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…
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…
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…
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…
…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…
ISTA scientists use harmless viruses to investigate the nervous system in frogs. Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—animals with four limbs, including humans. A group of scientists led by a team at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows how harmless viruses can be used to illuminate the development of the frog nervous system. The results…
In nature, plant roots are always colonized by fungi. This interaction can be either mutualistic, benefiting both the plant and the fungus, or pathogenic, where the fungus harms the host plant. A research group led by Professor Dr Alga Zuccaro at the CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence has now deciphered how the beneficial root fungus Serendipita indica successfully colonizes plant roots of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Initially, the fungus colonizes living root cells. Subsequently, limited cell death is triggered in…
New insights into how checkpoint inhibitors affect the immune system could improve cancer treatment. A multinational collaboration co-led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research has uncovered a potential explanation for why some cancer patients receiving a type of immunotherapy called checkpoint inhibitors experience increased susceptibility to common infections. The findings, published in the journal Immunity, provide new insights into immune responses and reveal a potential approach to preventing the common cancer therapy side effect. “Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies have…
University of Wisconsin–Madison biochemists have developed a new, efficient method that may give first responders, environmental monitoring groups, or even you, the ability to quickly detect harmful and health-relevant substances in our bodies and environments. Small molecules that interact with proteins can initiate, enhance, and inhibit vital biological processes. Some small molecules, like vitamins or hormones, are linked to our health. Others, like opioids, are toxic, and knowing whether they’re in a patient’s system can be essential for emergency medical…
Constant ‘churn’ of new cancer cells gives the disease ample room for evolutionary innovation, according to a study in the journal eLIFE. Researchers at the University of Cologne and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona have discovered that cancer grows uniformly throughout its mass, rather than at the outer edges. The work, published today in the journal eLIFE under the title ‘High-density sampling reveals volume growth in human tumours’, questions decades-old assumptions about how the disease grows and…
Exploring Life at Its Simplest: Lipids, or fats, are essential to life. They form the membranes around cells, protecting them from the outside. In nature, there is an enormous diversity of lipids, with each organism having its own unique combination. But what are the minimum lipid requirements for a cell to survive? A research team at the B CUBE – Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TUD Dresden University of Technology showed that cells can function with just two lipids. They…
Not all plastics are equal — some types and colors are easier to recycle than others. For instance, black foam and black coffee lids, which are often made of polystyrene, usually end up in landfills because color additives lead to ineffective sorting. Now, researchers report in ACS Central Science the ability to leverage one additive in black plastics, with the help of sunlight or white LEDs, to convert black and colored polystyrene waste into reusable starting materials. “Simple, visible light…
Some sequences in the genome cause genes to be switched on or off. Until now, each of these gene switches, or so-called enhancers, was thought to have its own place on the DNA. Different enhancers are therefore separated from each other, even if they control the same gene, and switch it on in different parts of the body. A recent study from the University of Bonn and the LMU Munich challenges this idea. The findings are also important because gene…
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