All wound up: A reversible molecular whirligig
Over the last few decades, researchers have built minuscule molecular machines that rotate or shuttle other molecules. However, it's difficult to determine the mechanical work and forces that these tiny contraptions produce, which is important when u.....»»
Why being declared dead when you’re alive still occurs
Death is a process, not an event, and some steps appear to be reversible. Enlarge / This photo taken on March 30, 2018, shows a Thai teenager trying out a traditional coffin at the Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe, an exhibition spac.....»»
RNA"s "joints" play key role in our gene expression, scientists find
University of Chicago scientists have discovered a new wrinkle in our understanding of how our genes work. The team, led by Chuan He, the UChicago John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, shed l.....»»
Autophagy: The molecular regulation of self-eating
Autophagy, or "self-eating", is an essential cellular quality control mechanism that clears the cell of protein aggregates and damaged organelles. This mechanism is inactive under normal conditions and only triggered upon persistent cellular stress......»»
Scientists develop graphene aerogel particles for efficient water purification
Writing in the Journal of Molecular Liquids, a team led by Professor Aravind Vijayaraghavan based in the National Graphene Institute (NGI) have produced three-dimensional particles made of graphene, of many interesting shapes, using a variation of th.....»»
Mapping molecular funnels with X-rays: Precise timings of non-adiabatic excited state dynamics
Time-resolved spectroscopy is a tool that provides access to the time-scale of chemical reactions as they happen. With the help of ultra-short light pulses, it is possible to observe conformal changes in molecules on the time-scale of the atomic moti.....»»
Cells routinely self-cannibalize to take out their trash, aiding in survival and disease prevention
Don't let the textbook diagram of a simplified two-dimensional cell fool you—within this tiny structure of life is a complex universe of molecular machinery that is continually being built, put into motion and eventually broken down......»»
Snail mucus yields natural adhesive for wound healing
Land snails and their mucus were used in ancient times by Hippocrates and Pliny to treat pain associated with burns, abscesses and other wounds. Inspired by this ancient therapy, Prof. Wu Mingyi and his team at the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) o.....»»
Harnessing an innate protection against Ebola
In their evolutionary battle for survival, viruses have developed strategies to spark and perpetuate infection. Once inside a host cell, the Ebola virus, for example, hijacks molecular pathways to replicate itself and eventually make its way back out.....»»
Researchers uncover physics involved in a key process in Huntington"s disease
Researchers from Princeton University have uncovered the physics of a cellular process linked to aggregation diseases, including Huntington's disease, paving the way to a deeper understanding of neurodegenerative disorders at the molecular level......»»
Study shows that eggshells of large, flightless birds evolved along different tracks
Molecular analysis of the eggshell structure of large flightless birds such as ostriches and emus provides new insights into how they evolved......»»
Molecular clouds extend their lives by constantly reassembling themselves, say astronomers
Astronomers have recently discovered that giant clouds of molecular hydrogen, the birthplace of stars, can live for tens of millions of years despite the facts that individual molecules are constantly getting destroyed and reassembled. This new resea.....»»
Researchers identify important molecular switch for hearing development
In the inner ear, there are two different types of sensory cells that are responsible for hearing. An MHH research team has now identified the molecular switch for the formation of these inner and outer hair cells and thus found an important building.....»»
James Webb peers into icy cloud to learn about exoplanet formation
Researchers using James Webb have peered into a molecular cloud to look for these ices which could be formed into future exoplanets......»»
Study links nano and macro aspects of everyday force
Without the force called friction, cars would skid off the roadway, humans couldn't stride down the sidewalk, and objects would tumble off your kitchen counter and onto the floor. Even so, how friction works at a molecular scale remains poorly unders.....»»
Spin transport measured through molecular films now long enough to develop spintronic devices
Information processing devices such as smartphones are becoming more sophisticated because their information-recording density constantly increases, thanks to advances in microfabrication technology. In recent years, however, we are rapidly approachi.....»»
Study shows how cells prevent harmful extra copies of DNA
A protein that prepares DNA for replication also prevents the replication process from running out of control, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers. The work, published Jan. 5 in Molecular Cell, solves a mystery that has lon.....»»
Advancing our mastery of stereoselective photoredox reactions to produce mirror-image molecules
Researchers of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung have expanded the molecular toolbox for efficient, targeted syntheses: To do so, they use a very special catalyst—and the energy of light. The result of their work has now been published i.....»»
DNA detector exposes hidden Antarctic krill
Like forensic investigators, scientists can use molecular techniques to detect evidence of Antarctic krill in seawater samples collected in the Southern Ocean. The revolutionary technology can identify Antarctic krill DNA within the alphabet soup of.....»»
Host-cell factors involved in COVID-19 infections may augur improved treatments
Researchers at University of California San Diego and UC Riverside have further elucidated the molecular pathway used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect human lung cells, identifying a key host-cell player that may prove a new and enduring therapeutic.....»»
Scientists reveal the molecular mechanism of miRNA biogenesis complex in C. elegans
The study of microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNAs that play important roles in gene regulation in animals and humans alike, have long been a topic of research interest. How these miRNAs control and regulate gene expression is believed to hold the key to th.....»»