Two new articles document progress in neuroprosthetic technology that lets people feel the shape and movement of objects moving over the 'skin' of a bionic hand.
Researchers have developed an adhesive polymer that is stronger than current commercially available options while also being biodegradable, tunable, and reusable. The findings show how the common, naturally occurring polymer P3HB can be...
The chemical composition of a material alone sometimes reveals little about its properties. The decisive factor is often the arrangement of the molecules in the atomic lattice structure or on the surface of the material. Materials...
Scientists have used deep learning to design new proteins that bind to complexes involving other small molecules like hormones or drugs, opening up a world of possibilities in the computational design of molecular interactions for...
Researchers have demonstrated new wearable technologies that both generate electricity from human movement and improve the comfort of the technology for the people wearing them. The work stems from an advanced understanding of materials...
Researchers have designed process that uses ultrasound to modify the behavior of cancer-fighting T cells by increasing their cell permeability. They targeted freshly isolated human immune cells with tightly focused ultrasound beams and...
The term "omics" refers to the study of the entirety of molecular mechanisms that happen inside an organism. With the advent of omics technologies like transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics, our understanding of...
A report in the journal Science from researchers in the UW–Madison Department of Chemistry represents a significant advance in making the types of molecules needed in drug development. Molecules with three-dimensional complexity are...
Researchers from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester have described a novel enzyme that could significantly change the way essential chemicals and medicines are made.
Optically pure alcohols are prevalent motifs in natural products and pharmaceuticals, driving the development of effective methods for their synthesis. Since the first reports of the Kharasch-Sosnovsky reaction in 1958, the...
Oxygen can destroy hydrogen-producing enzymes. Researchers from Bochum and Osaka have discovered how an extraordinary protein survives in the presence of oxygen.
Researchers have published a study describing how quasiparticles called polarons behave in tellurene, a nanomaterial first synthesized in 2017 that is made up of tiny chains of tellurium atoms and has properties useful in sensing,...
The safety of dyes obtained from the bloodred webcap fungus can vary, according to a new doctoral dissertation exploring their toxicity. Completed at the University of Eastern Finland, the study found that red dermorubin seemed safe in...
Diamond, often celebrated for its unmatched hardness and transparency, has emerged as an exceptional material for high-power electronics and next-generation quantum optics. Diamond can be engineered to be as electrically conductive as a...
How can we ensure that life-saving drugs or genetic therapies reach their intended target cells without causing harmful side effects? Researchers have taken an important step to answer this question. They have developed a method that,...
Scientists are working to produce plant-based cheese with all the characteristics of real cheese, but with better health benefits. To create a cheesy product with the same texture as the real thing, they looked at a variety of physical...
Using advanced imaging techniques and precise microfluidics control to stretch out curly DNA into a straight line, new research demonstrates techniques for stretching and immobilizing DNA with minimum thermal fluctuation to enable...
RNA molecules are an integral part of the human body: In cells, they ensure the transfer of genetic information and regulate the activity of genes. Some even act as catalysts, allowing chemical reactions to take place that would...
Girolline, a compound extracted from the sea sponge Pseudaxinyssa cantharella, has been investigated for possible antitumor effects and also found to have anti-malarial effects.
Scientists have taken a major step forward in tackling one of the greatest abiding challenges in chemistry, by learning how to program the self-assembly of molecules in such a way that the end result is predictable and desirable.
A research team led by Prof. Wan Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a dual-functional reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with enhanced antibacterial and antiadhesion...
An unplugged electric instrument may function, but it sounds much better when it is connected to an amplifier. Similarly, toxins and other small molecules at low concentrations in the environment or human body may emit quiet signals that...
Scientists have succeeded in controlling the structure and function of biological membranes with the help of 'DNA origami'. The system they developed may facilitate the transportation of large therapeutic loads into cells. This opens up...
In a significant step toward creating a sustainable and circular economy, researchers have demonstrated that carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers can be fully recycled without any loss in their structure or properties. This discovery positions...
Scientists have taken a major step forwards in tackling one of the greatest abiding challenges in chemistry, by learning how to program the self-assembly of molecules in such a way that the end result is predictable and desirable. Their...
In order to recover valuable substances from CO2, it must be reduced in many individual steps. If electrocatalysis is used for this, many potentially different potential molecules are formed, which cannot necessarily be used....
Antibiotics are a double-edged sword—they should be as toxic as possible to pathogenic bacteria while being harmless to the cells of the human body. An international research team led by the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical...
Radiation testing suggests that solar cells made from carbon-based, or organic, materials could outperform conventional silicon and gallium arsenide for generating electricity in the final frontier, a study suggests.
Researchers at Kyushu University have developed a device that combines a catalyst and microwave flow reaction to efficiently convert complex polysaccharides into simple monosaccharides. The device utilizes a continuous-flow hydrolysis...
The intensive development of new technologies, especially in the field related to the construction of new portable devices used as sensors for the detection of many chemical compounds, has brought many surprising solutions. One of them...
Researchers find cell migration doesn't only rely on generating force. A professor of mechanical engineering and materials science found that groups of cells moved faster with lower force when adhered to soft surfaces with aligned...
Imagine a future where your phone, computer or even a tiny wearable device can think and learn like the human brain -- processing information faster, smarter and using less energy. A breakthrough approach brings this vision closer to...
Scientists have long considered ketones (a fundamental chemical class) and esters (molecules formed when an acid reacts with an alcohol) to be locked treasure chests of possibilities. Ubiquitous as pharmaceutical intermediates, ketones...
Scientists have created a catalyst for hydrogen generation from ammonia that becomes more active with time, and by counting atoms revealed changes that boost the catalyst's performance.
A battery that needs feeding instead of charging? This is exactly what researchers have achieved with their 3D-printed, biodegradable fungal battery. The living battery could supply power to sensors for agriculture or research in remote...
Epithelial tissues are in constant interaction with their environment. Maintaining their functionality requires dynamic balance (homeostasis) and that their cell numbers are tightly regulated. This is achieved by cell extrusion programs,...
In a new publication in Nature Communications, Israeli and Palestinian engineers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem pioneered the use of metamaterials to create whole cuts of meat. The work leverages cutting-edge materials science...
Nitrogen is an essential component in the production of amino acids and nucleic acids—both necessary for cell growth and function. Although the atmosphere is composed of nearly 80% nitrogen, this nitrogen is in the form of dinitrogen...
Just like your body has a skeleton, every cell in your body has a skeleton—a cytoskeleton to be precise. This provides cells with mechanical resilience, as well as assisting with cell division. To understand how real cells work, e.g. for...
The specific labeling of RNA in living cells poses many challenges. In a new article published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchers from the University of Innsbruck describe a structure-guided approach to the formation of...
Goji berries are a ubiquitous superfood known for a multitude of health benefits, including their antibiotic properties. Researchers have now found an effective way to harvest silver nanoparticles from these berries. They created the...
A new study has identified 11 genes that may hold the key to understanding the brain's response to these pervasive chemicals commonly found in everyday items.
Over the past two decades, large genetic studies have linked tens of thousands of DNA variants to thousands of human traits and diseases. Yet, correcting the effects of those variants to treat disease has been hampered in part by the...
Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) earn their "forever chemical" moniker by persisting in water, soil and even the human brain. This unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue makes PFAS...
From combating cancer and infections to storing energy, lipid-protein interactions are critical to biological processes in cells. But the mechanisms that drive these interactions have historically been difficult to map and understand.