Scientists have made artificial nerve cells, paving the way for new ways to repair the human body. The tiny "brain chips" behave like the real thing and could one day be used to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's. A team from the University of Bath used a combination of maths, computation and chip design to come up with a way to replicate in circuit form what nerve cells (neurons) do naturally. Neurons carry signals to and from the brain and the rest of the body. Scientists are interested in replicating them, because of the potential that offers in treating diseases such as Alzheimer's, where neurons degenerate or die.

Sexual reproduction may have evolved because of disease-causing microbes. Researchers have been trying to answer the question of why sexual reproduction evolved when asexual reproduction - which doesn't require a partner - is much more efficient. Their theory is that sexual reproduction evolved because of the presence of disease, and the need to constantly evolve and adapt to resist these co-evolving pathogens. Sex allows the recombination of DNA between mating pairs of animals, and the offspring that are produced can carry more than one beneficial DNA mutation. Researchers at the University of Adelaide developed a computer simulation model which supports their theory.

The reports focuses on three areas in need of convergence between disciplines: Brain disorders, infectious diseases and cancer research. Researchers in those fields need to collaborate with scientists and engineers who work on imaging, nanotechnology, regenerative engineering (prosthetics and organ transplants), and information technology. For instance, building artificial organs for transplants requires 3D printing expertise (below) that medical researchers don't have. Similarly, optogenetics allows neurologists to change an animal's behavior merely with light, but leans heavily on genetics and other fields. Such collaboration, which the authors refer to as the "third revolution" in science, is already commonplace, of course. Doctors are working with geneticists to stamp out viruses and immune disorders via "synthetic biology," and cancer researchers are using AI to improve patient diagnoses.

Tsetse flies feast on animal blood. When they do so, humans can get Trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, which starts as exhaustion and fever, and can lead to death if left untreated. In animals, the tsetse's bite can develop into paralysis. Tsetse flies are limited to sub saharan Africa, where they infect at least 10,000 people a year. It's a mess of an insect, but an organization in Spain thinks they have a solution, and they're going to use drones to deliver it. "Drones Against Tsetse" is a project by spanish dronemaker Embention, together with the International Atomic Energy Agency.