Self Healing Metals, Protein Imbalance and Dementia and Growing New Teeth

July 27

This week we investigate some self healing metals. Metals under constant stress fatigue will eventually fail. Researchers have discovered that under some conditions metals can self heal. We examine a decades long study that has identified 32 proteins which if imbalanced in middle age appear to lead to a higher chance of developing dementia. Hopefully this will lead to new treatments and earlier interventions. We discover a new method for humans to grow new teeth. Many animals have this capability, we may soon be able to help humans do the same. We visit a centuries old method of air-conditioning houses that has mostly been forgotten. Sometimes the old ways are best. Finally we link to a new AI generator that will create entire episodes of shows from a text prompt.

Metals that Heal Themselves

A team from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University have witnessed pieces of metal crack and then fuse back together without human intervention.

When a metal is repeatedly stressed or moved over a long period of time, microscopic fractures occur. When enough of these fractures have accumulated the metal can fail. This is know as metal fatigue.

Michael Demkowicz from Texas A&M has been working on the problem since 2013. He has previously published findings based upon computer simulations that under certain conditions, metals should be able to repaid microscopic cracks formed by wear and tear.

A team at Sandia were running experiments to create microscopic cracks in metal and to evaluate how they formed in a nanoscale piece of platinum. Using an electron microscope they developed a technique to repeatedly pull on the ends of the metal 200 times per second. 40 minutes into the experiment the damage reversed course. One end of the crack that they had created started to fuse back together leaving no trace of the former damage. Over time the crack regrew in a different direction.

The challenge now is to see if these findings can be generalized to other materials and in different settings. If they can achieve this the applications will be endless. From bridges to the cars that drive over them to the solder joints in our electronic devices there is no end of places where self healing materials will save us billions of dollars in replacements.

Protein imbalance in Middle Age

A 25 plus year study by the US National Institute on Aging has discovered that an imbalance in certain proteins in middle age correlates with the development of dementia in older age.

The study looked at blood samples from 10,000 participants to determine if they could find any predictors of dementia in an individuals proteome (the collection of all the proteins expressed throughout the body). The looked for any proteins that were at higher or lower concentrations than normal.

The study started in 1987. Participants returned for examination six times over the following three decades. During that period approximately 1 in 5 developed dementia.

The researchers found 32 proteins that, if in concentrations higher or lower than normal, were strongly associated with an elevated chance of developing dementia later in life. The team has not discovered how these proteins might be associated with developing dementia however the link is “highly unlikely to be due to chance”.

Some of the proteins identified are associated with the brain however most have other roles in the body. A few were linked to proteostasis, the process of balancing protein levels in the body. When this regulation fails proteins can go rogue and clump together. This appears to be what happens with the amyloid and tau proteins in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.

Some proteins found in the study were related to the immune system. This adds to the growing evidence that the immune system has a role in dementia. Previous research has shown that people with immune diseases have a greater risk of dementia in later life.

There is a long way to go before we can develop interventions which may benefit people however this opens the door to some potential early interventions in what is one of the fastest growing medical problems.

Growing New Teeth

A Japanese team is about to commence trialing an experimental drug that would allow humans to grow completely new teeth. This is an ability that many animals have aways had. Some sharks can go through up to 30,000 teeth in a lifetime, crocodiles can go through thousands of sets.

Previously the team had found that the uterine sensitization-associate gene-1 (USAG-1) interacts with other proteins to suppress new tooth growth. If we are able to block that interaction it can lead to bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling which triggers new tooth growth.

The team found an antibody for USAG-1 which when applied, stimulated new tooth growth in mice. Experiments with ferrets had a similar success. The human trials will focus on participants with tooth agenesis, a genetic condition that results in the absence of some teeth .

If the trials are successful the team hopes to have the treatment available for general use by 2030.

Air Conditioning, The Old Way

In the Iranian city of Yazd, tall chimney like structures rise above the houses. These structures provide a pleasant breeze for the residents of one of the hottest cities on earth. Temperatures are regularly over 40C in summer.

These wind catchers are called badgirs in Persian. Some of the 700 wind catchers in the city date back to the 14th century. The architectural features dates back over 2,500 years.

The Qanat is a system of aqueducts running beneath the city. The system not only transports water but makes it possible to cool the dwellings above and to preserve food at an ideal temperature despite the heat outside.

There are roughly 33,000 operational Qanats in Iran today however many are starting to dry up due to the overuse of ground water. Both systems use no power and run naturally all year round. Sometimes we can learn from the older way of doing things.

The Simulation

If you have wondered why the writers and actors in Hollywood have gone on strike, have a look at The Simulation. It is an AI generator that produces an entire episode of South Park from a short text prompt. The episode is available to watch on their website and it is as real as any other episode of South Park. Their goal is to allow fans to create AI generated versions of their favorite shows (the shows will have to be licensed so there will be cost involved). Scan the actors once, develop the premise for the show and let the AI do the rest. By the way, the 2013 movie, “The Congress” with Robin Wright is exactly this scenario. An aging actress has her body scanned and an AI creates all her future movies. Life is once again imitating art.

Paying it Forward

If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.

If you have any questions or comments please comment below.

I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.

Till next week.