January 2024    
         
         
 
     
  Scientists across UChicago are deepening our understanding of quicksand and other non-Newtonian fluids, drug synthesis techniques, and mammal brain development. Dive into these breakthroughs and more research stories in the January edition of µChicago.  
     
  The Oobleck effect  
     
 
UChicago research on the science behind non-Newtonian fluids—such as quicksand—could lead to applications for things like clump-free paint and wearable protective gear.
 
 
     
  UChicago research on the science behind non-Newtonian fluids—such as quicksand—could lead to applications for things like clump-free paint and wearable protective gear. (Copyright Shutterstock.com)  
     
 
     
  Engineers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have made headway in understanding non-Newtonian fluids like quicksand, Silly Putty, and Oobleck (a cornstarch and water mixture). By observing key shifts in the viscosity of these fluids, the team aims to design technologies for human use, such as nonclumping paint and wearable protective gear that hardens on contact.  
     
 
 
  Electrodes and carbons and acids, oh my!  
     
 
     
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Sparking sustainability: UChicago chemists found a “unique design lever,” using the sustainable energy of electrodes, to boost the output of a common chemical reaction in drug manufacturing.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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Hook, slide, and synthesis: Meanwhile, a new “hook and slide” method to replace atoms in an existing carbon structure could greatly improve efficiency in the drug discovery process.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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What came first, the acid or the egg? A team of international researchers successfully analyzed a series of amino acids in a 66- to 86-million-year-old dinosaur eggshell to find out.
 
     
     
 
         
         
    Spotlight    
         
         
 
     
  Study challenges conventional knowledge on brain development  
     
 
A new study indicates that the brains of mice and primates develop along the same timeline, even though the latter are much longer-lived.
 
 
     
  A new study indicates that the brains of mice and primates develop along the same timeline, even though the latter are much longer-lived. (Image by Matt L./Shutterstock)  
     
 
     
  Until recently, scientists have believed that mammalian brains mature at different rates according to their species’ lifespan—slower for longer-living species, such as primates, and faster for species with short lives, such as mice. A new study by neuroscientists at UChicago and Argonne National Laboratory challenges this, suggesting that mammalian brains, regardless of lifespan, develop their synapses at around the same time. The study’s authors hope this new information can be used to better understand neurodevelopmental disorders, like cerebral palsy and autism.  
     
 
 
  In case you missed it  
     
 
 
 
Astrophysicists identify a rare gravitational pattern, and a study makes strides in the science of fear.
 
 
Scientists are snapping photos of cellular mechanisms and revolutionizing treatment for type 1 diabetes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
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