Nano fiber feels forces and hears sounds made by cells

Nano fiber feels forces and hears sounds made by cells 05/16/2017 01:00 PM EDT Engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have developed a miniature device that's sensitive enough to feel the forces generated by swimming bacteria and hear the beating of heart muscle cells. The device is a nano-sized optical fiber that detects forces down to 160 femtonewtons and sound levels down to -30 decibels. Applications include measuring bio-activity at the single cell level, or ultra-sensitive mini stethoscopes to monitor cellular acoustics in vivo. Full story at http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/nano_fiber_feels_forces_and_hears_sounds_made_by_cells Source University of California, San Diego This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery, on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111