New Polymeric Car Paint Can Self-Heal Major Scratches, Dings

New coating is ready for commercial applications

A major emerging field of materials science is to formulate new materials which, like living organisms, can self heal from macroscopic or microscopic damage.  An international team of researchers has created a new kind of coating that could form the basis of true self-healing car paints.

Nissan implemented a primitive form of self-healing car paint in its EX and G lines, but the actual real world results of that endeavor have been mixed.

This new effort is comprised of teams from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, led by Stuart J. Rowan; the Adolphe Merkle Institute of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, led by Christoph Weder; and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, led by Rick Beyer.

They have created a new self-healing coating that could be used as the basis of paint.  The coating is formed via a technique called supramolecular assembly.  Whereas usual polymers are single large molecules with thousands of atoms, the special new coating is an ionic polymer composed of metal ions and smaller polymeric molecules.  The metal ions act as ”glue", linking the smaller molecules together to form chains.

The polymer's special character shows up when you expose it to UV light.  The polymer enters a "molten" state, filling gaps and scratches.  It then resolidifies.

Stuart Rowan, a professor of macromolecular engineering and science and director of the Institute for Advanced Materials at Case Western Reserve University, describes, "These polymers have a Napoleon Complex.  In reality they're pretty small but are designed to behave like they're big by taking advantage of specific weak molecular interactions."

Researchers created large scratches and dings on the test coat, then shined a UV light on it, locally.  The material "healed" itself in seconds.  And unlike the self-healing found in living creatures, the material exhibited the ability to go through numerous scratching/healing cycles in a brief time without a loss of integrity.

The researchers evaluated a number of metal ion polymers before picking their current target.  They found that mechanical properties (strength, flexibility without breaking, etc.) increased as the order of the resulting polymer increased.  But as the mechanical strength increased, the ability to be healed decreased.  So scientists opted for a moderate polymer with decent healing and mechanical traits.

As we discussed in our previous piece on self-healing plastics, microcracks -- microscopic scratches or cracks -- ultimately lead to big damage over time.  Aside from resisting macroscopic scratches, the materials could undergo periodic treatments with the UV lamp to prevent wear from microcracks as well.

The research team feels the coating is ready for prime time.  Professor Rowan says the next step is commercialization, stating, "One of our next steps is to use the concepts we have shown here to design a coating that would be more applicable in an industrial setting."

The study on the work was published  in the journal Nature, perhaps science's most prestigious journal.

The work was funded by the Army Research Office of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Adolphe Merkle Foundation.

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Divers Attempt to Communicate With Wild Dolphins, Using A Two-Way Translation Device

 Dolphins can understand more than 100 words, decipher human instructions and even use iPads to learn basic communication skills. But that’s kind of unfair on the part of us humans, don’t you think? Shouldn’t dolphins be able to ask for more smelt without learning our sign language or using our gadgets?
A researcher in Florida aims to meet the mammals in the middle, creating a new language that both humans and dolphins can understand.
Denise Herzing, founder of the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Fla., and Thad Starner, an artificial intelligence researcher at Georgia Tech, developed a project called Cetacean Hearing and Telemetry (CHAT). Researchers will test a prototype device this summer, reports New Scientist.
It involves a small computer encased in a waterproof shell and two hydrophones capable of detecting the full frequency of dolphin sounds, which can be up to 10 times higher than the highest pitch a person can hear. A diver will strap the computer to his or her chest, using a handheld device to select which sound to make in reply.
The diver will wear a mask with LED lights that indicate where the sounds are coming from, so he or she will know which dolphin is talking.
The team hopes to create a new language using a call-and-response method. Divers will play one of eight sounds they’ve already created, which correspond to dolphin desires like “play with seaweed” or “ride the boat’s wake.” Using CHAT software, the diver will determine whether the dolphin repeats the sound. Over time, the system will learn to recognize the dolphins’ accent, as it were, and learn how to decipher natural dolphin sounds.
Ultimately, the goal is to serve as a sort of Rosetta stone for dolphins, deciphering the fundamental units of dolphin language.
Herzing has been trying two-way communication with wild dolphins since 1998, and has successfully taught animals to associate symbols with specific requests, like “play with seaweed.” But the system wasn’t very dolphin-friendly, she tells New Scientist. The CHAT system will ideally play to the strengths of both dolphins and humans, allowing people to make dolphin-like communications that are more appealing to the cetaceans. And then they can tell us what they really think of those aquarium attractions.


