Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a new transistor technology that amplifies biochemical signals in the body, making it easier to diagnose and monitor diseases. The new technology can boost the body's electrochemical signals by over 1,000 times, enabling diagnostic and disease-monitoring implants.

The body's chemical signals are incredibly faint and difficult to detect and analyze. The researchers have developed a method that makes signals easier to detect without complex and bulky electronics. Transistors, which are the building blocks of electronics, can boost weak signals to provide an amplified output.

By enabling amplification of weak biochemical signals, the new approach brings modern medicine one step closer to real-time, on-site diagnostics and disease monitoring. With the new technology, doctors could incorporate sensors into wearable technologies or implants that have a small footprint, less burden and don't require expensive electronics. (Read more here)

The team equipped an amplifying component onto a traditional electrode-based sensor and developed an electrochemical transistor-based sensor with new architecture that can sense and amplify the weak biochemical signal. In this new device, the electrode is used to sense a signal, but the nearby transistor is dedicated to amplifying the signal. The researchers also incorporated a built-in, thin-film reference electrode to make the amplified signals more stable and reliable.

Although the technology performed well in experiments to sense cytokine signaling, the researchers say it should be able to amplify signals from any molecule or chemical, including antibodies, hormones or drugs, where the detection scheme uses electrochemical reporters. The big vision is to implement this concept into implantable biosensors or wearable devices that can both sense a problem and then respond to it.

In conclusion, this new technology is a game-changer for the field of medicine. Finally, we will be able to eavesdrop on our body's inner conversations and recognize health problems faster.

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🔋 Photonic Time Crystals

The New Boost for Light Amplification

Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery in the world of physics, creating photonic time crystals that amplify the light that shines on them. These bizarre materials could lead to more efficient and robust wireless communications, and improved lasers. But what exactly are photonic time crystals, and how do they work?

Well, let me break it down for you. In a regular crystal, the structural pattern repeats in space. But in a time crystal, the pattern repeats in time instead. Think of it like a dance move that keeps repeating itself, but instead of repeating in space, it repeats in time. And just like a dance move, the repeated pattern of a time crystal is synchronized and coherent, which can lead to constructive interference and amplification of light.

Now, up until recently, most physicists didn't believe that time crystals could exist. But then along came Frank Wilczek, a Nobel laureate who first conceived the idea in 2012. And now, researchers at Aalto University, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Stanford University have succeeded in creating photonic time crystals that operate at microwave frequencies. (Read more here)

But that's not all. They've also found a way to make the crystals in a two-dimensional structure, known as a metasurface. This makes it significantly easier to realize photonic time crystals in reality, and opens up a range of potential applications. They could make wireless transmitters and receivers more powerful or efficient, help with signal decay, and simplify laser designs.

So, the future is bright (literally) with these photonic time crystals. Who knows what other bizarre materials scientists will come up with next? Maybe time-traveling unicorns or anti-gravity squirrels? The possibilities are endless.