Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Unraveling a key junction underlying muscle contraction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using powerful new visualization technologies, researchers have captured the first 3-D images of the structure of a key muscle receptor, providing new insights on how muscles develop across the animal kingdom and setting the stage for possible future treatments for muscular disorders.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Mucus-based bio-ink could be used to print and grow lung tissue      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lung diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. Treatment options are limited, and animal models for studying these illnesses and experimental medications are inadequate. Now, researchers describe their success in creating a mucus-based bioink for 3D printing lung tissue. This advance could one day help study and treat chronic lung conditions.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Injury dressings in first-aid kits provide a new technique to reveal shark species after bite incidents      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have revealed that injury dressings found in first-aid kits can reliably be used to identify shark species involved in bite incidents by deploying medical gauze to gather DNA samples from aquatic equipment, such as surfboards.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Precise genetics: New CRISPR method enables efficient DNA modification      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group has developed a new method that further improves the existing CRISPR/Cas technologies: it allows a more precise and seamless introduction of tags into proteins at the gene level. This technology could significantly improve research on proteins in living organisms and opens up new possibilities for medical research.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Organic nanozymes have broad applications from food and agriculture to biomedicine      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nanozymes are tiny, engineered substances that mimic the catalytic properties of natural enzymes, and they serve a variety of purposes in biomedicine, chemical engineering, and environmental applications. They are typically made from inorganic materials, including metal-based elements, which makes them unsuitable for many purposes due to their toxicity and high production costs. Organic-based nanozymes partially overcome some of these problems and have the potential for a broader range of applications, including food and agriculture, but they are still in the early stages of development. A new paper provides an overview of the current state of organic nanozymes and their future potential.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

NASA data shows July 22, 2024 was Earth's hottest day on record      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

July 22, 2024, was the hottest day on record, according to a NASA analysis of global daily temperature data. July 21 and 23 of this year also exceeded the previous daily record, set in July 2023. These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology
Published

A blue miracle: How sapphires formed in volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sapphires are among the most precious gems, yet they consist solely of chemically 'contaminated' aluminum oxide, or corundum. It is widely assumed that these crystals with their characteristically blue color come from deep crustal rocks and accidentally ended up on the Earth's surface as magma ascended. Geoscientists have now been able to show that the sapphire grains found in the Eifel (Germany) formed in association with volcanism.

Ecology: General Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

California a botanical and climate change hot spot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate-driven shifts in California's biodiversity call for innovation and continued environmental stewardfship, says a new study. California's 30x30 Initiative and efforts to harmonize biodiversity with renewable energy are promising steps, while wildfire strategies need to further adapt.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Local food production saves costs and carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emphasizing local food production over imported substitutes can lead to significant cost and carbon savings, according to data from the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Canadian Arctic. The research shows potential annual savings of more than 3.1 million Canadian dollars and roughly half the carbon emissions when locally harvested food is used instead of imported food. The study underscores the importance of climate change policies that take local food systems into account. Weakening of these local systems could lead to increased emissions and jeopardize the health and food security of remote communities.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New additive process can make better -- and greener -- high-value chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough that could lead to better -- and greener -- agricultural chemicals and everyday products. Using a process that combines natural enzymes and light, the team developed an eco-friendly way to precisely mix fluorine, an important additive, into chemicals called olefins -- hydrocarbons used in a vast array of products, from detergents to fuels to medicines. This groundbreaking method offers an efficient new strategy for creating high-value chemicals with potential applications in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, renewable fuels, and more.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

New study disputes Hunga Tonga volcano's role in 2023-24 global warm-up      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research is exploring the climate impact of the 2022 Hunga Tonga volcano eruption and challenging existing assumptions about its effects in the process.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Thousands of birds and fish threatened by mining for clean energy transition, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our increasing demand for metals and minerals is putting over four thousand vertebrate species at risk, with the raw materials needed for clean energy infrastructure often located in global biodiversity hotspots, a study has found.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Pioneering measurement of the acidity of ionic liquids using Raman spectroscopy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study has made it possible to estimate experimentally the energy required to transfer protons from water to ionic liquids.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Climate change will bring more turbulence to flights in the Northern Hemisphere, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A type of invisible, unpredictable air turbulence is expected to occur more frequently in the Northern Hemisphere as the climate warms. Known as clear air turbulence, the phenomenon also increased in the Northern Hemisphere between 1980 and 2021.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

'Miracle' filter turns store-bought LEDs into spintronic devices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists transformed existing optoelectronic devices into ones that can control electron spin at room temperature, without a ferromagnet or magnetic field. Researchers replaced the electrodes of store-bought LEDs with a patented spin filter made from hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Nitrogen emissions have a net cooling effect: But researchers warn against a climate solution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has found that nitrogen emissions from fertilizers and fossil fuels have a net cooling effect on the climate. But they warn increasing atmospheric nitrogen has further damaging effects on the environment, calling for an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to halt global warming.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

How molecular interactions make it possible to overcome the energy barrier      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Non-reciprocal interactions allow the design of more efficient molecular systems. Scientists now propose a mechanism on how energy barriers in complex systems can be overcome. These findings can help to engineer molecular machines and to understand the self-organization of active matter.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Researchers explore the interplay between high-affinity DNA and carbon nanotubes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) hold promise for biomedicine and nanoelectronics, yet the functionalization with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) remains a challenge. Researchers using high-affinity ssDNA sequences identified through high-throughput selection. They demonstrated the effectivity and stability of these constructs using molecular dynamics simulations. Machine-learning models were used to accurately predict patterns that govern ssDNA-SWCNT binding affinity. These findings provide valuable insights into the interactions between ssDNA and SWCNTs.