Sponges, not just their microbes, make biologically potent compounds
Soft and immobile, sea sponges may appear inert, but these simple animals are rich with chemistry. From them, scientists have uncovered plenty of biologically active compounds, some of which have gone on to become medications. All of these small mole.....»»
Antifungal activity of a maleimide derivative: Disruption of cell membranes and interference with iron ion homoeostasis
A small molecule library consisting of 40 compounds, specifically N-substituted maleimide and its derivatives, were initially screened in a study published in the journal Mycology, which was led by Prof. Ying Li (Xuzhou Medical University), Prof. Zuo.....»»
AI predicts the taste and quality of beer
Belgian scientists have developed AI models that can predict how consumers will rate a particular beer, and what aroma compounds brewers can add to improve it. The research was published in Nature Communications and may revolutionize how the food and.....»»
New study reveals influencers of global biogenic volatile organic compound emission trends over the last 20 years
Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by vegetation are important precursors of ozone and secondary organic aerosols in the atmosphere, affecting air quality, clouds, and climate. However, BVOC emissions remain highly uncertain because.....»»
How climate change could affect the microbes that ferment grapes and give wine its specific flavors
The far-reaching consequences of climate change inevitably include the production of foods and beverages, including wine......»»
New model integrates soil microbes, large perennial grasses
Of all the carbon stored in ecosystems around the world, about half can be found in soils. Depending on climate, vegetation, and management, soils can be either a carbon source or a sink......»»
Decoding the plant world"s complex biochemical communication networks
A Purdue University-led research team has begun translating the complex molecular language of petunias. Their grammar and vocabulary are well hidden, however, within the countless proteins and other compounds that fill floral cells......»»
Research suggests natural electrical grid deep inside Earth enables many types of microbes to survive
To "breathe" in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons (produced during the "burning" of nutrients) to electric hairs called nanowires projecting fro.....»»
New method uses enantioselective nickel catalysis to synthesize multifunctional chiral alkylboron compounds
National University of Singapore (NUS) chemists have conceived a strategy using chiral nickel catalysts to facilitate the carboboration of alkenes, generating high-value enantioenriched alkylboronic esters......»»
Characterizing salps as predators of marine microbes
A huge fraction of global flows of carbon and other nutrients pass through marine microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go......»»
Uncovering the dominant contribution of intermediate volatility compounds to biomass-burning organic aerosols
Biomass burning, including wildfires and residential heating, emits a variety of air pollutants and has a series of negative impacts on the environment......»»
Molecular crystal motors move like microbes when exposed to light
At first glance, Rabih O. Al-Kaysi's molecular motors look like the microscopic worms you'd see in a drop of pond water. But these wriggling ribbons are not alive; they're devices made from crystallized molecules that perform coordinated movements wh.....»»
Tropical plants beat drought by interacting with specific microbes, study shows
Plant-soil-microbe interactions play a crucial role in processes that take place in the soil directly around plant roots, or the rhizosphere, and these processes contribute to nutrient cycling and metabolite turnover in the environment. Amid the wate.....»»
A universal insertion of various molecules into ionic crystals under high pressure
An international team has revealed a surprising universal propensity of forming stable hybrid compounds under high pressures......»»
Aiming at the industrial use of clay column chromatography for optical resolution
A recent study, published in Applied Clay Science, could have applications in clay column chromatography for obtaining enantiomeric compounds in industries......»»
Alzheimer"s drug fermented with help from AI and bacteria moves closer to reality
Galantamine is a common medication used by people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia around the world to treat their symptoms. Unfortunately, synthesizing the active compounds in a lab at the scale needed isn't commercially viable......»»
US energy industry methane emissions are triple what government thinks, study finds
American oil and natural gas wells, pipelines and compressors are spewing three times the amount of the potent heat-trapping gas methane as the government thinks, causing $9.3 billion in yearly climate damage, a new comprehensive study calculates......»»
Shrimp waste revolution: Unlocking potent antioxidants for health and sustainability
Shrimp are renowned for their high nutritional value, offering a rich source of proteins, amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins, as well as chitin and carotenoids. The increasing consumption of shrimp has led to a significant rise.....»»
Can genetic parasites alter interactions between microbes and hosts?
Researchers from the Max Planck Institutes (MPI) for Evolutionary Biology in Plön and for Biology in Tübingen have made significant progress in understanding the evolution of interactions between plants and microbes. The study focuses on Pseudomona.....»»
Webb finds ethanol and other icy ingredients for new worlds
An international team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a variety of molecules, ranging from relatively simple ones like methane to complex compounds like acetic acid and ethanol, in early-stage protosta.....»»
Future iPhones could take a picture when bent
Apple is researching ways to embed multiple cameras in the body of a "flexible" device like a folding iPhone or iPad, and allow the device to be bent to take a picture or change a setting of the embedded cameras.Apple's original patent shows a potent.....»»