Optimality in self-organized molecular sorting
The eukaryotic cell is the basic unit of animals and plants. Through the microscope, it looks highly structured and subdivided in many membrane-bound compartments. Each compartment has a specific function, and its membrane is populated by specific mo.....»»
New camera offers ultrafast imaging at a fraction of the normal cost
Capturing blur-free images of fast movements like falling water droplets or molecular interactions requires expensive ultrafast cameras that acquire millions of images per second. In a new paper, researchers report a camera that could offer a much le.....»»
Novel molecular design for enhanced efficacy and safety in radiotheranostics
Radiotheranostics embodies the convergence of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals into a unified platform. In cancer treatment, radiotheranostic procedures typically involve the use of antibodies that bind to proteins abundantly found on.....»»
Improving organic solar cell efficiency through molecular engineering
Polymer solar cells are lightweight, flexible solar panels that can be used for wearable devices. However, toxic halogenated processing solvents used during manufacturing of these solar cells have limited their widespread adoption......»»
Researchers find evidence for widespread thermal optimality of ecosystem respiration
Terrestrial ecosystems respire nearly 120–130 Gt of carbon into the atmosphere each year. But it is not yet clear how ecosystem respiration will change under global warming......»»
Study reveals molecular mechanism underlying cross-membrane transport of plant hormone abscisic acid
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key plant hormone produced in response to abiotic stress such as drought and salt. It is mainly synthesized in roots and vascular tissues and transported to specific sites to exert physiological functions. Several ABA transpo.....»»
Will it slip or will it grip: Scientists ask, "What is snail mucus?"
What is snail mucus? That was the question posed by researchers in a new study that examines the molecular composition of snail mucus. When analyzing the mucus of a common garden snail, they found it contained a complex collection of proteins, some i.....»»
Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from ready-to-eat foods in China
The objective of a new study published in the journal Zoonoses was to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, virulence profiles, and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) obtained from ready-to-e.....»»
AI "nose" predicts smells from molecular structures
In a major breakthrough, scientists have built a tool to predict the odor profile of a molecule, just based on its structure. It can identify molecules that look different but smell the same, as well as molecules that look very similar but smell tota.....»»
Q&A: The molecular recipe for building climate change-resistant plants
Plants are facing a critical challenge: Adapt to our rapidly changing climate or die. For some plants, that means adapting to hotter temperatures and less water. For others, it's about the availability of nutrients in changing soils......»»
Striking gold with molecular mystery solution for potential clean energy
Hydrogen spillover is exactly what it sounds like. Small metal nanoparticles anchored on a thermally stable oxide, like silica, comprise a major class of catalysts, which are substances used to accelerate chemical reactions without being consumed the.....»»
"Suicidal" mechanism discovered in ion channel receptors enables the sensing of heat and pain
The ability to accurately detect heat and pain is critical to human survival, but scientists have struggled to understand on a molecular level exactly how our bodies sense these potential risks......»»
Mapping the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein could provide insight into vaccine development
Although the COVID-19 pandemic was the first time most of humanity learned of the now infamous disease, the family of coronaviruses was first identified in the mid-1960s. In a new study, molecular biologist Steven Van Doren, a scientist in the Univer.....»»
Optimizing molecular photoswitches for solar energy harvesting
Molecular photoswitches that can both convert and store energy could be used to make solar energy harvesting more efficient. A team of researchers has used a quantum computing method to find a particularly efficient molecular structure for this purpo.....»»
Scientists unravel symbiotic secrets of prokaryotic community living in host amoeba
In a new study, researchers from the Faculty of Science of Charles University, in collaboration with researchers from Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and European Molecular Biology Laboratory from Heidelberg, have delved into the in.....»»
Research explores first defense against devastating ToCSV tomato virus at a molecular genetics level
How tomato plants defend themselves against a devastating 'young' Southern African virus has now been investigated at a molecular genetics level for the first time by researchers at the University of Johannesburg (UJ)......»»
Scientists invent new way to sort cells by type using light
Researchers have developed and demonstrated a new method for high-throughput single-cell sorting that uses stimulated Raman spectroscopy rather than the traditional approach of fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The new approach could offer a label.....»»
New experimental research measures the speed of molecular charge migration for the first time
To discover how light interacts with molecules, the first step is to follow electron dynamics, which evolve at the attosecond timescale. The dynamics of this first step have been called charge migration (CM). CM plays a fundamental role in chemical r.....»»
Learning from viruses: Molecular fibers can help to introduce genetic material into cells
Pathogenic viruses that enter the human body can dock onto cells with their tentacle-like extensions, whereupon the cell takes up the viruses. This process, which is already known and occurs in diseases such as HIV, can also be used for therapeutic a.....»»
Deciphering the molecular dynamics of complex proteins
Which structures do complex proteins adopt in solution? Konstanz biophysicists answer this question using the example of ubiquitin dimers as well as a new combination of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and sophisticated computer simulations......»»
Researchers discover mechanism by which cancer cells survive replication stress
Researchers from Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new molecular mechanism by which cancer cells safeguard themselves from oncogene-induced replication stress and propose a strategy to deactivate this protective mechanism. The study is publishe.....»»