Computer Model Recreates Realistic Touch Sensation

Neuroscientists from the University of Chicago have developed a computer model that can simulate the response of nerves in the hand to any pattern of touch stimulation on the skin. The tool reconstructs the response of more than 12,500 nerve fibers with millisecond precision, taking into account the mechanics of the skin as it presses up against and moves across objects.

The software will allow scientists to see how entire populations of nerve fibers respond when we interact with objects. This model will allow scientists to better understand how the nerve responds to touch, and can be used to build realistic sensations into bionic hands for amputees.

San Andreas Fault Predicted To Trigger Strong Los Angeles Earthquake

Scientists at Stanford University used underground ambient seismic waves to predict that Los Angeles will experience a strong and large ground movements if an earthquake occurs along the southern San Andreas Fault, near the Salton Sea.

The Stanford scientists used weak vibrations under the Earth's core to measure and follow the movement of seismic waves. These waves are produced by the ocean waves crashing into the Earth's core. Although billions of times weaker than seismic waves generated by earthquakes, these ambient waves still follow the path an earthquake wave would.

Based on their measurements, an earthquake generated seismic waves will be funneled toward Los Angeles if the southern San Andreas Fault section of California were to experience an earthquake.

The scientists further predict that the seismic waves will be futher amplified when it reaches Los Angeles because the city sits atop a large sedimentary basin.

Computer Simulation Accurately Predicts Blood Vessel Growth

Bioengineers from the University of Utah created a computer simulation that accurately maps blood vessel growth. This can help in the further treatments to provide better blood supply to skin grafts and implanted ligament and tendon, as well as tissues damaged by diabetes and heart attack.

The image on the left in green, show real blood vessels growing in culture while the right image in red, is the computer simulation of the blood vessel growth. The simulation is based on the study and use of real blood vessels from rats.

Additionally, the top images show real and simulated blood vessel growth when vessel fragments are placed in an "extracellular matrix" of collagen with a relatively low density. The middle and bottom images show how blood vessel growth is impeded when they are placed in collagen matrix with medium and higher density, respectively.

The physical and mechanical properties of the collagen are highlighted by the simulation showing that a denser collagen matrix makes it hard for blood vessels to form a network. By accurately predicting the growth and spread of the blood vessels, bioengineers can prepare implantable tissues that already contain blood vessels that match a patient's blood vessel structure.

This technology can provide better treatment by replacing damaged heart tissues, reconstructing ligaments and tendon, and skin grafts to stimulate blood flow to promote healing of diabetic ulcers.

Largest Dinosaur Argentinosaurus Huinculensis Walking Digitally Simulated

The Argentinosaurus huinculensis, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered has been digitally reconstructed to study how it walks. The Argentinosaurus is a dinosaur that lived around 94 million years ago. The virtual model was reconstructed through a computer technique that involved the computing power of 30,000 desktop computers.

The Argentinosaurus (named after the country it was first found; Argentina) is the largest dinosaur ever discovered and is the longest and heaviest land animal ever. An adult 40 year old Argentinsaurus can reach a size of 37 meters and weighing around 75 to 100 tons. The herbivore lived during the Cretaceous period and was believed to have perished during the end of the Jurassic period with a few of its relatives surviving in South America.

The dinosaur is a social animal that moved in herds of 20 or more. It stripped vegetated areas of leaves, seed and fruit before moving on to find a new place to graze.

By digitally reconstructing how the Argentinosaurus moved, the study can contribute to the development of locomotion and movement technology as it applies to musculoskeletal systems and for developing robots.

Simulating Molecules Through Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Dynamic computer simulations of molecular systems depend on finite time steps, but these introduce apparent extra work that pushes the molecules around. Using models of water molecules in a box, researchers have learned to separate this "shadow work" from the protocol work explicitly modeled in the simulations.
Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Scientists have devised a way using nonequilibrium statistical mechanics to study molecular simulations without the accompanying errors in data gathering.

Scientists look at nonequilibrium statistical mechanics to simulate molecular behavior in a much more natural way. Most models are always at flux. They are continuously in motion and changing. This method tries to interpret real world mechanics into a computer simulation.

The Cell

The smallest form of life is a single cell. The cell is made up of molecules. Science tries to understand how these molecules interact with each other through microscopes.

Microscopes have limitations on the size of the objects it can observe. On a molecular level where microscopes cannot clearly observe, science looks at computer simulations.

A computational microscope doesn't use lenses or glass, it uses a computer to simulate molecules and how they act and interact. An example would be a simulation on how a virus enters and infects a healthy host. By studying its interactions on a simulation, scientists can understand its mechanics.

Simulations and Algorithms

At the heart of a computer simulation is its algorithm. It is a series of instructions on how a particular model or any of the model's components would behave given a particular scenario. There are many factors to take into account when creating an algorithm that would simulate the behavior of a molecule. Some factors to consider are the temperature, environment, time (duration), amount of light, and motion and direction of the molecule.