Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Can clay capture carbon dioxide?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have been using powerful computer models combined with laboratory experiments to study how a kind of clay can soak up carbon dioxide and store it.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Technology
Published

Fighting climate change: Ruthenium complexes for carbon dioxide reduction to valuable chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Excessive use of fossil fuels leads to undesired carbon dioxide (CO2) generation, accelerating climate change. One way to tackle this is by converting CO2 into value-added chemicals. On this front, researchers have recently utilized a novel redox couple, for the purpose.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Making molecules faster: Discovery dramatically reduces time it takes to build molecules      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With a big assist from artificial intelligence and a heavy dose of human touch, a lab made a discovery that dramatically speeds up the time-consuming chemical process of building molecules that will be tomorrow's medicines, agrichemicals or materials.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

'Game-changing' findings for sustainable hydrogen production      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Keeping SARS-CoV-2 closed for business with small molecules      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The infamous spike proteins on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 help it bind to and enter human cells. Because of their important role in spreading infection, these spike proteins are one of the main targets for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. But those remedies gradually lose effectiveness when certain segments of the spike proteins mutate. Now, researchers report that they have discovered small molecules that successfully target other segments that mutate less.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Biosensor could lead to new drugs, sensory organs on a chip      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to a better understanding of cell biology, development of new drugs, and the creation of sensory organs on a chip capable of detecting chemicals, similar to how noses and tongues work.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

This one-atom chemical reaction could transform drug discovery      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have used single carbon atom doping to form four chemical bonds in one step. Gamma-lactams (cyclic molecules that are common in antibiotics) were easily synthetically accessible from alpha, beta-unsaturated amides (an important molecule in cancer progression). The team chemically modified an anti-seizure medication in 96% yield, highlighting the work's utility to otherwise synthetically complex aspects of pharmaceutical development. The results of this work could become foundational to drug discovery and development.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Using CRISPR to detect cancer biomarkers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Most cancer diagnostic techniques rely on uncomfortable and invasive procedures, such as biopsies, endoscopies or mammograms. Blood samples could be a less unpleasant option, though only a few forms of the disease can currently be diagnosed this way. But now, researchers have developed an easy-to-use method that can detect small amounts of cancer-related molecules in exosomes in plasma and effectively distinguish between malignant and benign samples.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Soil tainted by air pollution expels carbon      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research suggests nitrogen released by gas-powered machines causes dry soil to let go of carbon and release it back into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

'Snapshots' of translation could help us investigate cellular proteins      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nascent polypeptide chains or polypeptidyl-tRNAs (pep-tRNAs) occur transiently during protein synthesis. The potential to study these intermediates and better understand their role in processes like gene regulation has been greatly enhanced by the development of a process termed PETEOS -- short for peptidyl-tRNA enrichment using organic extraction and silica adsorption. This method allows for the large-scale harvesting, processing, and identification of pep-tRNA polypeptide moieties.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Catching the wrongdoers in the act: Chemists develop a novel tool to decipher bacterial infections in real time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has developed a novel chemical tool to reveal how bacteria adapt to the host environment and control host cells. This tool can be used to investigate bacterial interactions with the host in real-time during an infection, which cannot be easily achieved by other methods.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

New DNA biosensor could unlock powerful, low-cost clinical diagnostics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By flagging disease-associated DNA biomarkers, medical professionals can make early diagnoses and provide personalized treatments, but the typical screening methods can be laborious, expensive or limited in scope. Now, a new biosensor could pave the way to accessible and expansive diagnostics.

Engineering: Biometric Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Automatic speaker recognition technology outperforms human listeners in the courtroom      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The forensic-voice-comparison system, based on state-of-the-art automatic-speaker-recognition technology, outperformed all the listeners.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

New report offers blueprint for regulation of facial recognition technology      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new report outlines a model law for facial recognition technology to protect against harmful use of this technology, but also foster innovation for public benefit.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

How old is that fingerprint?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Forensic dramas on TV make it seem easy to determine when fingerprints were left at the scene of a crime. In reality, the oils in fingerprints degrade over time, and it's difficult to figure out their age. Now, researchers have discovered molecular markers for changes to these oils over a seven-day time period -- information that could be used to estimate fingerprints' ages more accurately.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

Optical imaging of dynamic interactions between molecules in a cell      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers develop the 'photoswitching fingerprint analysis'. A unique technology that for the first time allows the analysis of molecular processes and the regulation of individual proteins in living cells with sub-10 nm spatial resolution. The application ranges from biological to medical research.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

Sniffing out your identity with breath biometrics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an artificial 'nose' that can identify individuals from their breath. Built with a 16-channel sensor array that can detect different compounds found in a person's breath, the olfactory sensor system has the potential to become another option in the biometric security toolkit. Combined with machine learning, the 'artificial nose' was able to authenticate up to 20 individuals with an average accuracy of more than 97%.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

Sensor imperfections are perfect for forensic camera analysis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In a project aimed at developing intelligent tools to fight child exploitation, computer scientists have developed a system to analyze the noise produced by individual cameras. This information can be used to link a video or an image to a particular camera.

Computer Science: Encryption Engineering: Biometric
Published

Radio waves for the detection of hardware tampering      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Up to now, protecting hardware against manipulation has been a laborious business: expensive, and only possible on a small scale. And yet, two simple antennas might do the trick.

Engineering: Biometric
Published

Bluetooth signals can be used to identify and track smartphones      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of engineers has demonstrated for the first time that the Bluetooth signals emitted constantly by our mobile phones have a unique fingerprint that can be used to track individuals' movements.