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Categories: Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Researchers create light-powered yeast, providing insights into evolution, biofuels, cellular aging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have engineered one of the world's first yeast cells able to harness energy from light, expanding our understanding of the evolution of this trait -- and paving the way for advancements in biofuel production and cellular aging.
Published New catalytic technique creates key component of incontinence drug in less time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a unique catalyst that promises to revolutionize drug synthesis. It overcomes a common problem associated with the production of drugs from ketones. Using their catalyst, the researchers synthesized a key component of the commonly used incontinence drug oxybutynin. Their results underscore the potential of the catalyst to improve drug discovery and development.
Published Capturing greenhouse gases with the help of light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers use light-reactive molecules to influence the acidity of a liquid and thereby capture of carbon dioxide. They have developed a special mixture of different solvents to ensure that the light-reactive molecules remain stable over a long period of time. Conventional carbon capture technologies are driven by temperature or pressure differences and require a lot of energy. This is no longer necessary with the new light-based process.
Published Spying on a shape-shifting protein
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are using crystallography to gain a better understanding of how proteins shapeshift. The knowledge can provide valuable insight into stopping and treating diseases.
Published Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon nanofibers, materials with a wide range of unique properties and many potential long-term uses. Their strategy uses tandem electrochemical and thermochemical reactions run at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressure and could successfully lock carbon away to offset or even achieve negative carbon emissions.
Published Oldest known fossilized skin is 21 million years older than previous examples
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a 3D fragment of fossilized skin that is at least 21 million years than previously described skin fossils. The skin, which belonged to an early species of Paleozoic reptile, has a pebbled surface and most closely resembles crocodile skin. It's the oldest example of preserved epidermis, the outermost layer of skin in terrestrial reptiles, birds, and mammals, which was an important evolutionary adaptation in the transition to life on land.
Published Making an important industrial synthesis more environmentally friendly
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have resolved a problem that has limited the environmental sustainability of peracid synthesis. By judicious choice of the solvent and light input, approximately room-temperature autoxidation of aldehydes proceeds in a manner that results in industrially useful peracids or carboxylic acids. This work is an important advance in green chemistry that will help minimize the carbon footprint of the chemical industry.
Published Researchers step closer to mimicking nature's mastery of chemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In nature, organic molecules are either left- or right-handed, but synthesizing molecules with a specific 'handedness' in a lab is hard to do. Make a drug or enzyme with the wrong 'handedness,' and it just won't work. Now chemists are getting closer to mimicking nature's chemical efficiency through computational modeling and physical experimentation.
Published Dry-cleaning fluid becomes a synthetic chemist's treasure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The widely used dry-cleaning and degreasing solvent perc can be converted to useful chemicals by a new clean, safe and inexpensive procedure. The discovery using on-demand UV activation may open the path to upcycling perc and thus contribute to a more sustainable society.
Published Scientists discover how ultraviolet light degrades coronavirus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has revealed how light can be used to destroy infectious coronavirus particles that contaminate surfaces. Scientists are interested in how environments, such as surgeries, can be thoroughly disinfected from viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published Study on lamprey embryos sheds light on the evolutionary origin of vertebrate head
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have investigated lamprey embryos using cutting-edge microscopic techniques to reveal interesting insights about vertebrate head evolution, clarifying an unresolved mystery in basic science.
Published Largest diversity study of 'magic mushrooms' investigates the evolution of psychoactive psilocybin production
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The genomic analysis of 52 Psilocybe specimens includes 39 species that have never been sequenced. Psilocybe arose much earlier than previously thought -- about 65 million years ago -- and the authors found that psilocybin was first synthesized in mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe. Their analysis revealed two distinct gene orders within the gene cluster that produces psilocybin. The two gene patterns correspond to an ancient split in the genus, suggesting two independent acquisitions of psilocybin in its evolutionary history. The study is the first to reveal such a strong evolutionary pattern within the gene sequences underpinning the psychoactive proteins synthesis.
Published Inspired by Greek mythology, this potential drug shows promise for vanquishing Parkinson's RNA in early studies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new discovery takes its inspiration from Greek mythology. The compound is described as a chimera, because it battles a toxic cause of Parkinson's in two ways.
Published With only the pawprints, researchers study elusive bobcat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With DNA recovered from animal tracks, scientists revealed information about the ancestry and microbial community of bobcats without having to sample the animal directly.
Published Chemists develop new approach to inserting single carbon atoms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have presented a new approach in which a single carbon atom is inserted into the carbon skeleton of cyclic compounds in order to adjust the ring size. The method could be relevant, for example, for the production of active ingredients in new pharmaceutical products.
Published Stranger than friction: A force initiating life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As the potter works the spinning wheel, the friction between their hands and the soft clay helps them shape it into all kinds of forms and creations. In a fascinating parallel, sea squirt oocytes (immature egg cells) harness friction within various compartments in their interior to undergo developmental changes after conception.
Published How did the bushpig cross the strait? A great puzzle in African mammal biogeography solved by genomics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Africa has a huge diversity of large mammals, but their evolutionary relationships and movement across the continent over time often remain a mystery. A new scientific study sheds light on longstanding questions about the interplay between evolution and geography in one of these mammals, namely the iconic African bushpig, and helps settle a major question regarding prehistoric human activities shaping biodiversity patterns in Africa.
Published Evolution is not as random as previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A groundbreaking study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease and climate change. The study challenges the long-standing belief about the unpredictability of evolution, and has found that the evolutionary trajectory of a genome may be influenced by its evolutionary history, rather than determined by numerous factors and historical accidents.
Published A novel strategy for extracting white mycelial pulp from fruiting mushroom bodies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mycelial fibers, the fibrous cells found in fruiting mushroom bodies, have gained momentum as a sustainable material for making faux-leather and packaging owing to their excellent formability. Recently, a team of researchers has found a simple way of obtaining mycelial fibers, called 'mycelial pulp,' from fruiting mushroom bodies and bleaching them using sunlight while keeping their mycelial structures intact.
Published Revolutionizing stable and efficient catalysts with Turing structures for hydrogen production
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hydrogen energy has emerged as a promising alternative to fossil fuels, offering a clean and sustainable energy source. However, the development of low-cost and efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction remains a crucial challenge. Scientists have recently developed a novel strategy to engineer stable and efficient ultrathin nanosheet catalysts by forming Turing structures with multiple nanotwin crystals. This innovative discovery paves the way for enhanced catalyst performance for green hydrogen production.