CERN has established a task force to identify and support contributions from the organization’s 18,000-strong global community to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of a novel ventilator, expected to be tested by healthcare experts in the coming weeks, is an early application of CERN’s technology to combat the international catastrophe.

MIT physicists have found a way to cool molecules of sodium lithium down to 200 billionths of a Kelvin, just a hair above absolute zero. They did so by applying a technique called collisional cooling, in which they immersed molecules of cold sodium lithium in a cloud of even colder sodium atoms. The ultracold atoms acted as a refrigerant to cool the molecules even further.

Gas companies worldwide have ramped up delivery of gas cylinders and are installing new on-site liquid oxygen tanks and supply systems in hospitals as demand surges for medical oxygen to treat patients with COVID-19. The European Industrial Gases Association says members such as Air Liquide (CSA CSM) and Linde (CSA CSM) are experiencing five to ten times the usual demand for medical O2.

On April 17, Japan's Miyagi Prefecture announced a Japanese black wagyu calf, conceived with freeze-dried semen, had been born--a breakthrough expected to lead the way to stably storing genetic resources of the premium beef.

A group of researchers led by Professor Andrew Dzurak at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, has developed a proof-of-concept quantum processor unit cell on a silicon chip that works at 1.5 Kelvin—15 times warmer than the main competing chip-based technology using superconducting qubits being developed by Google, IBM and others.

Whether mitigating the risk of COVID-19, Norovirus or the common flu, it’s vital that researchers and other front-line workers can avoid infection while doing their jobs. As such, proper care and cleaning of cryogenic gloves, cryogenic protection, face shields and other personal protective equipment (PPE) cannot be overlooked. Tempshield (CSA CSM) outlines steps you can take that—when combined with manufacturer-provided care recommendations—can help minimize risk while maintaining productivity.

The US Food and Drug Administration has provided clearance to the “world’s first” bedside MRI system. Connecticut-based Hyperfine said it will begin shipping its portable, low field modalities this summer. The machine’s 510(k) FDA clearance was granted as Yale researchers reported accurate and safe results from tests involving brain readings of stroke victims.

In late March, Linde Cryogenics (CSA CSM) delivered a modular helium recovery system to Sumitomo Cryogenics of America, Inc's (CSA CSM) Allentown PA production facility. By capturing and recycling helium from production operations, the system is expected to reduce consumption of purchased helium at the facility by 70%. The system is engineered to fully integrate with SHI’s operation with no added operator intervention.

Researchers from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory using Cryo-EM technology have discovered a strange new feature of a protein that’s thought to be important in the treatment of tuberculosis. The protein contains a highly unusual “huge” interior pocket that appears capable of passing a wide range of other molecules into the bacterial cell.