Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

Path to easier recycling of solar modules      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The use of femtosecond lasers to form glass-to-glass welds for solar modules would make the panels easier to recycle, according to a proof-of-concept study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

New approach in the synthesis of complex natural substances      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many natural substances possess interesting characteristics, and can form the basis of new active compounds in medicine. Terpenes, for example, are a group of substances, some of which are already used in therapies against cancer, malaria or epilepsy. They are found as fragrances in cosmetics or as flavorings in food, and form the basis of new medications: Terpenes are natural substances that occur in plants, insects and sea sponges. They are difficult to produce synthetically. However, chemists are now introducing a new method of synthesis.

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

Researchers create new chemical compound to solve 120-year-old problem      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have created a highly reactive chemical compound that has eluded scientists for more than 120 years. The discovery could lead to new drug treatments, safer agricultural products, and better electronics.

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

Scientists solve chemical mystery at the interface of biology and technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) allow current to flow in devices like implantable biosensors. But scientists long knew about a quirk of OECTs that no one could explain: When an OECT is switched on, there is a lag before current reaches the desired operational level. When switched off, there is no lag. Current drops immediately. Researchers report that they have discovered the reason for this activation lag, and in the process are paving the way to custom-tailored OECTs for a growing list of applications in biosensing, brain-inspired computation and beyond.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Scientists harness the wind as a tool to move objects      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a technique to move objects around with a jet of wind. The new approach makes it possible to manipulate objects at a distance and could be integrated into robots to give machines ethereal fingers.

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

When does a conductor not conduct?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study uncovers a switchable, atomically-thin metal-organic material that could be used in future low-energy electronic technologies. The study shows that electron interactions in this material create an unusual electrically-insulating phase in which electrons are 'frozen'. By reducing the population of electrons, the authors are able to unfreeze the remaining electrons, allowing for controlled transitions between insulating and electrically-conductive phases: the key to the on-off binary operations of classical computing.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Physicists show that light can generate electricity even in translucent materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some materials are transparent to light of a certain frequency. When such light is shone on them, electrical currents can still be generated, contrary to previous assumptions. Scientists have managed to prove this.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Getting dynamic information from static snapshots      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created TopicVelo, a powerful new method of using the static snapshots from scRNA-seq to study how cells and genes change over time. This will help researchers better study how embryos develop, cells differentiate, cancers form, and the immune system reacts.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New offshore wind turbines can take away energy from existing ones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Interactions between wind turbines could reduce power output by 30% in proposed offshore wind farm areas along the East Coast, new research has found. In all, the farms could still meet 60% of the electricity demand of New England.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

A shortcut for drug discovery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For most human proteins, there are no small molecules known to bind them chemically (so called 'ligands'). Ligands frequently represent important starting points for drug development but this knowledge gap critically hampers the development of novel medicines. Researchers at CeMM, in a collaboration with Pfizer, have now leveraged and scaled a method to measure the binding activity of hundreds of small molecules against thousands of human proteins. This large-scale study revealed tens of thousands of ligand-protein interactions that can now be explored for the development of chemical tools and therapeutics. Moreover, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, it allows unbiased predictions of how small molecules interact with all proteins present in living human cells. These groundbreaking results have been published in the journal Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.adk5864), and all generated data and models are freely available for the scientific community.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Nanomaterial that mimics proteins could be basis for new neurodegenerative disease treatments      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A newly developed nanomaterial that mimics the behavior of proteins could be an effective tool for treating Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The nanomaterial alters the interaction between two key proteins in brain cells -- with a potentially powerful therapeutic effect.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

The longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oil is an important natural resource for many industries, but it can lead to serious environmental damage when accidentally spilled. While large oil spills are highly publicized, every year there are many smaller-scale spills into lakes, rivers and oceans. The longer that oil remains in freshwater, the more chemical changes it undergoes, creating products that can persist in the environment.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

The secret to saving old books could be gluten-free glues      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

'Bookworm' is a cute thing to call a voracious reader, but actual bookworms -- as well as microorganisms and time -- break down the flour pastes commonly used to keep old publications in one piece. Now, researchers have analyzed the proteins in wheat-based glues applied in historic bookbinding to provide insights on their adhesiveness and how they degrade. This information could help conservators restore and preserve treasured tomes for future generations.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

Positive perceptions of solar projects      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new survey has found that for residents living within three miles of a large-scale solar development, positive attitudes outnumbered negative attitudes by almost a 3-to-1 margin. Researchers surveyed almost 1,000 residents living near solar projects.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

Biophysics: Testing how well biomarkers work      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a method to determine how reliably target proteins can be labeled using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

A chemical mystery solved -- the reaction explaining large carbon sinks      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A mystery that has puzzled the scientific community for over 50 years has finally been solved. A team has discovered that a certain type of chemical reaction can explain why organic matter found in rivers and lakes is so resistant to degradation.

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

Researchers create artificial cells that act like living cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers describe the steps they took to manipulate DNA and proteins -- essential building blocks of life -- to create cells that look and act like cells from the body. This accomplishment, a first in the field, has implications for efforts in regenerative medicine, drug delivery systems and diagnostic tools.

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

New copper-catalyzed C-H activation strategy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inspired by what human liver enzymes can do, chemists have developed a new set of copper-catalyzed organic synthesis reactions for building and modifying pharmaceuticals and other molecules. The new reactions are expected to be widely used in drug discovery and optimization, as well as in other chemistry-based industries.