PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Messages sent via molecules can aid communication underground, underwater or inside the body

2013-12-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Weisi Guo
weisi.guo@warwick.ac.uk
44-079-087-26108
University of Warwick
Messages sent via molecules can aid communication underground, underwater or inside the body Scientists have created a molecular communications system for the transmission of messages and data in challenging environments such as tunnels, pipelines, underwater and within the body. The technique has a wide range of applications in environments where electromagnetic waves cannot be used, for example in underground structures such as tunnels, pipelines or in underwater environments. Molecular signalling is a common feature of the plant and animal kingdom – insects for example use pheromones for long-range signalling - but to date continuous data have not been transmitted. Researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK and the York University in Canada have developed the capability to transform any generic message into binary signals, which in turn is 'programmed' into evaporated alcohol molecules to demonstrate the potential of molecular communications. Their results are published in the open access journal PLOS ONE. The first demonstration signal was performed in Canada and was 'O Canada,' from the Canadian national anthem. It was sent several metres across open space before it was decoded by a receiver. The hardware is made from off-the-shelf electronics and costs around $100. The scientists believe the simple system could have a wide variety of applications, ranging from communication in hostile underground environments to nanotechnology. "We believe we have sent the world's first text message to be transmitted entirely with molecular communication, controlling concentration levels of the alcohol molecules, to encode the alphabets with single spray representing bit 1 and no spray representing the bit 0," says York U doctoral candidate Nariman Farsad, who led the experiment. Dr Weisi Guo from the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick said: "Imagine sending a detailed message using perfume – it sounds like something from a spy thriller novel, but in reality it is an incredibly simple way to communicate. " Of course people have achieved short ranged signalling using chemicals, but we have gone to the next level and successfully communicated continuous and generic messages over several metres. "Signalling or cues are something we see all the time in the natural world - bees for example use chemicals in pheromones to signal to others when there is a threat to the hive. "In the modern human world, our method won't replace electromagnetic waves which transmit the bulk of our data, but there are some areas where conventional communications systems are not particularly well-adapted. "For example, inside tunnels, pipelines or deep underground structures, chemical signals can offer a more efficient way of transmitting sensor data, such as those collected to monitor the health of structures and processes. "Potential targeted applications include wireless monitoring of sewage works and oil rigs. This could prevent future disasters such as the bus-sized fatberg found blocking the London sewage networks in 2013, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010." "They can also be used to communicate on the nano scale, for example in medicine where recent advances mean it's possible to embed sensors into the organs of the body or create miniature robots to carry out a specific task such as targeting drugs to cancer cells. "On these tiny scales and in special structural environments, there are constraints with electromagnetic signals such as the ratio of antenna size to the wavelength of the signal, which chemical communication does not have. "Molecular communication signals are also biocompatible and require very little energy to generate and propagate." The team will now set up a company which aims to bring a range of academic and industrial products to the market. ### Notes to editors Once the embargo has lifted, the paper will be available at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082935 Dr Weisi Guo can be contacted on +44 (0)7908 726 108 +44 (0)24765 22223 or weisi.guo@warwick.ac.uk University of Warwick press officer Anna Blackaby can be contacted on +44 (0)2476 575910 or +44 (0)7785 433155 or a.blackaby@warwick.ac.uk


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Lemur babies of older moms less likely to get hurt

2013-12-19
Lemur babies of older moms less likely to get hurt Finding emerges from Lemur Center's 35 years of detailed records DURHAM, N.C. -- A long-term study of aggression in lemurs finds that infants born to older mothers are less likely to get hurt than those born to younger mothers. The ...

York U molecular communication researchers send world's first text message using vodka

2013-12-19
York U molecular communication researchers send world's first text message using vodka TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2013 — After successfully text messaging 'O Canada' using evaporated vodka, two York University researchers and their UK-based counterpart say their simple system ...

Growers the big winners in Malawi's tobacco industry

2013-12-19
Growers the big winners in Malawi's tobacco industry Study looks at social, economic and environmental impacts and trade-offs of an expanding tobacco industry Tobacco growers are the big winners, while the environment and people who have lost ...

Researchers identify genetic marker of resistance to key malaria drug

2013-12-19
Researchers identify genetic marker of resistance to key malaria drug Detection of drug resistance would aid public health efforts WHAT: An international team of researchers has discovered a way to identify, at a molecular ...

Mountain pikas, relatives of rabbits, survive at warm sea-level temperatures by eating mosses

2013-12-19
Mountain pikas, relatives of rabbits, survive at warm sea-level temperatures by eating mosses Mosses also may protect high-peak pikas against climate change effects In some mountain ranges, Earth's warming climate drives rabbit relatives known as pikas to higher elevations--or ...

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Bruce develop near Cocos Island

2013-12-19
NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Bruce develop near Cocos Island NASA's Aqua satellite flew overhead as the fourth tropical cyclone of the Southern Indian Ocean cyclone season developed today, December 18, while it was passing to the northwest of Cocos Island, Australia. The ...

Animal vaccine study yields insights that may advance HIV vaccine research

2013-12-19
Animal vaccine study yields insights that may advance HIV vaccine research A vaccine study in monkeys designed to identify measurable signs that the animals were protected from infection by SIV, the monkey version of HIV, ...

NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Amara's stretched out eye

2013-12-19
NASA catches Tropical Cyclone Amara's stretched out eye Tropical Cyclone Amara's eye appeared elongated on satellite imagery from NASA on December 18. Tropical Cyclone Amara is spinning in the Southern Indian Ocean along with Tropical Cyclone Bruce, and both share ...

Powerful ancient explosions explain new class of supernovae

2013-12-19
Powerful ancient explosions explain new class of supernovae Study by UCSB scientist finds they likely originate from the creation of magnetars Astronomers affiliated with the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS) have discovered two of the brightest and ...

Long-acting reversible contraception in the context of full access, full choice

2013-12-19
Long-acting reversible contraception in the context of full access, full choice 2013 statement from the Bellagio Group on LARCs NEW YORK (18 December 2013) — In November 2013 at the International Conference on Family Planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Population ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Teaching lasers to self-correct in high-precision patterned laser micro-grooving

EGFR-targeted therapy resistance in breast and head & neck cancers

JMIR Medical Informatics invites submissions on ambient AI scribes and AI-driven documentation technologies

Global trends and cross-country inequalities of acute hepatitis E in the elderly, 1990–2021

New catalyst enables triple-efficiency decomposition of ammonia for clean hydrogen

FAU Harbor Branch receives $1M grant to study gulf’s mesophotic coral habitats

WSU study provides detailed look at the declining groundwater in regional aquifer system

Creatine may help the brain, not just muscles

Teams develop CO₂ capture-conversion tandem system adaptable to a wide range of CO₂ concentrations

Endocrine Society proposes research efforts to improve treatment options for people with type 1 diabetes

In menopause, sleep is vitally important for women’s long-term heart health, study finds

Why do some brain regions resist Alzheimer’s?

Like humans, monkeys are attracted to videos showing conflict

Dr. Richard M. Peterson elected 39th president of American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Addressing “spay-neuter syndrome" with testosterone restoration for neutered male dogs

The ACMG releases 2025 update to secondary findings gene list; SF v3.3

More rural, minoritized people get amputations – AI gets closer to why

First look at defects in single-crystal indium gallium zinc oxide could fix persistent display instability

Understanding childhood maltreatment and its effect on biological aging

Turning step-growth into chain-growth with click polymerization

Researchers find surgical technique reduced risk of early preterm birth for patients with cervical insufficiency

Novel nanostructures in blue sharks reveal their remarkable potential for dynamic colour-change

People with ‘young brains’ outlive ‘old-brained’ peers, Stanford Medicine scientists find

Make-your-own weight-loss drug using an innovative genome editing approach

Cancer is extremely rare in turtles, finds a new study

AI used to create protein that kills E. coli

Major autism study uncovers biologically distinct subtypes, paving the way for precision diagnosis and care

Study shows how AI could help pathologists match cancer patients to the right treatments—faster and more efficiently

Implantable device could save diabetes patients from dangerously low blood sugar

Need a new 3D material? Build it with DNA

[Press-News.org] Messages sent via molecules can aid communication underground, underwater or inside the body