Lipid droplets as endogenous intracellular microlenses
With the demand in real-time monitoring of endoplasmic variations and rapid detection of extracellular signals, a great number of approaches to bioimaging have been developed. The past few decades have witnessed a dramatic progress in optical imaging.....»»
Growing droplets in the matrix
The mechanism of molecular self-organization was assessed in a new model by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS). In their study, they simulated how environmental factors such as temperature influence t.....»»
Little Fluffy Clouds May Help Save Australia"s Great Barrier Reef
To slow the speed at which high temperatures and warm waters bleach the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, Australian scientists are spraying droplets of ocean water into the sky to form clouds to protect the environmental treasure. From a report: Res.....»»
Physicists make square droplets and liquid lattices
When two substances are brought together, they will eventually settle into a steady state called thermodynamic equilibrium; examples include oil floating on top of water and milk mixing uniformly into coffee. Researchers at Aalto University in Finlan.....»»
New 3D-printed sensor can detect glyphosate in beverages
A newly developed, low-cost sensor can detect and accurately measure the amount of the widely used and controversial herbicide, glyphosate, in droplets of liquid in a laboratory test......»»
Noninvasive eye procedure provides potential pathway for virus, disease carriers
A common eye test could expel tear droplets up to a meter away from the patient, potentially spreading viruses that cause COVID-19 and other pathogens......»»
How schools of "microswimmers" can increase their cargo capacity
A new study published in Physical Review Letters describes a way to increase the cargo capacity of microscopic, self-propelled droplets known as "microswimmers." Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the Max Planck Institute for D.....»»
Potential protection from atherosclerosis
PON1 (paraoxonase 1), an enzyme associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL), breaks down lipid peroxides, highly reactive fatty molecules that can damage blood vessels......»»
Development of "cellular membrane-FET (lipid-FET)" for sensitivity of biosensor
A Korean research team successfully developed a proprietary biosensor technology with significantly enhanced molecular sensitivity using the artificial lipid membrane that mimics cellular membrane. The research team led by Dr. Yong-Sang Ryu from the.....»»
MIT scientists reveal why water drops move faster on a hot, oil-coated surface
Twist on the "Leidenfrost effect" could one day be used in microfluidics applications Enlarge / Researchers have determined why droplets are propelled across a heated oily surface 100 times faster than on bare metal. The images above reveal the.....»»
Researchers develop new way to study neurodegenerative diseases
Some proteins in cells can separate into small droplets like oil droplets in water, but faults in this process may underlie neurodegenerative diseases in the brains of older people. Now, Rutgers researchers have developed a new method to quantify pro.....»»
Why boiling droplets can race across hot oily surfaces
When you're frying something in a skillet and some droplets of water fall into the pan, you may have noticed those droplets skittering around on top of the film of hot oil. Now, that seemingly trivial phenomenon has been analyzed and understood for t.....»»
Movement of small water droplets controlled by means of a magnet
Droplet manipulation is kindling great interest in several fields, including technological applications and basic studies in dynamic systems. The Lab-on-a-chip and microfluidics community is particularly interested in the precise manipulation of smal.....»»
Structural biology provides long-sought solution to innate immunity puzzle
Researchers report the first structural confirmation that endogenous -- or self-made -- molecules can set off innate immunity in mammals via a pair of immune cell proteins called the TLR4-MD-2 receptor complex. The work has wide-ranging implications.....»»
How promiscuous protein droplets regulate immune genes
Biochemists at Emory are achieving insights into how an important regulator of the immune system switches its function, based on its orientation and local environment. New research demonstrates that the glucocorticoid receptor (or GR) forms droplets.....»»
Synthesis of one of the most abundant organic lipids elucidates its structure
Crenarchaeol is a large, closed-loop lipid that is present in the membranes of ammonium-oxidizing archaea, a unicellular life form that exists ubiquitously in the oceans. In comparison to other archaeal membrane lipids, crenarchaeol is very complex a.....»»
New insights into Salmonella"s survival strategies
Scientists have analyzed how the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica secretes proteins to survive and thrive in infected cells. Using a novel approach, which for the first time allows scientists to study which host cell proteins are targeted b.....»»
Tiny tools: Controlling individual water droplets as biochemical reactors
Scientists develop a method to better manipulate tiny droplets in lab-on-a-chip applications for biochemistry, cell culturing, and drug screening......»»
Tiny tools: Controlling individual water droplets as biochemical reactors
Miniaturization is rapidly reshaping the field of biochemistry, with emerging technologies such as microfluidics and "lab-on-a-chip" devices taking the world by storm. Chemical reactions that were normally conducted in flasks and tubes can now be car.....»»
Lack of water rules out life on Venus: study
A study measuring water concentration in Venus's atmosphere concluded Monday that life as we know it is not possible among the sulphuric acid droplets that make up the planet's famously cloudy skies......»»
Advances in intracellular spaces with de novo designed peptide
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have set out to harness the potential of self-assembling peptides (SAPs) in intracellular spaces. They present a de novo designed peptide, Y15, which displays a strong tendency to assemble in c.....»»