The contribution of doctors to the development of physics. Shocking contemporaries

The search for clues to the various states of the human body took a long time and painfully. Not all attempts by doctors to get to the bottom of the truth were received with enthusiasm and welcome by society. After all, doctors often had to do things that seemed wild to people. But at the same time, without them, further advancement of the medical business was impossible. AiF.ru has collected stories of the most striking medical discoveries, for which some of their authors were almost persecuted.

Anatomical features

Even the doctors of the ancient world were puzzled by the structure of the human body as the basis of medical science. For example, in Ancient Greece they already paid attention to the relationship between various physiological states of a person and the characteristics of his physical structure. At the same time, as experts note, the observation was rather philosophical in nature: no one suspected what was happening inside the body itself, and surgical interventions were completely rare.

Anatomy as a science arose only during the Renaissance. And for those around her it was a shock. For example, Belgian doctor Andreas Vesalius decided to practice dissection of corpses in order to understand exactly how the human body works. At the same time, he often had to act at night and using not entirely legal methods. However, all doctors who decided to study such details were unable to act openly, since such behavior was considered demonic.

Andreas Vesalius. Photo: Public Domain

Vesalius himself bought the corpses from the executioner. Based on his findings and research, he created the scientific work “On the Structure of the Human Body,” which was published in 1543. This book is assessed by the medical community as one of the greatest works and the most important discovery, which gives the first complete understanding of the internal structure of man.

Dangerous radiation

Today, modern diagnostics cannot be imagined without technology such as x-rays. However, at the end of the 19th century, absolutely nothing was known about X-rays. Such useful radiation was discovered Wilhelm Roentgen, German scientist. Before its discovery, it was much more difficult for doctors (especially surgeons) to work. After all, they couldn’t just go and see where a foreign body was located in a person. I had to rely only on my intuition, as well as the sensitivity of my hands.

The discovery took place in 1895. The scientist conducted various experiments with electrons; he used a glass tube with rarefied air for his work. At the end of the experiments, he turned off the light and prepared to leave the laboratory. But at that moment I discovered a green glow in the jar that remained on the table. It appeared because the scientist did not turn off the device, which was located in a completely different corner of the laboratory.

Then all that remained for Roentgen was to experiment with the data obtained. He began to cover the glass tube with cardboard, creating darkness in the whole room. He also tested the effect of the beam on various objects placed in front of him: a sheet of paper, a board, a book. When the scientist's hand was in the path of the beam, he saw his bones. Having compared a number of his observations, he was able to understand that with the help of such rays it is possible to examine what is happening inside the human body without violating its integrity. In 1901, Roentgen received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery. It has been saving people’s lives for more than 100 years, making it possible to identify various pathologies at different stages of their development.

The power of microbes

There are discoveries that scientists have been moving towards purposefully for decades. One of these was the microbiological discovery made in 1846 Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis. At that time, doctors very often encountered the death of women in labor. Ladies who had recently become mothers died from the so-called puerperal fever, that is, an infection of the uterus. Moreover, doctors could not determine the cause of the problem. The department where the doctor worked had 2 rooms. In one of them, doctors attended the birth, in the other - midwives. Despite the fact that doctors had significantly better training, women died in their hands more often than in the case of childbirth with midwives. And this fact interested the doctor extremely.

Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Semmelweis began to carefully observe their work in order to understand the essence of the problem. And it turned out that in addition to childbirth, doctors also practiced autopsies on deceased mothers. And after the anatomical experiments they returned to the delivery room again without even washing their hands. This prompted the scientist to think: are doctors carrying invisible particles on their hands, which lead to the death of their patients? He decided to test his hypothesis empirically: he obliged medical students who participated in the process of obstetrics to wash their hands every time (at that time bleach was used for disinfection). And the number of deaths of young mothers immediately fell from 7% to 1%. This allowed the scientist to conclude that all infections with puerperal fever have one cause. At the same time, the connection between bacteria and infections was not yet visible, and Semmelweis’s ideas were ridiculed.

Only 10 years later no less famous scientist Louis Pasteur proved experimentally the importance of microorganisms invisible to the eye. And it was he who determined that with the help of pasteurization (i.e. heating) they can be destroyed. It was Pasteur who was able to prove the connection between bacteria and infections through a series of experiments. After this, it remained to develop antibiotics, and the lives of patients, previously considered hopeless, were saved.

Vitamin cocktail

Until the second half of the 19th century, no one knew anything about vitamins. And no one realized the value of these small micronutrients. And even now vitamins are not appreciated by everyone as they deserve. And this despite the fact that without them you can lose not only your health, but also your life. There are a number of specific diseases that are associated with nutritional defects. Moreover, this position is confirmed by centuries of experience. For example, one of the most striking examples of the destruction of health from a lack of vitamins is scurvy. On one of the famous hikes Vasco da Gama 100 of the 160 crew members died from it.

The first to achieve success in the search for useful minerals was Russian scientist Nikolai Lunin. He experimented on mice that consumed artificially prepared food. Their diet consisted of the following nutritional system: purified casein, milk fat, milk sugar, salts, which were included in both milk and water. In fact, these are all necessary components of milk. At the same time, the mice were clearly missing something. They did not grow, lost weight, did not eat their food and died.

Salvation in sugar

Today, people with diabetes live a completely normal life with some adjustments. And not so long ago, everyone who suffered from such a disease were hopeless patients and died. This happened until insulin was discovered.

The next attempts date back to 1908. German specialist Georg Ludwig Zülzer isolated an extract from the pancreas, which was even used for some time to treat a patient dying of diabetes. Later, the outbreak of world wars temporarily postponed research in this area.

The next one who took on the solution to the mystery was Frederick Grant Banting, a doctor whose friend died precisely because of diabetes. After the young man graduated from medical school and served during World War I, he became an assistant professor at one of the private medical schools. Reading an article about pancreatic duct ligation in 1920, he decided to experiment. The goal of this experiment was to obtain a gland substance that was supposed to lower blood sugar. Together with an assistant provided to him by his mentor, in 1921 Banting was finally able to obtain the necessary substance. After administering it to an experimental dog with diabetes, which was dying from the consequences of the disease, the animal felt significantly better. Then all that remains is to develop the achieved results.

The past year has been very fruitful for science. Scientists have made particular progress in the field of medicine. Humanity has made amazing discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and created many useful medicines, which will certainly soon be freely available. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the ten most amazing medical breakthroughs of 2015, which are sure to make a serious contribution to the development of medical services in the very near future.

Discovery of teixobactin

In 2014, the World Health Organization warned everyone that humanity was entering a so-called post-antibiotic era. And after all, she turned out to be right. Science and medicine have not really produced new types of antibiotics since 1987. However, diseases do not stand still. Every year new infections appear that are more resistant to existing medications. This has become a real world problem. However, in 2015, scientists made a discovery that they believe will bring dramatic changes.

Scientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics from 25 antimicrobial drugs, including a very important one, called teixobactin. This antibiotic kills germs by blocking their ability to produce new cells. In other words, microbes under the influence of this drug cannot develop and develop resistance to the drug over time. Teixobactin has now proven highly effective in the fight against resistant Staphylococcus aureus and several bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

Laboratory tests of teixobactin were carried out on mice. The vast majority of experiments showed the effectiveness of the drug. Human trials are due to begin in 2017.

Doctors grew new vocal cords

One of the most interesting and promising areas in medicine is tissue regeneration. In 2015, the list of organs recreated artificially was supplemented with a new item. Doctors from the University of Wisconsin have learned to grow human vocal cords from virtually nothing.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Nathan Welhan has bioengineered tissue that can mimic the functioning of the mucous membrane of the vocal cords, namely, tissue that appears to be two lobes of the cords that vibrate to create human speech. The donor cells from which new ligaments were subsequently grown were taken from five volunteer patients. In laboratory conditions, scientists grew the necessary tissue over two weeks, and then added it to an artificial model of the larynx.

The sound created by the resulting vocal cords is described by scientists as metallic and compared to the sound of a robotic kazoo (a toy wind musical instrument). However, scientists are confident that the vocal cords they created in real conditions (that is, when implanted into a living organism) will sound almost like real ones.

In one of the latest experiments on laboratory mice with inoculated human immunity, researchers decided to test whether the rodents' body would reject the new tissue. Fortunately, this did not happen. Dr. Welham is confident that the tissue will not be rejected by the human body.

Cancer drug could help patients with Parkinson's disease

Tisinga (or nilotinib) is a tested and approved medicine that is commonly used to treat people with symptoms of leukemia. However, new research from Georgetown University Medical Center shows that the drug Tasinga may be a very powerful treatment for controlling motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease, improving their motor function and controlling non-motor symptoms of the disease.

Fernando Pagan, one of the doctors who led the study, believes that nilotinib therapy may be a first-of-its-kind effective treatment for reducing cognitive and motor function decline in patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.

Scientists gave increased doses of nilotinib to 12 volunteer patients over a six-month period. All 12 patients who completed this drug trial experienced improvement in motor function. 10 of them showed significant improvement.

The main objective of this study was to test the safety and harmlessness of nilotinib in humans. The dose of the drug used was much less than what is usually given to patients with leukemia. Despite the fact that the drug showed its effectiveness, the study was still conducted on a small group of people without the involvement of control groups. Therefore, before Tasinga is used as a therapy for Parkinson's disease, several more trials and scientific studies will have to be conducted.

World's first 3D printed ribcage

Over the past few years, 3D printing technology has been making its way into many areas, leading to amazing discoveries, developments, and new manufacturing methods. In 2015, doctors at the University Hospital of Salamanca in Spain performed the world's first operation to replace a patient's damaged rib cage with a new 3D printed prosthesis.

The man suffered from a rare type of sarcoma, and doctors had no other choice. To prevent the tumor from spreading further throughout the body, specialists removed almost the entire sternum from the person and replaced the bones with a titanium implant.

As a rule, implants for large parts of the skeleton are made from a variety of materials, which can wear out over time. In addition, replacing bones as complex as the sternum, which are typically unique to each individual case, required doctors to carefully scan a person's sternum to design the correct size implant.

It was decided to use titanium alloy as the material for the new sternum. After conducting high-precision 3D CT scans, the scientists used a $1.3 million Arcam printer to create a new titanium rib cage. The operation to install a new sternum in the patient was successful, and the person has already completed a full course of rehabilitation.

From skin cells to brain cells

Scientists from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, have spent the past year studying the human brain. They have developed a method for transforming skin cells into brain cells and have already found several useful applications for the new technology.

It should be noted that scientists have found a way to turn skin cells into old brain cells, which makes them easier to further use, for example, in research into Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and their relationship with the effects of aging. Historically, animal brain cells have been used for such research, but scientists have been limited in their capabilities.

Relatively recently, scientists have been able to turn stem cells into brain cells that can be used for research. However, this is a rather labor-intensive process, and the resulting cells are not capable of imitating the functioning of the brain of an elderly person.

Once researchers developed a way to artificially create brain cells, they turned their efforts to creating neurons that would have the ability to produce serotonin. And although the resulting cells have only a tiny fraction of the capabilities of the human brain, they actively help scientists research and find cures for diseases and disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and depression.

Birth control pills for men

Japanese scientists from the Research Institute for Microbial Diseases in Osaka have published a new scientific paper, according to which in the near future we will be able to produce actually working contraceptive pills for men. In their work, scientists describe studies of the drugs Tacrolimus and Cixlosporin A.

Typically, these drugs are used after organ transplant surgery to suppress the body's immune system so that it does not reject new tissue. The blockade occurs by inhibiting the production of the enzyme calcineurin, which contains the PPP3R2 and PPP3CC proteins normally found in male semen.

In their study on laboratory mice, scientists found that as soon as rodents do not produce enough PPP3CC protein, their reproductive functions are sharply reduced. This led researchers to the conclusion that insufficient amounts of this protein could lead to sterility. After more careful study, experts concluded that this protein gives sperm cells the flexibility and the necessary strength and energy to penetrate the egg membrane.

Testing on healthy mice only confirmed their discovery. Just five days of using the drugs Tacrolimus and Ciclosporin A led to complete infertility in mice. However, their reproductive function was fully restored just a week after they stopped receiving these drugs. It is important to note that calcineurin is not a hormone, so the use of drugs in no way reduces libido or excitability of the body.