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New Image Is Worth 1,235 Potential Alien Planets

A photo may be worth 1,000 words, but a new depiction of NASA's Kepler mission is worth 1,235 potential alien planets. Created by a devoted mission scientist, the image takes stock of the Kepler observatory's prolific planet-hunting results so far.
The illustration shows all of Kepler's candidate planets — which await confirmation by follow-up observations — crossing the face of their host stars. This provides scale, and it's also a nod to Kepler's planet-hunting strategy: The spacecraft detects alien worlds by measuring the telltale dips in a star's brightness that occur during these planetary "transits."
The graphic is the brainchild of scientist Jason Rowe, who created it in an attempt convey Kepler's exoplanet discoveries to the masses in a clear, concise manner.
"The graphic itself has been great to show to people. There is lots of interesting astrophysics that one can present," Rowe, a member of the Kepler team at NASA's Ames Research Center and the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, told SPACE.com. "My favorite one so far is that planets can be just as big as some of the smallest stars."
In Rowe's graphic, the parent stars of Kepler's potential alien worlds are arranged by size, with the largest at the top left of the diagram and the smallest at the bottom right. For reference, our own sun is shown sitting by itself, just beneath the top row. Both Jupiter and Earth are depicted transiting the sun in the illustration, researchers said.
To create the graphic, Rowe wrote a program with scientific plotting software, creating synthetic stellar images that were properly scaled to one another.
NASA launched the $600 million Kepler observatory in March 2009 to seek out planets circling alien stars.
To do that, the spacecraft is staring continuously at a single patch of the sky, watching for tiny changes in the amount of light coming from every star it sees. Astronomers use other telescopes to follow up Kepler's findings in order to confirm whether or not the candidate stars do, in fact, host exoplanets.
To date, Kepler has discovered 1,235 possible planets, with 54 of those candidates located within the so-called "Goldilocks zone" — that just-right range of distances around a star in which liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.
Based on the amazing wealth of planet candidates from Kepler, astronomers have estimated that our Milky Way galaxy could hold as many as 50 billion alien planets, with 2 billion of those perhaps being 

Top 10 Most Venomous Snakes

10

Rattlesnake

The only snake from the Americas on the list, the Rattlesnake is easily identifiable by the tell tale rattle on the end of its tail. They are actually a part of the Pit Viper family, and are capable of striking at up to 2/3rd their body length. The Eastern Diamondback in considered the most venomous species in North America. Surprisingly, juveniles are considered more dangerous than adults, due to their inability to control the amount of venom injected. Most species of rattlesnakes have hemotoxic venom, destroying tissue, degenerating organs and causing coagulopathy (disrupted blood clotting). Some degree of permanent scarring is very likely in the event of a venomous bite, even with prompt, effective treatment, and can lead to the loss of a limb or death. Difficulty breathing, paralysis, drooling and massive hemorrhaging are also common symptoms. Thus, a rattlesnake bite is always a potentially fatal injury. Untreated rattlesnake bites, especially from larger species, are very often fatal. However, antivenin, when applied in time, reduces the death rate to less than 4%

9

Death Adder

The appropriately named Death Adder is found in Australia and New Guinea. They actually hunt and kill other snakes, including some on this list, usually via ambush. Death Adders look quite similar to vipers, in that they have triangular shaped heads and short, squat bodies. They typically inject around 40-100mg of venom with an LD of 0.4mg-0.5mg/kg. An untreated Death Adder bite is one of the most dangerous in the world. The venom is a neurotoxin. A bite causes paralysis and can cause death within 6 hours, due to respiratory failure. Symptoms generally peak within 24-48 hours. Antivenin is very successful in treating a bite from a Death Adder, particularly due to the relatively slow progression of symptoms, but before its development, a Death Adder bite had a fatality rate of 50%. With the quickest strike in the world, a Death Adder can go from strike position to striking and back again within 0.13 of a second.

