Chemical trick activates antibiotic directly at the pathogen
Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic that is usually only used for severe infections with resistant bacteria. This is due to its severe kidney-damaging side effects, which occur in about 30% of treated patients. A research team at the Helmholtz Cente.....»»
For its next trick, Gaia could help detect background gravitational waves in the universe
Ripples in a pond can be captivating on a nice sunny day as can ripples in the very fabric of space, although the latter are a little harder to observe. Using the highly tuned Gaia probe, a team of astronomers proposes in a paper posted to arXiv prep.....»»
Research unveils nickel-based catalysts with remarkable economic feasibility
In a development set to transform the chemical industry on a global scale, Professor Chang Ho Yoo in the Department of Chemistry at UNIST has successfully developed a highly efficient and stable carbonylation catalytic reaction using nickel catalysts.....»»
Research links climate change to vampire bat expansion and rabies virus spillover
Vampire bats may soon take up residence in the United States and bring with them an ancient pathogen. "What we found was that the distribution of vampire bats has moved northward across time due to past climate change, which has corresponded with an.....»»
Silk lines help pirate spiders trick, capture eight-legged prey
Headlamps alone illuminated the trail bisecting the Costa Rican rainforest. Having waded the black of the Tirimbina reserve so often before, Gilbert Barrantes, Laura Segura Hernández and Diego Solano Brenes knew the routine......»»
Facilitating learning chemistry with conceptual modeling
A team of researchers and teachers from the University of Twente have developed a novel teaching method that uses conceptual modeling to facilitate learning and foster creativity in classrooms of chemical science and engineering students. The student.....»»
The way a sperm tail moves can be explained by mathematics worked out by Alan Turing
Alan Turing might be best know for his work helping to crack Germany's "Enigma" communications code during the second world war. But he also came up with a theory where patterns can form just through chemical compounds spreading out (diffusing) and r.....»»
Saturday Citations: Lead, microplastics and coal on our filthy planet—plus, faster-charging lithium-ion batteries
This week, we reported on new developments in lithium-ion batteries, and a real industrial pollution hat trick with stories on coal, lead and microplastics......»»
Study provides fresh insights into antibiotic resistance, fitness landscapes
E. coli bacteria may be far more capable of evolving antibiotic resistance than scientists previously thought, according to a new study published in Science on November 24......»»
Researchers identify "unicorn" defense mechanism that protects bacteria from antibiotics
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered unique characteristics of a mechanism used by bacteria to resist an important class of antibiotics. The new research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, shows that resistance to aminoglycoside dru.....»»
Scientists discover a new stress response pathway for repairing RNA-protein crosslinks caused by toxic aldehydes
The research team of Professor Petra Beli and their collaborators have discovered that aldehydes, a type of toxic chemical produced by the body after drinking alcohol, damage cells by creating chemical crosslinks between RNA and proteins, thereby int.....»»
Chlorine disinfectant is no more effective than water at killing off hospital superbug, new study shows
One of the primary chlorine disinfectants currently being used to clean hospital scrubs and surfaces does not kill off the most common cause of antibiotic-associated sickness in health care settings globally, according to a new study......»»
Progress in wastewater treatment via organic supramolecular photocatalysts under sunlight
Refractory organic pollutants, including phenols, perfluorinated compounds, and antibiotics, are abundant in various industrial wastewater streams such as chemical, pharmaceutical, coking, and dyeing sectors, as well as municipal and domestic sources.....»»
Researchers discover novel bacteriocin in common skin bacterium
Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing global problem. Part of the solution may lie in copying the bacteria's own weapons. Researchers in Tromsø have found a new bacteriocin, in a very common skin bacterium. Bacteriocin inhibits.....»»
From waste to wealth: Transforming biomass into humic acid with two-step hydrothermal process via hydrochar
Humic acid (HA) is a macromolecular organic substance that is widely used in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, chemical industry, building materials, medicine, environmental protection, and a number of other fields. However, the production of.....»»
Will this antibiotic work for you? A quick and easy method of testing antimicrobial susceptibility
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) directly causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths around the globe annually, a figure that the World Health Organization has predicted will rise. A leading cause of AMR is the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which has.....»»
Study shows how AI can detect antibiotic resistance in as little as 30 minutes
To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, researchers supported by the Oxford Martin Program on Antimicrobial Resistance Testing at the University of Oxford have reported advances towards a novel and rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test that can.....»»
Feeding dogs raw meat increases the risk of antibiotic-resistant E. coli, finds study
Feeding dogs raw (uncooked) meat increases their risk of excreting E. coli that cannot be killed by a widely used antibiotic—ciprofloxacin—researchers at the University of Bristol have found from a study of 600 healthy pet dogs......»»
To study radioactive neptunium and plutonium, researchers establish a novel chemistry
Oxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium......»»
Pushing the boundaries of eco-friendly chemical production with azaarenes
A team of pioneering researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has made a significant leap forward in the complex world of molecular chemistry......»»
Researchers tune the speed of chirality switching
Chiral molecules can have dramatically different functional properties while sharing identical chemical formulae and almost identical structures. The molecular structure of two types of a chiral molecule—so-called enantiomers—are mirror images of.....»»