Despite the promising results, it will take several years to create a real male birth control pill. About 80 percent of mouse studies are not applicable to human cases. However, scientists still hope for success, since the effectiveness of the drugs has been proven. In addition, similar drugs have already passed human clinical trials and are widely used.

DNA stamp

3D printing technologies have led to the emergence of a unique new industry - the printing and sale of DNA. True, the term “printing” here is rather used specifically for commercial purposes, and does not necessarily describe what is actually happening in this area.

The executive director of Cambrian Genomics explains that the process is best described by the phrase “error checking” rather than “printing.” Millions of pieces of DNA are placed on tiny metal substrates and scanned by a computer, which selects those strands that will eventually make up the entire sequence of the DNA strand. After this, the necessary connections are carefully cut out with a laser and placed in a new chain, pre-ordered by the client.

Companies like Cambrian believe that in the future, people will be able to use special computer hardware and software to create new organisms just for fun. Of course, such assumptions will immediately cause the righteous anger of people who doubt the ethical correctness and practical benefits of these studies and opportunities, but sooner or later, no matter how much we want it or not, we will come to this.

Currently, DNA printing is showing some promising potential in the medical field. Drug manufacturers and research companies are among the early clients of companies like Cambrian.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden went even further and began to create various figures from DNA chains. DNA origami, as they call it, may at first glance seem like simple pampering, however, this technology also has practical potential for use. For example, it can be used in the delivery of drugs into the body.

Nanobots in a living organism

The robotics field scored a big win in early 2015 when a team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego announced they had conducted the first successful tests using nanobots that performed their task while inside a living organism.

The living organism in this case was laboratory mice. After placing the nanobots inside the animals, the micromachines went to the rodents’ stomachs and delivered the cargo placed on them, which were microscopic particles of gold. By the end of the procedure, the scientists did not note any damage to the internal organs of the mice and, thus, confirmed the usefulness, safety and effectiveness of the nanobots.

Further tests showed that more gold particles delivered by nanobots remained in the stomachs than those that were simply introduced there with food. This has led scientists to believe that nanobots in the future will be able to deliver needed drugs into the body much more efficiently than with more traditional methods of administering them.

The motor chain of the tiny robots is made of zinc. When it comes into contact with the acid-base environment of the body, a chemical reaction occurs, resulting in the production of hydrogen bubbles, which propel the nanobots inside. After some time, the nanobots simply dissolve in the acidic environment of the stomach.

Although the technology has been in development for almost a decade, it wasn't until 2015 that scientists were able to actually test it in a living environment rather than in regular petri dishes, as has been done many times before. In the future, nanobots could be used to identify and even treat various diseases of internal organs by exposing individual cells to the desired drugs.

Injectable brain nanoimplant

A team of Harvard scientists has developed an implant that promises to treat a range of neurodegenerative disorders that lead to paralysis. The implant is an electronic device consisting of a universal frame (mesh), to which various nanodevices can later be connected after it is inserted into the patient’s brain. Thanks to the implant, it will be possible to monitor the neural activity of the brain, stimulate the work of certain tissues, and also accelerate the regeneration of neurons.

The electronic mesh consists of conductive polymer filaments, transistors or nanoelectrodes that interconnect intersections. Almost the entire area of ​​the mesh is made up of holes, allowing living cells to form new connections around it.

By the beginning of 2016, a team of scientists from Harvard was still testing the safety of using such an implant. For example, two mice were implanted into the brain with a device consisting of 16 electrical components. The devices have been successfully used to monitor and stimulate specific neurons.

Artificial production of tetrahydrocannabinol

For many years, marijuana has been used in medicine as a pain reliever and, in particular, to improve the conditions of cancer and AIDS patients. A synthetic substitute for marijuana, or rather its main psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), is also actively used in medicine.

However, biochemists from the Technical University of Dortmund have announced the creation of a new type of yeast that produces THC. Moreover, unpublished data shows that these same scientists have created another type of yeast that produces cannabidiol, another psychoactive component of marijuana.

Marijuana contains several molecular compounds that interest researchers. Therefore, the discovery of an effective artificial way to create these components in large quantities could bring enormous benefits to medicine. However, the method of conventionally growing plants and then extracting the necessary molecular compounds is currently the most effective method. Up to 30 percent of the dry mass of modern marijuana varieties may contain the desired THC component.

Despite this, Dortmund scientists are confident that they will be able to find a more efficient and faster way to extract THC in the future. By now, the created yeast is re-grown on molecules of the same fungus, instead of the preferred alternative of simple saccharides. All this leads to the fact that with each new batch of yeast the amount of free THC component decreases.

In the future, scientists promise to optimize the process, maximize THC production and scale up to industrial scale, ultimately satisfying the needs of medical research and European regulators who are looking for new ways to produce THC without growing marijuana itself.

Physics is one of the most important sciences studied by man. Its presence is noticeable in all areas of life, sometimes discoveries even change the course of history. This is why great physicists are so interesting and significant for people: their work is relevant even many centuries after their death. Which scientists should you know first?

Andre-Marie Ampère

The French physicist was born into the family of a businessman from Lyon. The parents' library was full of works by leading scientists, writers and philosophers. Since childhood, Andre was fond of reading, which helped him gain deep knowledge. By the age of twelve, the boy had already studied the basics of higher mathematics, and the following year he presented his work to the Lyon Academy. He soon began giving private lessons, and from 1802 he worked as a teacher of physics and chemistry, first in Lyon and then at the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris. Ten years later he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences. The names of great physicists are often associated with concepts to which they devoted their lives to study, and Ampere is no exception. He worked on problems of electrodynamics. The unit of electric current is measured in amperes. In addition, it was the scientist who introduced many of the terms still used today. For example, these are the definitions of “galvanometer”, “voltage”, “electric current” and many others.

Robert Boyle

Many great physicists carried out their work at a time when technology and science were practically in their infancy, and, despite this, achieved success. For example, a native of Ireland. He was engaged in a variety of physical and chemical experiments, developing the atomic theory. In 1660, he managed to discover the law of changes in the volume of gases depending on pressure. Many of the greats of his time had no idea about atoms, but Boyle was not only convinced of their existence, but also formed several concepts related to them, such as “elements” or “primary corpuscles.” In 1663 he managed to invent litmus, and in 1680 he was the first to propose a method for obtaining phosphorus from bones. Boyle was a member of the Royal Society of London and left behind many scientific works.

Niels Bohr

Often great physicists turned out to be significant scientists in other fields. For example, Niels Bohr was also a chemist. A member of the Royal Danish Society of Sciences and a leading scientist of the twentieth century, Niels Bohr was born in Copenhagen, where he received his higher education. For some time he collaborated with the English physicists Thomson and Rutherford. Bohr's scientific work became the basis for the creation of quantum theory. Many great physicists subsequently worked in the directions originally created by Niels, for example, in some areas of theoretical physics and chemistry. Few people know, but he was also the first scientist to lay the foundations of the periodic system of elements. In the 1930s made many important discoveries in atomic theory. For his achievements he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Max Born

Many great physicists came from Germany. For example, Max Born was born in Breslau, the son of a professor and a pianist. Since childhood, he was interested in physics and mathematics and entered the University of Göttingen to study them. In 1907, Max Born defended his dissertation on the stability of elastic bodies. Like other great physicists of the time, such as Niels Bohr, Max collaborated with Cambridge specialists, namely Thomson. Born was also inspired by Einstein's ideas. Max studied crystals and developed several analytical theories. In addition, Born created the mathematical basis of quantum theory. Like other physicists, the anti-militarist Born categorically did not want the Great Patriotic War, and during the years of battle he had to emigrate. Subsequently, he will denounce the development of nuclear weapons. For all his achievements, Max Born received the Nobel Prize and was also accepted into many scientific academies.

