Copolymer solution uses water-loving differential to induce desorption at lower temperatures. Harvesting water from the air and decreasing humidity are crucial to realizing a more comfortable life for humanity. Water-adsorption polymers have been playing a key part in atmospheric water harvesting and desiccant air conditioning, but desorption so that the polymers can be efficiently reused has been an issue. Now, Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have found a way to make desorption of these polymers more efficient. Usually, heat of around…
UVA team solves a nearly 200-year-old challenge in polymers. UVA researchers defy materials science rules with molecules that release stored length to decouple stiffness and stretchability. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new polymer design that appears to rewrite the textbook on polymer engineering. No longer is it dogma that the stiffer a polymeric material is, the less stretchable it has to be. “We are addressing a fundamental challenge that has…
Innovative nanostructures pave the way for advanced robotics – and mini dinosaurs. Researchers at the University of Sydney Nano Institute have made a significant advance in the field of molecular robotics by developing custom-designed and programmable nanostructures using DNA origami. This innovative approach has potential across a range of applications, from targeted drug delivery systems to responsive materials and energy-efficient optical signal processing. The method uses ‘DNA origami’, so-called as it uses the natural folding power of DNA, the building…
Study of malaria parasite genomes paves the way for new, more effective treatments. Researchers at University of California San Diego analyzed the genomes of hundreds of malaria parasites to determine which genetic variants are most likely to confer drug resistance. The findings, published in Science, could help scientists use machine learning to predict antimalarial drug resistance and more effectively prioritize the most promising experimental treatments for further development. The approach could also help predict treatment resistance in other infectious diseases,…
Within a cell, DNA carries the genetic code for building proteins. To build proteins, the cell makes a copy of DNA, called mRNA. Then, another molecule called a ribosome reads the mRNA, translating it into protein. But this step has been a visual mystery: scientists previously did not know how the ribosome attaches to and reads mRNA. Now, a team of international scientists, including University of Michigan researchers, have used advanced microscopy to image how ribosomes recruit to mRNA while…
…through biogenic production using phototrophic microorganisms. The Fraunhofer Institute FEP in Dresden offers scalable research and development opportunities focused on technological innovations for resource conservation and climate neutrality. To meet the rising demand for climate-neutral building materials, new manufacturing processes are being explored. The institute researches electron beam-assisted processes to enhance biogenic limestone synthesis with phototrophic microorganisms, supporting the decarbonization of the cement industry. This aims to reduce the CO2 footprint of cement and gradually replace fossil limestone. The project…
Old DSMZ treasures with new potential. Researchers name newly described bacteria exclusively after female scientists. Researchers led by Dr Imen Nouioui and Prof. Dr Yvonne Mast from the Department Bioresources for Bioeconomy and Health Research at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH have characterised 28 actinomycetes and investigated their biotechnological potential. The results of the study show that all actinomycetes have an inhibiting effect against a panel of test bacteria and yeasts. The researchers have…
Improvements in super-resolution microscopy have wide-ranging implications for biological and biomedical research. A team of researchers led by Anna-Karin Gustavsson at Rice University has developed an innovative imaging platform that promises to improve our understanding of cellular structures at the nanoscale. This platform, called soTILT3D for single-objective tilted light sheet with 3D point spread functions (PSFs), offers significant advancements in super-resolution microscopy, enabling fast and precise 3D imaging of multiple cellular structures while the extracellular environment can be controlled and…
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are everywhere in modern life, from smartphones to home lighting. But today’s LEDs have a major limitation: when you try to make them brighter by increasing their power, they become less efficient. A team of researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has now found a way to make LEDs brighter while maintaining their efficiency. Their research promises to reduce the cost and environmental impact of LED production while improving performance in applications such as visible light communication…
Nerve cells in the retina were analysed at TU Wien (Vienna) using microelectrodes. They show astonishingly stable behavior – good news for retina implants. The retina is often referred to as an “outpost of the brain” – after all, important steps in visual signal processing do not take place in the cerebrum, but in the nerve cells in the eye. When light falls on the retina, sensor cells become active and send electrical signals to layers of nerve cells located…
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology joins IQST as a new partner. The mission of IQST is to further our understanding of nature and develop innovative technologies based on quantum science by leveraging synergies between the natural sciences, engineering, and life sciences. “Many KIT scientists already successfully support IQST with their expertise as Fellows. All the more I am pleased that the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is now joining our interdisciplinary centre as an institution,” says IQST Director Prof. Stefanie Barz. “This…
…shows promise as antimicrobial agent. Rice scientists develop nanocrystals that kill bacteria under visible light. Newly developed halide perovskite nanocrystals (HPNCs) show potential as antimicrobial agents that are stable, effective and easy to produce. After almost three years, Rice University scientist Yifan Zhu and colleagues have developed a new HPNC that is effective at killing bacteria in a biofluid under visible light without experiencing light- and moisture-driven degradation common in HPNCs. A new method using two layers of silicon dioxide…
Chemists at the University of Jena develop graphene-based biosensor. Just like other biosensors, a graphene-based biosensor requires a functionalised surface on which only specific molecules can attach. If, for example, a specific biomarker is to be detected from a blood or saliva sample, a corresponding counterpart – a so-called capture molecule – must be applied to the sensor surface. The problem: “If graphene is functionalised directly, its electronic structure changes unfavourably,” explains Prof. Dr Andrey Turchanin from the University of…
…for diagnostics and blocks cell entry. A tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment. Led by Xing…
With 2024 on track to be declared the hottest on record, scientists from IIASA and Columbia University have noticed that specific regions are consistently more affected by extreme temperatures. A new study provides the first worldwide map of these regional climate danger zones. Amid the continued upward march in average temperatures over the past decades, a recent surge of record shattering extreme heat waves raise questions about the degree to which climate models can provide adequate estimates of relations between…
A fungus discovered in the mouse stomach may hold a key to fungal evolution within the gastrointestinal tract, according to new research led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The finding suggests that preclinical studies until now have overlooked a major influencer of mouse physiology. Scientists recently have come to appreciate the importance, for human health and disease, of microbes—often called “commensals”—that naturally dwell in the gut. Bacterial commensals, for example, are known to have a big influence on human immunity;…
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