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Editorial Briefing
Electronic tongue for monitoring food quality

Jan 2015

Electronic tongue for monitoring food quality

In humans, taste buds on the tongue have sensory receptors that detect the qualities of water-soluble chemicals in food and convert (or transduce) those stimuli to electrical signals. Nerves then carry the signals to the brain, which processes them and evokes perceptions of the taste qualities of foods, such as sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami (savoriness). The sensing mechanism of taste is one means by which humans are able to recognize whether food is safe for consumption or spoiled and unsafe. Humans (professional tasters) have long been used in industry to help evaluate the quality of manufactured foods and beverages because the acuteness and complexity of the sense of taste can convey information that other analytical instrumentation cannot. See also: Analytical chemistry; Chemoreception; Food manufacturing; Food science; Sensation; Sense organ; Signal transduction; Taste; Tongue; Umami taste receptor

Editorial Briefing
NASA’s Artemis missions prepare a return to the lunar surface

Dec 2022

NASA’s Artemis missions prepare a return to the lunar surface

In 2017, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), along with partner space agencies around the world, created Artemis, a lunar exploration program. Named after the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo—the namesake of the series of NASA missions that first put astronauts on the Moon in 1969—the Artemis missions will also lay the groundwork for eventually sending humans to Mars. With the new Space Launch System rockets and Orion spacecraft developed for Artemis, NASA plans on studying the Moon, establishing U.S. leadership in deep-space exploration, expanding U.S. commercial partnerships, and inspiring a new generation to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers, among other goals. The first Artemis mission, designated Artemis I, launched November 16, 2022 after a series of weather delays postponed its original late-August launch date. Plans call for continued launches over the next several years. Artemis I served as an uncrewed demonstration of the complete mission profile including launch, lunar orbit, re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere, descent, oceanic splashdown, and recovery. The mission concluded on December 11, 2022, after 25 days in space. See also: Astronautical engineering; Astronautics; Mars; Moon; Space flight

Editorial Briefing
Real-time, sensitive detection of formaldehyde

Feb 2024

Real-time, sensitive detection of formaldehyde

A group of researchers from the Cambridge Graphene Centre in the United Kingdom has created a new detector for formaldehyde using aerogel technology. Formaldehyde, a volatile organic compound (VOC), can be toxic to the immune system, nervous system, developmental system, and respiratory system. Formaldehyde can also cause cancer. This chemical is difficult to identify using existing gas-detecting devices. Gas-detecting devices currently in use can sense VOCs, but these devices only yield a single concentration number regardless of the type of VOC contaminant present in the air, and most cannot function unless heated. The new detector from the Cambridge Graphene Centre addresses these issues because it is engineered to work at room temperature, meaning the device uses between 10–100 times less power than existing sensors, and can identify which specific VOC contaminants are present. See also: Formaldehyde

Editorial Briefing
Ultrasensitive nanosensor for detecting explosives

Jan 2014

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