Exploring molecular boundaries in DNA
It's important to be well organized. And this is especially true for the genome—the entirety of an organism's genetic information, also known as DNA. The genomic DNA is several meters long but has to fit inside the cell's nucleus, which has a diame.....»»
Fungi that break down hardwood trees can do the same with plastic, study shows
A team of plant and molecular biologists from the University of Kelaniya and the University of Peradeniya, both in Sri Lanka, reports that many types of fungi that break down hardwood trees can also break down polyethylene, a common kind of plastic......»»
Q&A: Experts discuss the geoengineering methods for reflecting sunlight to cool Earth
As concerns about climate change intensify, researchers are exploring the potential for large-scale human intervention in the Earth's climate system, a strategy sometimes referred to as geoengineering. One approach to cooling the Earth involves sunli.....»»
NASA’s Mars rover marvels at ‘big chunky weirdo’
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring Mars since landing there in 2021, and this week it discovered what it described as a big chunky weirdo......»»
Bio-reactivity of refractory humic-like dissolved organic matter found to increase in energy-limiting deep-sea sediments
Humic-like dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major component of DOM in marine sediment pore waters. It is usually regarded as refractory for their complex molecular structures and long residence time in natural environments. However, its bio-reacti.....»»
Man open-sources the self-repairable AirPods Pro case that Apple won’t make
The AirPods Pro "could have been easily made repairable with minimal effort." Screws > glue. [credit: Exploring the Simu.....»»
High-resolution scattering imaging reveals vibrational-state-specific mechanisms in paradigmatic ion-molecule reaction
Charged atomic and molecular species are ubiquitous in environments such as planetary atmospheres, interstellar medium and plasma. The collisions between charged ions and neutral molecules play vital roles in determining the chemical evolution and en.....»»
How a molecular motor moves in a network
A new study determines the efficiency of a single-molecule heat engine by considering a series of ratchets that transfer energy along a network......»»
Molecular highway for electrons in organic light-emitting diodes: Researchers develop new material concept
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are now widely used. For use in displays, blue OLEDs are additionally required to supplement the primary colors red and green. Especially in blue OLEDs, impurities give rise to strong electrical losses, which cou.....»»
Red algae proteins grafted into tobacco double plant growth
A Cornell researcher and her colleagues have solved one key piece of the molecular puzzle needed to dramatically improve plant productivity and increase carbon sequestration: They have successfully transferred key regions of a highly efficient red al.....»»
Researchers capture atomic view of synthetic DNA, revealing "molecular scissors" that could treat disease
West Virginia University researchers are now able to view synthetic DNA at the atomic level, giving them the ability to understand how to change its structure in hopes of enhancing its scissor-like function. Learning more about these synthetic DNA re.....»»
How an unlikely amphibian survived its judgment day
An international team of researchers has uncovered "unprecedented" snake venom resistance in an unexpected species—the legless amphibians known as caecilians. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences......»»
Zooming across time and space simultaneously with superresolution to understand how cells divide
Cell division, or the process of how daughter cells emerge from a mother cell, is fundamental to biology. Every cell inherits the same protein and DNA building blocks that make up the cell it originally came from. Yet exactly how these molecular buil.....»»
New legged robots designed to explore planets as a team
Even if one robot fails, the rest of the team can offset its loss. Enlarge / The robots exploring a simulated alien environment. (credit: ETH Zurich / Takahiro Miki) While rovers have made incredible discoveries, their w.....»»
Unlocking secrets of the elusive ghost shark
Researchers from the University of Florida and the Seattle Aquarium are exploring 100 meters underwater in the Pacific Northwest this summer to learn more about mysterious ghost sharks, one of the strangest beasts from the depths of the ocean......»»
Exploring the role of ice sheets for the climate
In recent decades the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica have decreased dramatically, and scientific projections suggest an increasing retreat in the future. Ice sheets form on land in regions with sufficient snowfall, which compacts and forms ic.....»»
Exploring the multi-billion-dollar risk to economic activity from climate extremes affecting ports
More than $122 billion of economic activity—$81 billion in international trade—is at risk from the impact of extreme climate events, according to new research from Oxford's Environmental Change Institute......»»
A new type of superresolution for exploring cell division
A new way to see details smaller than half the wavelength of light has revealed how nanoscale scaffolding inside cells bridges to the macroscale during cell division. Unlike earlier superresolution techniques, the one developed and tested at the Univ.....»»
Exploring the macro shifts in enterprise security
The number of successful ransomware attacks and data breach attempts fell by 30% over the last year, the number of reported security incident types at organizations increased, according to the 2023 Cybersecurity Perspectives Survey by Scale. Security.....»»
Molecular biologists identify framework for understanding RNA editing in a disease-causing parasite
As molecular biologists at Boston University and as husband and wife, Ruslan Afasizhev and Inna Afasizheva have worked together for decades. Together, they have published dozens of papers on the mechanics of mitochondrial DNA and RNA in a single-cell.....»»
Mosquito-friendly gene drive may lead to a malaria-free future
Research led by the Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, has developed a gene drive solution for mitigating malaria transmission from mosquitoes......»»