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.....»»
Researchers develop portable color-changing food spoilage sensor
When foods like fish, meat, and cheese decompose, they release a variety of low molecular weight organic nitrogen compounds known as biogenic amines (BAs). While the body uses BAs in small amounts in processes like hormone synthesis, ingesting large.....»»
Breaking bonds: Double-helix unzipping reveals DNA physics
Accurately reconstructing how the parts of a complex molecular are held together knowing only how the molecule distorts and breaks up—this was the challenge taken on by a research team led by SISSA's Cristian Micheletti and recently published on Ph.....»»
Self-poisoning for self-preservation—examining the function of Streptomyces nano-syringes
A novel role for molecular nano-syringes found in the antibiotic-producing bacteria Streptomyces has been revealed......»»
The multiverse: Our universe is suspiciously unlikely to exist—unless it is one of many, says physicist
It's easy to envisage other universes, governed by slightly different laws of physics, in which no intelligent life, nor indeed any kind of organized complex systems, could arise. Should we therefore be surprised that a universe exists in which we we.....»»
Filming proteins in motion to understand their functions
Proteins are the heavy-lifters of biochemistry. These beefy molecules act as building blocks, receptors, processors, couriers and catalysts. "Proteins are the molecular machines that power all life on Earth," explained Mark Sherwin, a physics profess.....»»
New platform allows researchers to listen in on cell-cell crosstalk
Inflammatory neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), can arise when cell-to-cell communication between cells in the central nervous system (CNS) goes awry. But exactly how this cellular crosstalk leads to the molecular changes that dr.....»»
A super-resolution microscopy method for rapid differentiation of molecular structures in 3D
Super-resolution microscopy methods are essential for uncovering the structures of cells and the dynamics of molecules. Since researchers overcame the resolution limit of around 250 nanometers (while winning the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for thei.....»»
Researchers reveal molecular mechanism of pannexin 2 as ATP membrane pore channel
A research team led by Prof. Yuan Shuguang from Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof. Zhang Huawei from the South University of Science and Technology has revealed the molecular mechanism of pannexin 2.....»»
Tireless microbial killers in new nanocomposites
They kill with a molecular sting or oxidative shock and don't know the meaning of fatigue. The latest biocidal nanocomposites, designed and synthesized by scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPJ PAN) in K.....»»
Tunable hybrid zeolites prepared by partial interconversion to create superior catalysts
The Laboratory of Molecular Nanotechnology (NANOMOL) of the University of Alicante (UA) has developed a new family of materials as a state-of-the-art opportunity for the chemical industry, renewables, and the reduction of pollutants. The finding, pub.....»»
Human genome editing offers tantalizing possibilities—but without clear guidelines, many ethical questions remain
The Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing, a three-day conference organized by the Royal Society, the U.K. Academy of Medical Sciences, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences and Medicine and The World Academy of Sciences, was held this.....»»
Scientists reveal molecular structure of bacterial gas vesicles
Similar in function to ballast tanks in submarines or fish bladders, many water-based bacteria use gas vesicles to regulate their floatability. In a new publication in Cell, scientists from the Departments of Bionanoscience and Imaging Physics now de.....»»
Purification of DNA nanostructures from hydrophobic aggregates
Researchers in Japan have developed a new method for purifying cholesterol-modified DNA nanostructures that could be used to functionalize molecular robot bodies (lipid vesicles). The study was a collaboration between Yusuke Sato of Kyushu Institute.....»»
Detecting molecular vibration information faster and better by "stretching" time
Infrared spectroscopy is a noninvasive tool used to identify unknown samples and known chemical substances. It is based on how different molecules interact with infrared light. You may have seen this tool at airports, where they screen for illicit dr.....»»
How does RNA know where to go in the city of the cell? Using cellular ZIP codes and postal carrier routes
Before 2020, when my friends and acquaintances asked me what I study as a molecular biologist, their eyes would inevitably glaze over as soon as I said "RNA." Now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the power and promise of this molecule to the world.....»»
Molecular atlas of spider silk production could help bring unparalleled material to market
Researchers from Southwest University in China have constructed the entire chromosomal-scale genome assembly and complete spidroin gene set of the golden orb-weaving spider, Trichonephila clavata, known for its especially strong, golden-colored webs......»»
Research finds apartments present extra challenges for waste production, collection, sorting and disposal
The harsh realities of managing the waste we produce are in the news: councils shunning new glass bins, more plastic being produced per person in the world and Sydney bins overflowing. And the growth in apartment living in Australia threatens to add.....»»
Using light to connect molecules
Molecular clusters are aggregates of molecules that are held together non-covalently, by relatively weak forces. When these clusters are excited, normally one would expect the cluster to simply break apart. However, a fascinating question is whether.....»»
New testing approach diagnoses COVID-19 with near-perfect accuracy
By inspecting the body's immune response at a molecular level, a research team has developed a new way to test patients for COVID-19. Their method can potentially catch infections a matter of hours after exposure—far earlier than current COVID-19 t.....»»
Gun violence spills into new neighborhoods as gentrification displaces drug crime, according to new study
Gentrification doesn't erase drug crime and gun violence. Instead, research from West Virginia University economist Zachary Porreca shows that when one urban block becomes upwardly mobile, organized criminal activity surges outward to surrounding blo.....»»