Galileo Galilei

Some great physicists and their discoveries are associated with the field of astronomy and natural science. For example, Galileo, the Italian scientist. While studying medicine at the University of Pisa, he became familiar with Aristotle's physics and began reading ancient mathematicians. Fascinated by these sciences, he dropped out of school and began writing “Little Scales” - a work that helped determine the mass of metal alloys and described the centers of gravity of figures. Galileo became famous among Italian mathematicians and received a position at the department in Pisa. After some time, he became the court philosopher of the Duke of Medici. In his works, he studied the principles of equilibrium, dynamics, fall and movement of bodies, as well as the strength of materials. In 1609, he built the first telescope with a three-fold magnification, and then with a thirty-two-fold magnification. His observations provided information about the surface of the Moon and the sizes of stars. Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter. His discoveries created a sensation in the scientific field. The great physicist Galileo was not very approved by the church, and this determined the attitude towards him in society. Nevertheless, he continued his work, which became the reason for denunciation to the Inquisition. He had to give up his teachings. But still, a few years later, treatises on the rotation of the Earth around the Sun, created on the basis of the ideas of Copernicus, were published: with the explanation that this is only a hypothesis. Thus, the scientist’s most important contribution was preserved for society.

Isaac Newton

The inventions and statements of great physicists often become a kind of metaphors, but the legend about the apple and the law of gravity is the most famous of all. Everyone is familiar with the hero of this story, according to which he discovered the law of gravity. In addition, the scientist developed integral and differential calculus, became the inventor of the reflecting telescope, and wrote many fundamental works on optics. Modern physicists consider him the creator of classical science. Newton was born into a poor family, studied at a simple school, and then at Cambridge, while working as a servant to pay for his studies. Already in his early years, ideas came to him that in the future would become the basis for the invention of calculus systems and the discovery of the law of gravity. In 1669 he became a lecturer in the department, and in 1672 - a member of the Royal Society of London. In 1687, the most important work called “Principles” was published. For his invaluable achievements, Newton was given nobility in 1705.

Christiaan Huygens

Like many other great people, physicists were often talented in various fields. For example, Christiaan Huygens, a native of The Hague. His father was a diplomat, scientist and writer; his son received an excellent education in the legal field, but became interested in mathematics. In addition, Christian spoke excellent Latin, knew how to dance and ride a horse, and played music on the lute and harpsichord. Even as a child, he managed to build himself and worked on it. During his university years, Huygens corresponded with the Parisian mathematician Mersenne, which greatly influenced the young man. Already in 1651 he published a work on the squaring of the circle, ellipse and hyperbola. His work allowed him to gain a reputation as an excellent mathematician. Then he became interested in physics and wrote several works on colliding bodies, which seriously influenced the ideas of his contemporaries. In addition, he made contributions to optics, designed a telescope, and even wrote a paper on gambling calculations related to probability theory. All this makes him an outstanding figure in the history of science.

James Maxwell

Great physicists and their discoveries deserve every interest. Thus, James Clerk Maxwell achieved impressive results that everyone should familiarize themselves with. He became the founder of the theories of electrodynamics. The scientist was born into a noble family and was educated at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge. For his achievements he was admitted to the Royal Society of London. Maxwell opened the Cavendish Laboratory, which was equipped with the latest technology for conducting physical experiments. During his work, Maxwell studied electromagnetism, the kinetic theory of gases, issues of color vision and optics. He also proved himself as an astronomer: it was he who established that they are stable and consist of unbound particles. He also studied dynamics and electricity, having a serious influence on Faraday. Comprehensive treatises on many physical phenomena are still considered relevant and in demand in the scientific community, making Maxwell one of the greatest specialists in this field.

Albert Einstein

The future scientist was born in Germany. Since childhood, Einstein loved mathematics, philosophy, and was fond of reading popular science books. For his education, Albert went to the Institute of Technology, where he studied his favorite science. In 1902 he became an employee of the patent office. During his years of work there, he would publish several successful scientific papers. His first works were related to thermodynamics and interactions between molecules. In 1905, one of the works was accepted as a dissertation, and Einstein became a Doctor of Science. Albert had many revolutionary ideas about electron energy, the nature of light and the photoelectric effect. The theory of relativity became the most important. Einstein's findings transformed humanity's understanding of time and space. Absolutely deservedly he was awarded the Nobel Prize and recognized throughout the scientific world.

