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Categories: Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published Neanderthal gene variants associated with greater pain sensitivity



People who carry three gene variants that have been inherited from Neanderthals are more sensitive to some types of pain, according to a new study.
Published Ginger pigment molecules found in fossil frogs


Palaeontologists discover molecular evidence of phaeomelanin, the pigment that produces ginger coloration. Phaeomelanin is now toxic to animals – this discovery may be first step in understand its evolution.
Published Researchers create a neural network for genomics -- one that explains how it achieves accurate predictions



A team of computer scientists has created a neural network that can explain how it reaches its predictions. The work reveals what accounts for the functionality of neural networks--the engines that drive artificial intelligence and machine learning--thereby illuminating a process that has largely been concealed from users.
Published Oldest fossil human footprints in North America confirmed



New research reaffirms that human footprints found in White Sands National Park, NM, date to the Last Glacial Maximum, placing humans in North America thousands of years earlier than once thought. In September 2021, scientists announced that ancient human footprints discovered in White Sands National Park were between 21,000 and 23,000 years old. This discovery pushed the known date of human presence in North America back by thousands of years and implied that early inhabitants and megafauna co-existed for several millennia before the terminal Pleistocene extinction event. In a follow-up study, researchers used two new independent approaches to date the footprints, both of which resulted in the same age range as the original estimate.
Published Discovery made about Fischer Tropsch process could help improve fuel production



A fundamental discovery about the Fischer Tropsch process, a catalytic reaction used in industry to convert coal, natural gas or biomass to liquid fuels, could someday allow for more efficient fuel production. Researchers discovered previously unknown self-sustained oscillations in the Fischer Tropsch process. They found that unlike many catalytic reactions which have one steady state, this reaction periodically moves back and forth from a high to a low activity state. The discovery means that these well-controlled oscillatory states might be used in the future to control the reaction rate and the yields of desired products.
Published The medicine of the future could be artificial life forms



Imagine a life form that doesn't resemble any of the organisms found on the tree of life. One that has its own unique control system, and that a doctor would want to send into your body. It sounds like a science fiction movie, but according to nanoscientists, it can—and should—happen in the future.
Published New type of tiny wasp comes with mysterious, cloud-like structures at ends of antennae



Fossil researchers have discovered a novel genus and species of tiny wasp with a mysterious, bulbous structure at the end of each antenna.
Published Graphene oxide reduces the toxicity of Alzheimer's proteins



A probable early driver of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of molecules called amyloid peptides. These cause cell death, and are commonly found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers have now shown that yeast cells that accumulate these misfolded amyloid peptides can recover after being treated with graphene oxide nanoflakes.
Published Bioengineering breakthrough increases DNA detection sensitivity by 100 times



Researchers have pushed forward the boundaries of biomedical engineering one hundredfold with a new method for DNA detection with unprecedented sensitivity.
Published Small but mighty new gene editor



A new CRISPR-based gene-editing tool has been developed which could lead to better treatments for patients with genetic disorders. The tool is an enzyme, AsCas12f, which has been modified to offer the same effectiveness but at one-third the size of the Cas9 enzyme commonly used for gene editing. The compact size means that more of it can be packed into carrier viruses and delivered into living cells, making it more efficient.
Published A deep look into the progression of Parkinson's Disease



Scientists have used cutting-edge imaging techniques to shed light on the progression of Parkinson's disease by studying how the main culprit, the protein alpha-synuclein, disrupts cellular metabolism.
Published An advance in cryo-EM could be a significant boon for research on potential cancer therapies



A technology called cryo-electron microscopy enables scientists to see the atomic structure of biological molecules in high resolution. But to date, it has been ineffective for imaging small molecules. A team of biochemists devised a solution that makes it possible to hold small protein molecules in place while they're being imaged, which will enable cryo-EM to produce much clearer images of such molecules. The advance is significant because small and medium-sized protein molecules are an area of focus in research on potential new drugs for cancer and other diseases.
Published Toxic formaldehyde's dual nature to be probed with new chemical tool



Newly developed ompounds aim to reveal the dual nature of formaldehyde, a chemical that is known to cause cancer but is also believed to play important roles in our biology.
Published Tiny CRISPR tool could help shred viruses



Scientists mapped out the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems then used that knowledge to modify its structure and improve its accuracy.
Published Strength is in this glass's DNA



Scientists were able to fabricate a pure form of glass and coat specialized pieces of DNA with it to create a material that was not only stronger than steel, but incredibly lightweight.
Published Separating molecules requires lots of energy. This new, heat-resistant membrane could change that



A research team has created a new, heat-resistant membrane that can withstand harsh environments -- high temperatures, high pressure and complex chemical solvents -- associated with industrial separation processes. It could eventually be used as a less energy intensive alternative to distillation and other industrial processes that separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products.
Published How organic solar cells could become significantly more efficient



The sun sends enormous amounts of energy to the earth. Nevertheless, some of it is lost in solar cells. This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells, especially for those viable in innovative applications. A key factor in increasing their performance: Improved transport of the solar energy stored within the material. Now a research group has shown that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.
Published Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane


Copper-based catalysts developed by materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Published Drug discovery on an unprecedented scale


Boosting virtual screening with machine learning allowed for a 10-fold time reduction in the processing of 1.56 billion drug-like molecules. Researchers teamed up with industry and supercomputers to carry out one of the world's largest virtual drug screens.
Published Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene


A research team has successfully developed a new method that can prevent the crossover of large fuel molecules and suppress the degradation of electrodes in advanced fuel cell technology using methanol or formic acid. The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets that have chemical functionalization and act as proton-exchange membranes.