Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Nanofluidic devices offer solutions for studying single molecule chemical reactions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed principles and technologies of nanofluidic devices to freely manipulate nanomaterials, biomaterials, and molecules at the single-molecule level using fundamental technologies such as nanofluidic processing, functional integration, and fluidic control and measurement, which has pioneered the way to integrate various fields under nanofluidics. To elucidate the single molecule dynamics of chemical reactions in solution, using their unique nanofluidic devices, they outlined how they propose to solve problems such as precisely manipulating small molecules in solution and how to investigate extremely quick reactions, that only take nano- to picoseconds.

Biology: Botany Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Ecology: Animals Physics: Optics
Published

Researchers uncover how photosynthetic organisms regulate and synthesize ATP      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The redox regulation mechanism responsible for efficient production of ATP under varying light conditions in photosynthetic organisms has now been unveiled. Researchers investigated the enzyme responsible for this mechanism and uncovered how the amino acid sequences present in the enzyme regulate ATP production. Their findings provide valuable insights into the process of photosynthesis and the ability to adapt to changing metabolic conditions.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

How can the metaverse improve public health?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The metaverse is a technological revolution in the field of virtual reality, with potential benefits to public health research. A new article proposes several new ways in which the metaverse can help us design, test, and experience health-promoting environments to minimize the risk of non-communicable diseases.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Building better enzymes -- by breaking them down      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study brings this vision closer to reality. The researchers unveil a computational method for designing thousands of different active enzymes with unprecedented efficiency by assembling them from engineered modular building blocks.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Engineered wood grows stronger while trapping carbon dioxide      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have figured out a way to engineer wood to trap carbon dioxide through a potentially scalable, energy-efficient process that also makes the material stronger for use in construction.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

'Magic' solvent creates stronger thin films      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new all-dry polymerization technique uses reactive vapors to create thin films with enhanced properties, such as mechanical strength, kinetics and morphology.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Graphene
Published

Virtual and augmented reality: Researchers pioneer process to stack micro-LEDs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers are using emerging technology to demonstrate a process that will enable more immersive and realistic virtual and augmented reality displays with the world's smallest and thinnest micro-LEDs.

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.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Autonomous steering system keeps human drivers engaged      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an automated driving system based on the concept of 'collaborative steering', which aims to increase transportation safety, efficiency, and comfort by encouraging active interaction between autonomous vehicles and their human drivers.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual reality game to objectively detect ADHD      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A virtual reality game offers an objective assessment of attention deficit disorders and may lead to an improved therapeutic approach.