Expensive noble metals often play a vital role in illuminating screens or converting solar energy into fuels. Now, chemists at the University of Basel have succeeded in replacing these rare elements with a significantly cheaper metal. In terms of their properties, the new materials are very similar to those used in the past. We’re familiar with chromium from everyday applications such as chromium steel in the kitchen or chrome-plated motorcycles. Soon, however, the element may also be found in the…
… to develop new nanotechnologies. Two molecular languages at the origin of life have been successfully recreated and mathematically validated, thanks to pioneering work by Canadian scientists at Université de Montréal. Published this week in the Journal of American Chemical Society, the breakthrough opens new doors for the development of nanotechnologies with applications ranging from biosensing, drug delivery and molecular imaging. Living organisms are made up of billions of nanomachines and nanostructures that communicate to create higher-order entities able to…
€ 10.4 Mio. for the “Leuna100” project. A consortium of two Fraunhofer institutes, DBI-Gastechnologisches Institut Freiberg, Technical University of Berlin and C1 makes industrial history at the Leuna site. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport over the next three years. The Berlin-based climate tech start-up C1, together with its partners the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, DBI-Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg…
…for advanced cell culture and personalized medicine. The team of Dr. Elisha Krieg at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden has developed a dynamic DNA-crosslinked matrix (DyNAtrix) by combining classical synthetic polymers with programmable DNA crosslinkers. DNA’s highly specific and predictable binding gives researchers unparalleled control over key mechanical properties of the material. The findings published in Nature Nanotechnology August 7, 2023, are highly relevant to in vitro cell culture materials for biological research. In-vitro culture of biological cells…
A mathematical model provides new insights into the distribution of genetic information during bacterial cell division. The precise segregation of DNA and the faithful inheritance of plasmids are crucial steps in bacterial cell division. Now, a team of researchers led by Seán Murray at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology has developed a computational simulation that explains a key mechanism of DNA segregation. Their findings pave the way for experimental testing and reveal fundamental biochemical principles relevant to synthetic…
After a highly lauded research campaign that successfully redesigned a hepatitis C drug into one of the leading drug treatments for COVID-19, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are now turning their drug design approach toward cancer. In their latest study, published in the journal Communications Chemistry, the team used neutrons and x-rays to draw a roadmap of every atom, chemical bond and electrical charge inside a key enzyme that belongs to a metabolic pathway that cancer cells…
A technique that enables scientists to record gene mutations and patterns of gene activity in individual cells has been extended to cover RNA splicing as well, in a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, the New York Genome Center and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. A better understanding of how aberrations in this process affects the development and behavior of cells is critical to understanding cancer and other diseases. RNA splicing refers to the slicing up and reassembling of the…
City of Hope scientists uncover new active regions on cell surface receptor, expanding scope for drug targets to treat heart disease. Finding could lead to a new class of drugs to address cardiovascular side effects of some cancer therapies. FINDINGS Scientists at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States and a leading research center for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses, have uncovered new molecular targets on a cell receptor that play…
Chemist at LIKAT Defines Standards for Light-driven CO2 Reduction. The first standardization document for photocatalytic synthesis was created with the significant participation of a chemist at the Rostock Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, LIKAT. Called “DIN SPEC 91 457”, the specification lays down concrete guidelines for a so-called CO2 reduction, which is a reaction in which important basic materials for the chemical industry are produced from CO2 and water (H2O) by means of catalysis. “These guidelines strengthen our global efforts to…
… reveals what drives their first movements. Bringing ultrafast physics to structural biology has revealed the dance of molecular ‘coherence’ in unprecedented clarity. How molecules change when they react to stimuli such as light is fundamental in biology, for example during photosynthesis. Scientists have been working to unravel the workings of these changes in several fields, and by combining two of these, researchers have paved the way for a new era in understanding the reactions of protein molecules fundamental for…
LJI and Augusta University scientists investigate link between “deprogrammed” regulatory T cells and cardiovascular disease. Scientists can finally hunt down a harmful kind of human T cell, thanks to new research led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University. Immune cells called ex-T regulatory cells (exTregs) tend to be rare in the body and, so far, impossible to detect in human samples. The new study gives scientists a…
In the refrigerated grocery store aisle, meat alternatives greatly outnumber plant-based seafoods. But more mock seafood options are needed because of unsustainable fishing and aquaculture practices, which can deplete the supply and harm the environment. Today, researchers present a new approach for creating desirable vegan seafood mimics that taste good, while maintaining the healthful profile of real fish. They 3D-printed an ink made from microalgae protein and mung bean protein, and their proof-of-concept calamari rings can even be air-fried for…
Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later — with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Today, researchers will describe their progress to date, including isolation and purification of insect-derived chemicals and their conversion into functional bioplastics. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2023 is a hybrid meeting…
Catalysis scheme developed at the University of Bonn is inexpensive, sustainable, and effective A novel catalysis scheme enables chemical reactions that were previously virtually impossible. The method developed at the University of Bonn is also environmentally friendly and does not require rare and precious metals. The researchers recorded the exact course of the catalysis in a kind of high-speed film. They did this using special lasers that can make processes visible that last only fractions of a billionth of a…
For now, cyborgs exist only in fiction, but the concept is becoming more plausible as science progresses. And now, researchers are reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters that they have developed a proof-of-concept technique to “tattoo” living cells and tissues with flexible arrays of gold nanodots and nanowires. With further refinement, this method could eventually be used to integrate smart devices with living tissue for biomedical applications, such as bionics and biosensing. Advances in electronics have enabled manufacturers to make integrated…
A study published on August 10, 2023 in the journal Nature Communications has identified a new pathway that human immune deficiency virus (HIV) uses to enter the nucleus of a healthy cell, where it can then replicate and go on to invade other cells. The researchers also identified three proteins that are needed for the virus to carry out the invasion and have in turn synthesized molecules (potential drugs) that can target one of the proteins, potentially leading to new…
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