8

Vipers

Vipers are found throughout most of the world, but arguably the most venomous is the Saw Scaled Viper and the Chain Viper, found primarily in the Middle East and Central Asia, particularly India, China and South East Asia. Vipers are quick tempered and generally nocturnal, often active after rains. They are also very fast. Most of these species have venom that cause symptoms that begin with pain at the site of the bite, immediately followed by swelling of the affected extremity. Bleeding is a common symptom, especially from the gums. There is a drop in blood pressure and the heart rate falls. Blistering occurs at the site of the bite, developing along the affected limb in severe cases. Necrosis is usually superficial and limited to the muscles near the bite, but may be severe in extreme cases. Vomiting and facial swelling occurs in about one-third of all cases. Severe pain may last for 2-4 weeks. Often, local swelling peaks within 48-72 hours, involving the affected limb. Discoloration may occur throughout the swollen area as red blood cells and plasma leak into muscle tissue. Death from septicaemia, respiratory or cardiac failure may occur 1 to 14 days post-bite, or even later.

7

Philippine Cobra

Most species of Cobra would not make this list; however the Philippine Cobra is the exception. Drop for drop, its venom is the most deadly of all the Cobra species, and they are capable of spitting it up to 3 metres. The venom is a neurotoxin which affects cardiac and respiratory function, and can cause neurotoxicity, respiratory paralysis and death in thirty minutes. The bite causes only minimal tissue damage. The neurotoxins interrupt the transmission of nerve signals by binding to the neuro-muscular junctions near the muscles. The symptoms might include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse and convulsions.

6

Tiger Snake

Found in Australia, the Tiger snake has a very potent neurotoxic venom. Death from a bite can occur within 30 minutes, but usually takes 6-24 hours. Prior to the development of antivenin, the fatality rate from Tiger snakes was 60-70%. Symptoms can include localized pain in the foot and neck region, tingling, numbness and sweating, followed by a fairly rapid onset of breathing difficulties and paralysis. The Tiger snake will generally flee if encountered, but can become aggressive when cornered. It strikes with unerring accuracy.
 

 

5

Black Mamba

The feared Black Mamba is found throughout many parts of the African continent. They are known to be highly aggressive, and strike with deadly precision. They are also the fastest land snake in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 20km/h. These fearsome snakes can strike up to 12 times in a row. A single bite is capable of killing anywhere from 10-25 adults. The venom is a fast acting neurotoxin. Its bite delivers about 100–120 mg of venom, on average; however, it can deliver up to 400 mg. If the venom reaches a vein, 0.25 mg/kg is sufficient to kill a human in 50% of cases. The initial symptom of the bite is local pain in the bite area, although not as severe as snakes with hemotoxins. The victim then experiences a tingling sensation in the mouth and extremities, double vision, tunnel vision, severe confusion, fever, excessive salivation (including foaming of the mouth and nose) and pronounced ataxia (lack of muscle control). If the victim does not receive medical attention, symptoms rapidly progress to severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, pallor, shock, nephrotoxicity, cardio toxicity and paralysis. Eventually, the victim experiences convulsions, respiratory arrest, coma and then death. Without antivenin, the mortality rate is nearly 100%, among the highest of all venomous snakes. Depending on the nature of the bite, death can result at any time between 15 minutes and 3 hours.

4

Taipan

Another entry from Australia, the venom in a Taipan is strong enough to kill up to 12,000 guinea pigs. The venom clots the victim’s blood, blocking arteries or veins. It is also highly neurotoxic. Before the advent of an antivenin, there are no known survivors of a Taipan bite, and death typically occurs within an hour. Even with successful administration of antivenin, most victims will have an extensive stay in intensive care. It has been likened to the African Black Mamba in morphology, ecology and behavior.

