UC San Diego-led team discovers new method for producing large amounts of color-changing, nature-inspired pigment in the lab Scientists at UC San Diego have moved one step closer to unlocking a superpower held by some of nature’s greatest “masters of disguise.” Octopuses, squids, cuttlefish and other animals in the cephalopod family are well known for their ability to camouflage, changing the color of their skin to blend in with the environment. This remarkable display of mimicry is made possible by…
The appearance of a hot sauce or pepper doesn’t reveal whether it’s mild or likely to scorch someone’s taste buds. So, researchers made an artificial tongue to quickly detect spiciness. Inspired by milk’s casein proteins, which bind to capsaicin and relieve the burn of spicy foods, the researchers incorporated milk powder into a gel sensor. The prototype, reported in ACS Sensors, detected capsaicin and pungent-flavored compounds (like those behind garlic’s zing) in various foods. “Our flexible artificial tongue holds tremendous…
Unless you’ve owned reptiles, you might not know that many of them “pee” crystals. Researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Chemical Society investigated the solid urine of more than 20 reptile species and found spheres of uric acid in all of them. This work reveals how reptiles uniquely package up and eliminate crystalline waste, which could inform future treatments for human conditions that also involve uric acid crystals: kidney stones and gout. Most living things have some sort…
Enabled by a new high-resolution mapping technique, the findings overturn a long-held belief that the genome loses its 3D structure when cells divide CAMBRIDGE, MA — Before cells can divide, they first need to replicate all of their chromosomes, so that each of the daughter cells can receive a full set of genetic material. Until now, scientists had believed that as division occurs, the genome loses the distinctive 3D internal structure that it typically forms. Once division is complete, it…
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the US space agency NASA have made an unexpected discovery that challenges one of the basic rules of chemistry and provides new knowledge about Saturn’s enigmatic moon Titan. In its extremely cold environment, normally incompatible substances can still be mixed. This discovery broadens our understanding of chemistry before the emergence of life. Scientists have long been interested in Saturn’s largest, orange-coloured moon as its evolution can teach us more about our…
New study finds zebrafish have spinal enlargements linked to all fins, offering fresh insight into vertebrate evolution Scientists from Nagoya University, Japan, have discovered that zebrafish possess enlarged areas in their spinal cords, previously believed to exist only in four-limbed vertebrates (tetrapods). The finding challenges long-standing assumptions about the evolution of spinal anatomy and its relationship to limb development. Background: A Feature Once Thought Exclusive to Tetrapods In tetrapods, the spinal cord has two enlarged regions corresponding to the forelimbs…
“This concerns the biosynthesis of a molecule that has a very long history with humans,” explains Prof. Dirk Hoffmeister, head of the Pharmaceutical Microbiology research group at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI). “We are referring to psilocybin, a substance found in so-called ‘magic mushrooms’, which our body converts into psilocin – a compound that can profoundly alter consciousness. However, psilocybin not only triggers psychedelic experiences, but is also considered…
For decades, scientists have known that adding small molecules such as amino acids to medical formulations—like insulin—helps stabilize the proteins they contain. These small molecules prevent larger protein particles from interacting in unwanted ways. While this stabilizing effect has been widely used, the mechanism behind it has remained unclear—until now. An international research team led by the Supramolecular Nano-Materials and Interfaces Laboratory at EPFL’s School of Engineering has uncovered how this process works. Their findings, published in Nature, involved collaboration…
Nanoparticles power technologies from quantum-dot displays to catalysts and drug delivery. Their unique properties depend on size and shape, yet scientists have long struggled to explain why nanoparticles self-organize into uniform size ranges. For more than a century, the classical nucleation theory (CNT) has been the standard framework, but it cannot account for these dynamics. Now, researchers at Chung-Ang University (CAU), Seoul, together with collaborators from Seoul National University and the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), have developed a new…
When a tree dies, its remains become the foundation for new life. Leaves, wood, and roots gradually break down—not through weathering, but through the work of countless fungi, insects, and other tiny organisms. As they decompose plant material, these organisms release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, fueling photosynthesis and sustaining the global carbon cycle. But which organisms perform this critical work, and what molecular tools do they use? A research team at Goethe University Frankfurt has now developed a…
A University of Queensland-led study has discovered that Australian skinks have independently evolved molecular adaptations that protect them from the paralysing effects of snake venom. This remarkable evolutionary trait allows the reptiles to survive encounters with some of Australia’s most venomous predators. Unlocking the Molecular Secrets of Resistance Lead researcher Professor Bryan Fry from UQ’s School of the Environment explained that the skinks’ resistance lies in small but critical mutations in a receptor known as the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor—the very…
Millipedes might not be anyone’s favorite creatures — with their countless legs and secretive behavior, they often fall into the category of “creepy crawlies.” But new research suggests that these arthropods could be unexpected allies in the search for treatments for neurological disorders and pain. Chemist Emily Mevers and her research team have identified a new group of complex chemical structures in millipede secretions that can influence specific neuroreceptors in ant brains. These molecules belong to a class of naturally…
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Chemists have unveiled a groundbreaking method to generate a wide range of highly useful chemical building blocks using metal carbenes, according to new research. Carbenes—short-lived, highly reactive carbon atoms—are crucial in chemical reactions involved in drug synthesis and materials science. However, creating carbenes in the lab has traditionally been a challenge due to the hazardous and limited methods available. A team at The Ohio State University has now discovered a significantly easier way to produce metal carbenes.“Our…
A recent study published in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America provides the most comprehensive insight to date into the development of this atypical fly and its live birth—a uncommon occurrence among flies. Undergraduate student Parker Henderson ‘22 from St. Olaf College spearheaded the project, which unveiled significant findings regarding the reproductive biology of Ormia ochracea, a parasitic fly renowned for its hyperacute directional hearing that enables it to locate chirping crickets. The scientists utilised dissection, fluorescence labelling,…
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have elucidated a longstanding enigma in sonochemistry: the reason chemical reactions decelerate when ultrasonic power is very high. Their discoveries facilitate more intelligent use of ultrasound in scientific and industrial contexts, including environmental remediation and the synthesis of beneficial nanoparticles. Science Behind Ultrasound and Chemical Reactions Despite being imperceptible to the human ear, ultrasonography significantly influences sonochemistry. Ultrasonic waves applied to a liquid produce small bubbles that swiftly expand and disintegrate, a phenomenon known as…
Quantum computers encounter a significant obstacle in their pursuit of practical applications: their constrained capacity to rectify emerging computational mistakes. To create genuinely dependable quantum computers, researchers must replicate quantum calculations on classical computers to validate their accuracy – an essential yet exceptionally challenging endeavour. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, the University of Milan, the University of Granada, and the University of Tokyo have introduced a pioneering method for simulating particular forms of error-corrected quantum computations, marking…
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