The main anti-hero of our time - cancer - seems to have finally been caught in the network of scientists. Israeli specialists from Bar-Ilan University talked about their scientific discovery: they created nanorobots capable of killing cancer cells. Killer cells are composed of DNA, a natural, biocompatible and biodegradable material, and can carry bioactive molecules and drugs. Robots are able to move with the bloodstream and recognize malignant cells, immediately destroying them. This mechanism is similar to the work of our immunity, but more precise.

Scientists have already conducted 2 stages of the experiment.

• First, they planted nanorobots in a test tube with healthy and cancer cells. After only 3 days, half of the malignant ones were destroyed, and not a single healthy one was harmed!
• The researchers then inserted hunters into cockroaches (scientists have a strange love for barbels in general, so they will appear in this article), proving that robots could successfully assemble fragments of DNA and accurately find target cells, not necessarily cancerous ones, inside a living creature.

Changing eye color

The problem of improving or changing a person’s appearance is still solved by plastic surgery. Looking at Mickey Rourke, attempts cannot always be called successful, and we have heard about all sorts of complications. But, fortunately, science offers more and more new ways of transformation.

Californian doctors from Stroma Medical also committed scientific discovery: learned to turn brown eyes into blue. Several dozen operations have already been performed in Mexico and Costa Rica (in the United States, permission for such manipulations has not yet been received due to a lack of safety data).

The essence of the method is to remove a thin layer containing melanin pigment using a laser (the procedure takes 20 seconds). After a few weeks, the dead particles are independently eliminated by the body, and a natural Blue Eye looks at the patient from the mirror. (The trick is that at birth all people have blue eyes, but in 83% they are obscured by a layer filled with melanin to varying degrees.) It is possible that after the destruction of the pigment layer, doctors will learn to fill the eyes with new colors. Then people with orange, gold or purple eyes will flood the streets, delighting songwriters.

Change in skin color

And on the other side of the world, in Switzerland, scientists have finally figured out the secret of the chameleon's tricks. What allows it to change color is a network of nanocrystals located in special skin cells - iridophores. There is nothing supernatural about these crystals: they are made of guanine, an integral component of DNA. In a relaxed state, nanoheroes form a dense network that reflects green and blue colors. When excited, the network tightens, the distance between the crystals increases, and the skin begins to reflect red, yellow and other colors.

In general, once genetic engineering makes it possible to create iridophore-like cells, we will wake up in a society where the mood can be conveyed not only by facial expressions, but also by the color of the hand. And it’s not far from conscious control of appearance, like Mystique from the movie “X-Men”.

3D printed organs

An important breakthrough in the repair of human bodies has been made in our homeland. Scientists from the 3D Bioprinting Solutions laboratory have created a unique 3D printer that prints body tissue. Recently, for the first time, mouse thyroid tissue was obtained, which is going to be transplanted into a living rodent in the coming months. Structural components of the body, such as the trachea, have been stamped before. The goal of Russian scientists is to obtain fully functioning tissue. These may be endocrine glands, kidneys or liver. Printing tissues with known parameters will avoid incompatibility, one of the main problems of transplantology.

Cockroaches in the service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations

Another amazing development could save the lives of people stuck under rubble after disasters or trapped in hard-to-reach places like mines or caves. Using special acoustic stimuli transmitted using a “backpack” on the back of a cockroach, the minds made scientific discovery: learned to manipulate an insect like a radio-controlled car. The benefit of using a living creature lies in its instinct of self-preservation and ability to navigate, thanks to which the barbel overcomes obstacles and avoids danger. By hanging a small camera on a cockroach, you can successfully “inspect” hard-to-reach places and make decisions about the method of evacuation.

Telepathy and telekinesis for everyone

Another incredible news: telepathy and telekinesis, which were considered quackery all along, are actually real. In recent years, scientists have been able to establish a telepathic connection between two animals, an animal and a human, and, finally, recently, for the first time, a thought was transmitted over a distance - from one citizen to another. The miracle happened thanks to 3 technologies.

1. Electroencephalography (EEG) records the electrical activity of the brain in the form of waves and serves as an “output device.” With some training, certain waves can be associated with specific images in the head.
2. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses a magnetic field to create an electrical current in the brain, which makes it possible to “enter” these images into the gray matter. The TMS serves as the “input device.”
3. Finally, the Internet allows these images to be transmitted as digital signals from one person to another. So far, the images and words being transmitted are very primitive, but any complex technology must start somewhere.

