Nanotechnology research offers a realistic and efficient method for reducing pesticide waste and enhancing pesticide consumption. A new publication in the journal ACS Agricultural Science & Technology discusses the development of chlorpyrifos-loaded silica nanomaterials enhanced with polydopamine (Cpf-MSNs@PDA) for intelligent pest management. The release of chlorpyrifos from the hybrid composite was alkali- and heat-dependent, ensuring the effective constituent's [...]

Wireless sensors can monitor how temperature, humidity or other environmental conditions vary across large swaths of land, such as farms or forests. These tools could provide unique insights for a variety of applications, including digital agriculture and monitoring climate change. One problem, however, is that it is currently time-consuming and expensive to physically place [...]

Nanoparticles, tiny structures, can be utilized to carry substances to parts of the body — for instance, to provide a chemotherapy drug to a tumor. Even though such “nanomedicine” showed promise to enhance cancer therapeutics, the survival perks of clinically approved nanomedicines are often modest compared to that of conventional chemotherapy. A new study [...]

Increased water consumption worldwide has resulted in low-quality water resources utilized for crop irrigation in the agricultural sector; however, these sources tend to be contaminated. New research published in the MDPI sustainability explores whether the addition of nanofertilizers can enhance these water sources. Here, the team investigated the effects of nanofertilizers on saline water sources in [...]

Microscopically tiny nanomachines which move like submarines with their own propulsion—for example in the human body, where they transport active agents and release them at a target: What sounds like science fiction has, over the past 20 years, become an ever more rapidly growing field of research. However, most of the particles developed so [...]

The impact of different kinds of commercial metallic nanoparticles (nanosized zero valent iron (nZVI), bimetal nZVI-Pd, and nano-magnetite (nFe3O4)) for the recovery of soil co-contaminated with Cr and PCBs are evaluated in a recent article published in the journal Scientific Reports. The implementation of restoration solutions for soil degraded with a combination of pollutants (metal(loid)s [...]

Researchers Dr Yansong Feng and Prof. Hong Zhang at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have designed and synthesized novel multi-layered, multi-functional nanoparticles that enable a combination of radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy for deep cancer tissue (Journal of Materials Chemistry C, "Scintillating Nanoplatform with Upconversion Function for [...]

The world's largest study of the genetics of critical Covid-19, involving more than 57,000 people, has revealed fresh details about some of the biological mechanisms behind the severe form of the disease. Some 16 new genetic variants associated with severe Covid-19, including some related to blood clotting, immune response and intensity of inflammation, have [...]

A biodegradable nanoparticle used in medical sutures has been identified to tackle a rare, often deadly inflammatory disease, according to researchers. Researchers discovered that a certain macrophage, an immune cell that eliminates bacteria or dead cells, plays a critical role in scleroderma or systemic sclerosis, patients’ persistent inflammation, and scarring in the lungs and [...]

Researchers have made tiny ‘skyscrapers’ for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water. 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. The researchers were then able to extract the bacteria’s waste electrons, left over [...]