Rabi oscillations in a stretching molecule
Over eighty years ago, Rabi oscillations were proposed to describe the strong coupling and population transfer in a two-level quantum system exposed to an oscillatory driving field. As compared to atoms, molecules have an extra degree of vibration, w.....»»
Lab mimics molecule found in poppies
An undergraduate leads the discovery of a way to synthesize a rare molecule drawn from poppies. The molecule could become a building block for painkillers and other drugs......»»
Mimicking a molecule found in poppies
A Rice University undergraduate student's grit and talent paid off in a big way when she introduced the first synthesis of a rare and potentially potent molecule drawn from poppies. .....»»
Scientists discover sugar molecule on HIV-infected cell plays role in evading immune system
A new study shows how key features on the surface of HIV-infected cells help the disease evade detection by the immune system. It also shows how these features can be disabled......»»
Xist marks the spot: How an RNA molecule silences the X chromosome
In one of the mysteries of mammalian development, every cell in the early female embryo shuts down one of its two copies of the X chromosome, leaving just one functional. For years, the mechanics behind this X chromosome inactivation have been murky,.....»»
Lack of important molecule in red blood cells causes vascular damage in type 2 diabetes
Altered function of the red blood cells leads to vascular damage in type 2 diabetes. Results from a new study in cells from patients with type 2 diabetes and mice show that this effect is caused by low levels of an important molecule in the red blood.....»»
Fat-secreted molecule lowers response to common cancer treatment
Leptin, a molecule produced by fat cells, appears to cancel out the effects of the estrogen-blocking therapy tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat and prevent breast cancers, suggests a new study......»»
Immune system early responder can combat COVID-19
A simple RNA molecule jumpstarts the immune system's 'first responders' to viral infection and can even eradicate the SARS-CoV-2 virus in mice with chronic cases of COVID-19, a new study finds......»»
ESR-STM on single molecules and molecule-based structures
Scaling down information devices to the atomic scale has brought the interest of using individual spins as a basic unit for data storage. This requires precise detection and control of spin states and a better understanding of spin-spin interactions......»»
Single molecule controls unusual ants" switch from worker to queen-like status
Depending on the outcome of social conflicts, ants of the species Harpegnathos saltator do something unusual: they can switch from a worker to a queen-like status known as gamergate. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Cell on November 4th have.....»»
Better models of atmospheric "detergent" can help predict climate change
Earth's atmosphere has a unique ability to cleanse itself by way of invisible molecules in the air that act as minuscule cleanup crews. The most important molecule in that crew is the hydroxyl radical (OH), nicknamed the "detergent of the atmosphere".....»»
Drug-like molecule points to novel strategies for cancer therapy
A decade ago, genome sequencing revealed a big surprise: about 50 percent of human cancers are linked to mutations in what are known as epigenetic regulators, which control the activity of genes. Medical researchers have now developed a new drug-like.....»»
How legumes give oxygen to symbiotic bacteria in their roots
Scientists discover the genetics inside legumes that control the production of an oxygen-carrying molecule, crucial to the plant's close relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria......»»
Mechanism behind ineffective psoriasis drugs identified
Interleukin-12 -- a messenger molecule of immune cells -- was long considered to trigger the development of psoriasis. Now, researchers have shown that interleukin-12 does not actually cause the skin disease but protects against it. This also explain.....»»
Study explores how climate change may affect rain in U.S. Corn Belt
Air humidity is more important than soil moisture in influencing whether it rains in the United States Corn Belt, an agricultural area in the Midwest, stretching from Indiana to Nebraska and responsible for more than 35% of the world's most important.....»»
Supernova: A glowing DNA enzyme
Once thought to function primarily as a storage molecule for genetic information, it is now known that DNA can also catalyze chemical reactions. Although such DNA enzymes (deoxyribozymes) have not been identified in nature, they can be isolated in th.....»»
A beacon molecule that prevents vision, behavioral problems in mice
Nestled deep in the middle of the vertebrate brain is a multi-sensory integration and movement control center called the superior colliculus. In rodents, this brain region integrates multi-sensory inputs—visual cues, sounds, touch information, and.....»»
Researchers unlock secret path to a quantum future
In 1998, researchers including Mark Kubinec of UC Berkeley performed one of the first simple quantum computations using individual molecules. They used pulses of radio waves to flip the spins of two nuclei in a molecule, with each spin's "up" or "dow.....»»
The complex dynamics of stem cell tethers and slings
An innovative experiment design shows, in real time and at the scale of a single molecule, how stem cells slow their rolling inside the circulatory system by growing long tethers that attach to the inner surfaces of blood vessels. The strategy could.....»»
An unusual molecule protects nerve cells from degeneration
An international research team led by Professor Stephanie Grond from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Tübingen has found that the natural substance collinolactone reduces artificially-induced stress on nerve cells, protecting.....»»
Physicists report promising approach to harnessing exotic electronic behavior
For some 50 years scientists have worked to harness Bloch oscillations, an exotic kind of behavior by electrons that could introduce a new field of physics—and important new technologies—much like more conventional electronic behavior has led to.....»»