Telekinesis became possible thanks to the same electrical activity of gray matter. So far, this technology requires surgical intervention: signals are collected from the brain using a tiny grid of electrodes and transmitted digitally to a manipulator. Recently, 53-year-old paralyzed woman Jen Scheuerman, with the help of this scientific discovery by specialists from the University of Pittsburgh, successfully flew an airplane in a computer simulator of the F-35 fighter jet. For example, the author of the article has difficulty using flight simulators, even with two functioning hands.

In the future, technologies for transmitting thoughts and movements at a distance will not only improve the quality of life of paralyzed people, but will also certainly become part of everyday life, allowing you to heat up dinner with the power of thought.

Safe driving

The best minds are working on a car that does not require active driver participation. Tesla cars, for example, already know how to park independently, leave the garage on a timer and drive up to the owner, change lanes in traffic and obey road signs that limit the speed of movement. And the day is approaching when computer control will finally allow you to throw your feet up on the dashboard and calmly get a pedicure on the way to work.

At the same time, Slovak engineers from AeroMobil actually created a car straight out of science fiction films. Double the car drives on the highway, but as soon as it turns into a field, it literally spreads its wings and takes off to take a shortcut. Or jump over the toll booth on toll roads. (You can see this with your own eyes on YouTube.) Of course, custom flying units have been produced before, but this time the engineers promise to launch a car with wings on the market in 2 years.

They changed our world and significantly influenced the lives of many generations.

Great physicists and their discoveries

(1856-1943) - inventor in the field of electrical and radio engineering of Serbian origin. Nikola is called the father of modern electricity. He made many discoveries and inventions, receiving more than 300 patents for his creations in all the countries where he worked. Nikola Tesla was not only a theoretical physicist, but also a brilliant engineer who created and tested his inventions.
Tesla discovered alternating current, wireless transmission of energy, electricity, his work led to the discovery of X-rays, and created a machine that caused vibrations in the surface of the earth. Nikola predicted the advent of an era of robots capable of doing any job.

(1643-1727) - one of the fathers of classical physics. He substantiated the movement of the planets of the solar system around the Sun, as well as the onset of ebbs and flows. Newton created the foundation for modern physical optics. The pinnacle of his work is the famous law of universal gravitation.

John Dalton- English physical chemist. Discovered the law of uniform expansion of gases when heated, the law of multiple ratios, the phenomenon of polymerization (using the example of ethylene and butylene). Creator of the atomic theory of the structure of matter.

Michael Faraday(1791 - 1867) - English physicist and chemist, founder of the doctrine of the electromagnetic field. He made so many scientific discoveries during his life that they would be enough for a dozen scientists to immortalize his name.

(1867 - 1934) - physicist and chemist of Polish origin. Together with her husband, she discovered the elements radium and polonium. She worked on problems of radioactivity.

Robert Boyle(1627 - 1691) - English physicist, chemist and theologian. Together with R. Townley, he established the dependence of the volume of the same mass of air on pressure at a constant temperature (Boyle - Mariotta law).

Ernest Rutherford- English physicist, unraveled the nature of induced radioactivity, discovered the emanation of thorium, radioactive decay and its law. Rutherford is often rightly called one of the titans of 20th century physics.

- German physicist, creator of the general theory of relativity. He suggested that all bodies do not attract each other, as was believed since the time of Newton, but bend the surrounding space and time. Einstein wrote more than 350 papers on physics. He is the creator of the special (1905) and general theories of relativity (1916), the principle of equivalence of mass and energy (1905). He developed many scientific theories: quantum photoelectric effect and quantum heat capacity. Together with Planck, he developed the foundations of quantum theory, which represents the basis of modern physics.

Alexander Stoletov- Russian physicist, found that the value of the saturation photocurrent is proportional to the light flux incident on the cathode. He came close to establishing the laws of electrical discharges in gases.

(1858-1947) - German physicist, creator of quantum theory, which made a true revolution in physics. Classical physics, as opposed to modern physics, now means “physics before Planck.”

Paul Dirac- English physicist, discovered the statistical distribution of energy in a system of electrons. Received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory."