Digital twins are already being used in areas such as aircraft and automotive design. So what do they have to do with mental health? Can we make a digital model of a living molecular system?
Blog posts
For most physical illnesses, there are objective tests to determine what a patient’s issue is. Currently, diagnosis of mental health conditions is more subjective, as it relies on patient’s descriptions of their own symptoms. What if digital tools could identify biomarkers which were clearly linked to specific mental illnesses?
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness affecting around 20 million people worldwide and is most common in young men (according to the World Health Organisation). How are the tools of genetics and AI being used to improve treatment?
Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health illnesses, affecting 264 million and 284 million people worldwide, respectively – equivalent to 3.4% and 3.8% of the global population. However, it’s thought that many cases are unreported – the real figures are expected to be double what is recorded. What’s going on at a molecular level in the brain during depression and anxiety? How does medication change this?
Mental health is the sum of our psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing. Combined, these help us cope with life’s difficulties. Yet a worryingly substantial proportion of the population will suffer from poor mental health at some point in their lives. This is the first in a series of blogs exploring the molecular basis of mental health, and how a molecular perspective can help develop new treatments.
So if existing materials like haematite aren’t good enough to be used to generate solar fuels, how do researchers go about identifying novel materials to convert sunlight into fuel? We’ll see how computers can help identify ideal materials for the production of solar fuels. What are the key steps to do in research lab to build a tangible device that can be used to produce a solar fuel?
Solar energy can be used to convert CO2 and methane, potent greenhouse gases, into high-value products for the production of fertilizers, plastics or even pharmaceuticals. In this post we find out about the materials needed catalyse this conversion.
Turning sunlight into a liquid fuel might sound like the fantasy machinations of a sci-fi novel. A fuel that is abundant, sustainable, storable, and a portable source of energy? The reality is possibly even more exciting. Solar fuels could use energy in sunlight to convert CO2 and methane, potent greenhouse gases, into high-value products, such as fertilizers, plastics or pharmaceuticals.
Electrocatalysts could be an energy game-changer. They could allow us to generate electricity, and produce fuels like petrol and diesel, using naturally abundant substances. Predicting a specific catalyst for any reaction will soon be within reach. It looks like the best days of the alchemist might still be ahead.
Catalysts have been instrumental in human development, especially in producing energy. For over 100 years catalysts have transformed how we get from A to B, and will continue to do so by giving us cleaner greener alternative fuels. So how have energy catalysts developed over time?