Insight into molecular motion on surfaces at the nanoscale. Now, using neutron spectroscopy experiments performed at Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and advanced theorical models and computer simulations, a team led by Anton Tamtögl, from Graz University of Technology, unveiled the unique movement of triphenylphosphine (PPh3) molecules on graphite surfaces, a behaviour akin to a nanoscopic moonlander. In fact, PPh3 molecules exhibit a remarkable form of motion, rolling and translating in ways that challenge previous understandings. This moonlander-like motion seems to be…

A team of researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has discovered that aldehydes are metabolic byproducts associated with premature aging. Published in Nature Cell Biology, their findings reveal insights into premature aging diseases and potential strategies to combat aging in healthy individuals such as controlling exposure to aldehyde-inducing substances including alcohol, pollution, and smoke. A person’s health can be harmed by aldehydes. However, the group’s findings suggest these detrimental effects also include aging. The team who made this discovery included…

FOXO1 is required for memory in T cells and is associated with more durable clinical responses to CAR T cell therapy. CAR T cell therapy has revolutionized the way certain types of cancer are treated, and the longer those CAR T cells live in a patient’s body, the more effectively they respond to cancer. Now, in a new study, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Stanford Medicine have found that a protein called FOXO1 improves the survival and…

Study in Nature unlocks how cortisone inhibits inflammation. Cortisone and other related glucocorticoids are extremely effective at curbing excessive immune reactions. But previously, astonishingly little was known about how they exactly do that. A team of researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Uniklinikum Erlangen and Ulm University have now explored the molecular mechanism of action in greater detail. As the researchers report in the journal Nature,* glucocorticoids reprogram the metabolism of immune cells, activating the body’s natural “brakes” on inflammation….

University of Montana researchers and their partners have found a new method to generate human cartilage of the head and neck. Mark Grimes, a biology professor in UM’s Division of Biological Sciences, said they have induced stem cells to become the cell type that normally makes up human craniofacial cartilage. Stem cells can replicate themselves and also develop into different types of cells. “The cells that normally give rise to this type of cartilage are called neural crest cells,” Grimes…

When scuba divers need to say “I’m okay” or “Shark!” to their dive partners, they use hand signals to communicate visually. But sometimes these movements are difficult to see. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have constructed a waterproof “e-glove” that wirelessly transmits hand gestures made underwater to a computer that translates them into messages. The new technology could someday help divers communicate better with each other and with boat crews on the surface. E-gloves — gloves fitted with electronic…

New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots. Our muscles are nature’s perfect actuators — devices that turn energy into motion. For their size, muscle fibers are more powerful and precise than most synthetic actuators. They can even heal from damage and grow stronger with exercise. For these reasons, engineers are exploring ways to power robots with natural muscles. They’ve demonstrated a handful of “biohybrid” robots that use…

With the Flick of a Switch… Imagine switching on a light and being able to understand and control the inner dynamics of a cell. This is what the Dimova group has achieved: by shining lights of different colors on replicates of cells, they altered the interactions between cellular elements. Controlling these complex interactions enables us to deliver specific drugs directly into the cells. And with the flick of a switch, we could adjust or even reverse this delivery, potentially revolutionizing…

Columbia biomedical engineers use AI to build a transformative new tool to study and diagnose heart function. Understanding heart function and disease, as well as testing new drugs for heart conditions, has long been a complex and time-consuming task. A promising way to study disease and test new drugs is to use cellular and engineered tissue models in a dish, but existing methods to study heart cell contraction and calcium handling require a good deal of manual work, are prone…

Ring polymers show unexpected motion patterns under shear. It all depends on the linking: How ring polymers move… An international research team is attracting the attention of experts in the field with computational results on the behavior of ring polymers under shear forces: Reyhaneh Farimani, University of Vienna, and her colleagues showed that for the simplest case of connected ring pairs, the type of linkage – chemically bonded vs. mechanically linked – has profound effects on the dynamic properties under…

… for the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction using umbilical cord stem cells. The results of a pioneering study support the safety of the bioimplants called PeriCord, made from stem cells of the umbilical cord and pericardium from a tissue donor, which aid in the regeneration and revascularisation of the affected area. The study has monitored 7 interventions of this pioneering tissue engineering surgery over three years, noting excellent biocompatibility and no rejection in patients. The therapy has been…

Pressure changes and mechanical forces trigger wound healing in plants. Plants are very robust and survive harsh environments, owing in part to their remarkably efficient wound-healing capacity. For over a century, scientists aimed to understand it in more detail. A new collaborative study at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) now shows that the process is quite straightforward, revolving around pressure and forces. The results, published in Developmental Cell, hold promise for advancing agriculture. Healing in plants. After…

New research shows: key molecules within nerve cells persist throughout life. Most human nerve cells last a lifetime without renewal. A trait echoed within the cells’ components, some enduring as long as the organism itself. New research by Martin Hetzer, molecular biologist and president of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), and colleagues discovered RNA, a typical transient molecule, in the nerve cells of mice that remain stable for their entire lives. Published in Science, these findings contribute…

LMU biophysicists have demonstrated how heat flows through rock fissures could have created the conditions for the emergence of life. Life is complicated. What is true for our everyday existence also holds for the many complex processes that take place inside cells. Proteins constantly have to be synthesized, cell walls built, and DNA replicated. This can only work when reaction partners converge at the right time in sufficiently high concentrations while suffering little disruption from other substances. Over the course…

How small RNA molecules regulate viral infections of bacteria. Viruses need hosts. Whether it’s measles, the flu or coronavirus, viral pathogens cannot multiply or infect other organisms without the assistance of their hosts’ cellular infrastructure. However, humans are not the only ones affected by viruses: animals, plants and even microorganisms can all serve as hosts. Viruses that use bacteria as host cells are called bacteriophages (or simply “phages” for short) and are thought to be the most abundant biological entities…

A new development in biomedical research could open the door to a variety of new applications: Scientists* at the University of Bayreuth have found that certain polymers, called polyanions, can penetrate cells in a unique way without causing damage. The study, which was published in the journal “ACS Polymers Au”, may help to transport active substances into cells in a more targeted manner. What for? A team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Meike Leiske, Junior Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry…