zeroes worth, price tag) and will submerge the U.S. into debt they can never get out of. With all the energy crisis efforts, both large and tiny, being fought against, it begs the question of whether there is any sort of renewable energy that can check all (or even most) of the boxes that would make everyone happy. 

That question was answered positively at the end of 2022. Beyond beckoning a new year, December also welcomed a new (or rather, improved) renewable energy source: nuclear energy. For the first time since the history of its experimentation, nuclear fusion/fission (the process of achieving nuclear energy) had reached a net gain, producing more energy than what it receives.

This discovery checked many boxes at first: it was reliable (with nuclear fuel being abundant in the environment) and exceptionally efficient, with a single gram of uranium being able to produce as much energy as a ton, 2,000 pounds that is, of coal. It also is a clean source of energy, an award that non-renewable energy fails to achieve. 

However, like all the benefits of discovery, there are bound to be drawbacks, and this was no exception. The first major issue is the extremely advanced technological nature of fusion: it makes it tough to master and replicate easily. The second vice ties into the first perfectly, with it being simply too expensive to sustain due to the immense amount of energy needed. Finally, the stereotypical reason why people fear nuclear energy: the danger. Although this stereotype is grossly exaggerated, there is some truth to the matter. Both malfunctioning accidents (like Chernobyl and Fukushima) and long-term radioactive waste that must be stored securely are issues that just cannot be ignored. 

Although nuclear energy does have some (rather large) issues, it’s important to not forget about its boons as well. From its efficient nature to being reliable and clean simultaneously, fusion is not a renewable energy source to underestimate. Regardless of what side you are on, nuclear energy brings up an important thing to think about: imagine what could be possible over the next century when it comes to technological innovation?

  1. https://group.met.com/en/mind-the-fyouture/mindthefyouture/when-will-fossil-fuels-run-out
  2. https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels
  3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2019/04/29/five-practical-problems-for-the-green-new-deal/?sh=5892345f3e8a
  4. https://stacker.com/science/22-biggest-scientific-discoveries-2022

AI can now use the help of CRISPR to precisely control gene expressions in RNA

Artificial Intelligence, Bio Chemistry, Biology, Biomedical, Engineering, Medicine, Science, Technology / By

Almost all infectious and deadly viruses are caused due to their RNA coding. Researchers from established research universities, such as NYU and Columbia, alongside the New York Genome Center, have researched and discovered a new type of CRISPR technology that targets this RNA and might just prevent the spread of deadly diseases and infections.

A new study from Nature Biotechnology has shown that the development of major gene editing tools like CRISPR will serve to be beneficial at an even larger scale. CRISPR, in a nutshell, is a gene editing piece of technology that can be used to switch gene expression on and off. Up until now, it was only known that CRISPR, with the help of the enzyme Cas9, could only edit DNA. With the recent discovery of Cas13, RNA editing might just become possible as well.

https://theconversation.com/three-ways-rna-is-being-used-in-the-next-generation-of-medical-treatment-158190

RNA is a second type of genetic material present within our cells and body, which plays an essential role in various biological roles such as regulation, expression, coding, and even decoding genes. It plays a significant role in biological processes such as protein synthesis, and these proteins are necessary to carry out various processes. 

RNA viruses

RNA viruses usually exist in 2 types – single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). RNA viruses are notoriously famous for causing the most common and the most well-known infections – examples being the common cold, influenza, Dengue, hepatitis, Ebola, and even COVID-19. These dangerous and possibly life-threatening viruses only have RNA as their genetic material. So, how can/might AI and CRISPR technology, using the enzyme Cas13 help fight against these nuisances?

Role of CRISPR-Cas13

RNA targeting CRISPRs have various applications – from editing and blocking genes to finding out possible drugs to cure said pathogenic disease/infection. As a report from NYU states, “Researchers at NYU and the New York Genome Center created a platform for RNA-targeting CRISPR screens using Cas13 to better understand RNA regulation and to identify the function of non-coding RNAs. Because RNA is the main genetic material in viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and flu,” the applications of CRISPR-Cas13 can promise us cures and newer ways to treat severe viral infections.

“Similar to DNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas9, we anticipate that RNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas13 will have an outsized impact in molecular biology and biomedical applications in the coming years,” said Neville Sanjana, associate professor of biology at NYU, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Learn more about CRISPR, Cas9, and Cas13 here. 

Role of AI

Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more reliant as days pass by. So much so, that it can be used to precisely target RNA coding, especially in the given case scenario. TIGER (Targeted Inhibition of Gene Expression via guide RNA design), was trained on the data from the CRISPR screens. Comparing the predictions generated by the model and laboratory tests in human cells, TIGER was able to predict both on-target and off-target activity, outperforming previous models developed for Cas13 

With the assistance of AI with an RNA-targeting CRISPR screen, TIGER’s predictions might just initiate new and more developed methods of RNA-targeting therapies. In a nutshell, AI will be able to “sieve” out undesired off-target CRISPR activity, making it a more precise and reliable method. 

A solution to the Ails of Chemotherapy?