3

Blue Krait

The Malayan or Blue Krait is, by far, the most deadly of this species. Found throughout South East Asia and Indonesia, 50% of bites from the deadly Blue Krait are fatal, even with the administration of antivenin. Kraits hunt and kill other snakes, even cannibalizing other Kraits. They are a nocturnal breed, and are more aggressive under the cover of darkness. However, overall they are quite timid and will often attempt to hide rather than fight. The venom is a neurotoxin, 16 times more potent than that of a Cobra. It quickly induces muscle paralysis by preventing the ability of nerve endings to properly release the chemical that sends the message to the next nerve. This is followed by a period of massive over excitation (cramps, tremors, spasms), which finally tails off to paralysis. Fortunately, bites from Kraits are rare due to their nocturnal nature. Before the development of antivenin, the fatality rate was a whopping 85%. Even if antivenin is administered in time, you are far from assured survival. Death usually occurs within 6-12 hours of a Krait bite. Even if patients make it to a hospital, permanent coma and even brain death from hypoxia may occur, given potentially long transport times to get medical care.

2

Eastern Brown Snake

Don’t let the innocuous name of this snake fool you, 1/14,000 of an ounce of its venom is enough to kill an adult human. Coming in a variety of species, the Eastern Brown snake is the most venomous. Unfortunately, its preferred habitat is also along the major population centers of Australia. The Brown snake is fast moving, can be aggressive under certain circumstances and has been known to chase aggressors and repeatedly strike at them. Even juveniles can kill a human. The venom contains both neurotoxins and blood coagulants. Fortunately for humans, less than half of bites contain venom and they prefer not to bite if at all possible. They react only to movement, so stand very still if you ever encounter one in the wild. [Image Source]

1

Fierce Snake or Inland Taipan

While I did say that I would not include multiple sub-species in this list, the incredible Inland Taipan deserves a spot of its own. It has the most toxic venom of any land snake in the world. The maximum yield recorded for one bite is 110mg, enough to kill about 100 humans, or 250,000 mice! With an LD/50 of 0.03mg/kg, it is 10 times as venomous as the Mojave Rattlesnake, and 50 times more than the common Cobra. Fortunately, the Inland Taipan is not particularly aggressive and is rarely encountered by humans in the wild. No fatalities have ever been recorded, though it could potentially kill an adult human within 45 minutes.

+

Belcher’s Sea Snake

The most venomous snake known in the world, a few milligrams is strong enough to kill 1000 people! Less than 1/4 of bites will contain venom, and they are relatively docile. Fisherman are usually the victims of these bites, as they encounter the species when they pull nets from the ocean. Found throughout waters off South East Asia and Northern Australia.

Does your sense of smell reveals when you're going to die?

Have you stopped being able to identify familiar smells? Then you may be about to die, according to a new study.

A group of scientists studied a group of over 1,000 older people who weren't sick or suffering dementia. They gave each person a test to see how well they could identify 12 familiar odors. Those with the lowest scores had a much higher probability of dying over the next year than those who couldn't.

According to the journal Chemical Senses, where the researchers published their findings:

Olfactory scores ranged from 0 to 12 correct (mean = 9.0, SD = 2.2). In an initial analysis, risk of death decreased by about 6% for each additional odor correctly identified (hazard ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.90, 0.98). Thus, mortality risk was about 36% higher with a low score (6, 10th percentile) compared with a high score (11, 90th percentile). The association persisted in subsequent analyses that controlled for naming ability, disability, cerebrovascular disease, characteristic patterns of leisure activity, depressive symptoms, and apolipoprotein E genotype. The results indicate that difficulty identifying familiar odors in old age is associated with increased risk of death.

