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.....»»
Soil microbes help plants cope with drought, but not how scientists thought
There's a complex world beneath our feet, teeming with diverse and interdependent life. Plants call out with chemical signals in times of stress, summoning microbes that can unlock bound nutrients and find water in soil pores too small for the finest.....»»
Prodrugs: Pills your body converts into an illicit drug can evade detection, but we don"t know how big the problem is
Drug traffickers have found a way to trick enforcement agencies by using one of the most potent tools our bodies have: our metabolism. Welcome to the world of prodrugs......»»
Potent anti-cancer therapy created using "click chemistry"
A potent anti-cancer therapy has been created using Nobel prize-winning "click chemistry," where molecules click together like LEGO bricks, in a new study by UCL and Stanford University researchers......»»
Study improves understanding of how bacteria benefit plant growth
Plants form alliances with microbes in the soil in which they grow. Legumes, for example, benefit from a symbiotic relationship with microbes that inhabit nodules in their roots and "fix" nitrogen in the atmosphere to make it available to promote the.....»»
Desert microbes turn on drought tolerance when needed, finds study
Priming crop plants with a microbe sourced from the roots of desert plants could be a powerful tool to boost crop plant's resilience to drought......»»
Fueled by new chemistry, algorithm mines fungi for useful molecules
A newly described type of chemistry in fungi is both surprisingly common and likely to involve highly reactive enzymes, two traits that make the genes involved useful signposts pointing to a potential treasure trove of biological compounds with medic.....»»
New enzyme unlocks potential for health-promoting compounds in sorghum
Stilbenes are natural compounds found in various plants that have shown potential health benefits for humans, with a unique chemical structure consisting of two aromatic rings linked by a double bond. While resveratrol, found in grapes and red wine,.....»»
New study expands the scope of aza-Friedel–Crafts reactions
From life-saving drugs and synthetic polymers to diverse advanced materials, the products containing organic compounds seem endless, thanks in part to regioselectivity, a feature in chemical reactions where a substituent is selectively added to a spe.....»»
Researchers develop new method to study RNA-drug interactions
How active compounds affect RNA and thus the expression of genes is of great interest for the development of potential therapeutics. Innsbruck chemists have now used a method they recently developed to study the binding of the aminoglycoside Neomycin.....»»
Scientists use supercomputer to learn how cicada wings kill bacteria
Over the past decade, teams of engineers, chemists and biologists have analyzed the physical and chemical properties of cicada wings, hoping to unlock the secret of their ability to kill microbes on contact. If this function of nature can be replicat.....»»
Probe expands understanding of oral cavity homeostasis
Your mouth is a crucial interface between the outside world and the inside of your body. Everything you breathe, chew, or drink interacts with your oral cavity—the proteins and the microbes, including microbes that can harm us. When things go awry,.....»»
How do microbes spread globally? A study clarifies how they travel around the world
A new study published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology compiles the scope of the problem of the global dispersal of harmful microorganisms through the upper layers of the atmosphere......»»
Psychological study suggests arithmetic is biologically-based and a natural consequence of our perception
Everyone knows that 2 + 2 = 4, but why do we have arithmetic in the first place, and why is it true? Researchers at the University of Canterbury have recently answered these questions by "reverse engineering" arithmetic from a psychological perspecti.....»»
New storage technology keeps nanosurfaces clean
Rice University engineers have created containers that can keep volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from accumulating on the surfaces of stored nanomaterials......»»
Unimolecular reactions of anti-glycolaldehyde oxide and its reactions with one and two water molecules
Criegee intermediates are produced in the ozonolysis of unsaturated compounds in the atmosphere. These intermediates are especially important because they contribute to the formation of OH radicals during the night and to the formation of secondary o.....»»
Researchers identify key enzyme for heart failure drug digoxin
University at Buffalo researchers have identified for the first time an enzyme in the foxglove plant that is responsible for the production of compounds needed to make the heart failure drug digoxin......»»
Rosé renaissance: Spanish study uncorks ultrasound for superior wine quality
Since the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) approved the use of ultrasound to promote the extraction of grape compounds back in 2019, its application for obtaining superior red wines has been studied extensively......»»
New system enables rapid monitoring of volatile organic compounds in water
To quickly obtain the spatiotemporal distribution images of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water, a research team led by Prof. Huang Ying from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a shipborne mas.....»»
Scientists enrich nitric oxide-reducing microbes in bioreactor
Nitric oxide (NO) is a fascinating and versatile molecule, important for all living things as well as the environment. It is highly reactive and toxic, organisms use it as a signaling molecule, it depletes the ozone layer in our planet's atmosphere,.....»»
SuFEx as a new generation of click chemistry: Synthesis and development of linkers
Organosulfur(VI) fluoride compounds display excellent chemical stability, and yet can efficiently realize diverse linkages via the activation of specific conditions. Based on its unique nature, Sharpless, Dong and coworkers introduced SuFEx as a new.....»»