Bio Chemistry, Chemistry, Engineering, Must Read, Science, Technology / By

600,000 deaths. That’s how many casualties were estimated in 2021 by a foe we can’t so much as see with the naked eye: cancer. The dreaded illness that, since the foundation of modern medicine, humanity seems unable to tackle and extinguish permanently. Despite the advancement of technology (specifically in the medical sector), it seems as if we are a ways off from adequately dealing with it on a global scale. 

That isn’t to say that there aren’t methods to deal with this disease. Chemotherapy for instance is one such remedy. It decimates cancerous cells, but does so with a massive risk to the body it’s done to, through also killing the necessary (good) cells humans need in the process. This treatment results in patients becoming immunocompromised. This label not only increases the risk of people contracting diseases, but it also increases the potential for these common ailments (such as the common cold or the flu for instance) to quickly turn to a hospital visit because of a life-threatening concern. 

Described by those who administer chemotherapy as a double-edged sword, it appeared doubtful that the negative effects of chemotherapy could ever be reduced. After all, it took so long for this treatment to even be discovered according to modern medicine, reinforcing the notion that humanity’s war against cancer seems to have arrived at a stalemate.

Then came a new discovery: stem cell transplants. This method seemed to solve the problems that chemotherapy generated by administering stem cells to the vein. This enables the cells to travel to the bone marrow and then become new cells that are necessary for human health, such as platelets (which help out with blood clots), to white blood cells (which assists the immune system and helps the body fight infection) to even red blood cells (which helps facilitate oxygen throughout the body). 

Proponents of this method claim that this is an instrumental tool for humanity in its battle against cancer due to its ability to assist cancer patients after chemotherapy, which is widely considered to be the most prevalent form of cancer treatment. Although it may not be the final product, it does certainly pose questions that may pave the way toward achieving even more technological advancements in this war. 

That’s not to say that there aren’t those who are against this method however. Some argue their stance as one where this treatment excludes the common man: stem cell transplants are incredibly expensive due to their highly advanced technological nature. This high price tag prevents the vast majority of cancer patients from being able to access this potentially life-saving treatment, pushing the ethical dilemma concerning both wealth and the ability to save a life (if not multiple). Others who are against this cite that it too comes with some drawbacks much like chemotherapy in the form of side effects. From bleeding to increased risk of infection (which is what it’s partially designed to combat), it too poses a set of risks that cannot be ignored in the eyes of some. 

Image credit: bioinformant.com, depiction of stem cells.

Regardless of your stance on this matter, there is a middle ground: this innovation, despite all of its shortcomings, has advanced the battle against cancer in many ways beyond just one. Beyond helping people achieve some sense of normalcy in their lives through alleviating the impacts of chemotherapy, it also grants hope to those who have (or can obtain) access to this treatment. Modern medicine, just like how it conquered measles and rubella and countless other diseases, will hopefully beat this one too.

  1. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/stem-cell-transplant
  2. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/cancer-facts-figures-2021.html

SpaceX Internet Service Provider “Starlink” reaches One Million User Milestone

Editors Pick, Engineering, Mathematics, Technology / By

A tweet from SpaceX earlier this week reports that their “Starlink” service has amassed over a million subscriptions.

SpaceX satellite network “Starlink” was developed in hopes of providing low-cost internet globally, especially to remote locations that lack reliable internet connectivity.

How does it work?

Starlink satellites function through identical means to those of other satellite internet service technologies, an internet service provider will transmit an internet signal to a satellite in space, which then comes back to the users and is captured by their satellite dish. These dishes are connected to a modem which connects their computer with the captured internet signal. The issue with this, is that your data must travel all the way to a satellite in space and back to you on Earth. These long trips take a considerable amount of time, and in turn this leads to a higher latency (response time) and a worse connection.

This, is where we face an issue. Ideally, we want an internet connection to have a lower latency, which is where SpaceX’s Starlink comes in. SpaceX’s proposal was to make Starlink “a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, at about 550km, and cover the entire globe”. This shortened geostationary orbit proves much more effective as it increases internet speeds and reduces latency levels.

How fast is Starlink?

It’s fast, but how fast, really? Starlink offers two plans for subscribers, the basic plan, and the premium plan. The basic plan advertises download speeds from 50 to 250 megabytes per second, whilst the premium plan’s download speeds range from 150 to 500 Mbps; is this really the case?

Source: Official Ookla Website

Ookla’s recent report shows that in the US the median download speed was 164 Mbps, which does follow the advertised range provided for both plans. The median latency was about 27 ms in the US which is actually considered within the optimal range of 20-40ms. A huge improvement compared to previous testing.

The future of Starlink

As of writing, the Starlink constellation consists 3300 small satellites, with the latest additions on 17 December 2022. 54 Starlink satellites were launched by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket when it had lifted off for its 15th time. Overall, about 12,000 satellites are planned to be deployed on this mission, with a possible extension to 42,000 afterwards. This should ultimately fulfill SpaceX’s proposal and achieve global internet availability, and the million subscription milestone is a step in that direction.