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World's weirdest X-rays

From broken bones to disease the X-Ray is one of the most useful medical advancements in history. But as these images show they can also reveal some of the most gruesome and bizarre results. Here, an X-ray shows the abdomen of a patient that has swallowed two forks, a ballpoint pen and a toothbrush. The items are located in the intestine

The comical yet disturbing results are taken from hospitals around the world and show how accidents come in all shapes and sizes. This X-ray shows a nail (upper centre) lodged in bones of the index and middle fingers of an adult male, having penetrated through the skin

A historical X-ray of the foot of a Boer War (1899-1902) soldier, showing a gunshot wound. A Mauser bullet has become lodged between the metatarsal bones of the big and second toes. The bullet has not broken any bones; but the end phalanges of the toes are deformed, perhaps from tight army boots and long marches. This radiograph was made by the soldier positioning his foot above a photographic plate, while an open electric discharge tube emitted the X-rays

A coloured X-ray of objects swallowed and lodged in the intestine of a patient, including a spoon and a blade

          A coloured X-ray of an object (safety pin) lodged in the oesophagus of a woman

A coloured X-ray (front view) of the chest of a 60-year-old patient with schizophrenia, showing a foreign body (24mm diameter) inhaled into an airway (bronchus) of the lung

An X-ray of the foot of a patient who stood on a fork

A coloured X-ray of the abdomen of a patient with dementia that has swallowed a razor (centre left) and razor blades (upper right)

                A victim's lacerated fingers- due to fight with a knife wielding attacker

Another patient who stood on a fork

A coloured X-ray of a knife (upper right) in the chest cavity

An X-ray of a bullet (conical object at centre left) embedded in the chest of a patient

An X-ray showing a toothbrush that was swallowed as a 'dar

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Onion Cream Treats New Stretch Marks

A moisturizing cream whose active ingredient is extract of onion can help take the redness out of new stretch marks. New stretch marks were also softer and smoother in 54 women who used the cream for three months, says Zoe Draelos, MD, a consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
"The stretch marks did not go away," she tells WebMD. "But [after several weeks of treatment], the cream made them look and feel better," she says.
The study, funded by Merz Pharmaceuticals, which makes the cream, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. Draelos has served as a consultant to Merz.

Stretch Marks Affect Men, Too

Draelos estimates that up to 98% of women and 75% of men have stretch marks, which appear as wavy, linear red scars, typically on the hips, breasts, thighs, and stomach of women, and the buttocks and pectoralarea of men.
They form when the skin is rapidly stretched, such as during puberty, pregnancy, and rapid weight gain, says Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He was not involved with the research.
"Unfortunately, stretch marks are permanent. Exercise and diet won't help," he says.
They're not harmful to your health, but many people are bothered by their appearance. The marks slowly fade and become flat on their own, but that can take years.
As a result, doctors have been looking for a product to make new stretch marks look and feel better, Draelos says.

Why Onions for Stretch Marks?

Any insult to the skin -- be it a cut or wound or the rapid stretching that drives the formation of stretch marks -- is accompanied by inflammation.
Onions contain flavonoids, a type of antioxidant, that have anti-inflammatory properties, Draelos says.
The new product also contains pennywort, a plant found in Asia, Africa, and the Americas that has anti-inflammatory properties and is widely used in Indian naturopathic medicine for ulcer healing, she says.
And it has sulfur, which fights bacteria and infection, and a moisturizing cream to help rehydrate the skin, Draelos says.

Onion Creams Helps Stretch Marks Look, Feel Better

The new study involved 54 women, aged 18 to 45, with new, matching stretch marks on their outer thighs.
They worked a quarter-sized amount of the cream into one of their stretch marks twice a day for 12 weeks. The other stretch mark received no treatment.
As judged by the women themselves, the treated stretch mark looked better, was less red, and was softer and smoother than the untreated stretch mark. They started to notice the difference after two weeks of treatment, and the difference persisted through all 12 weeks of the study.
The researchers also noted that the treated stretch mark looked and felt better beginning with the second week, compared with the stretch mark that was not treated. But it wasn't until the eighth week of treatment that they noticed a substantial difference in redness.
None of the women reported any side effects.
Although the cream wasn't tested in men, Draelos says she'd recommend it for men, too.
Zeichner says, "Doctors and patients have been looking for good treatment options for stretch marks. The use of a cream containing onion extract may be a promising option for a problem that currently has no cure."