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Categories: Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, Ecology: Animals
Published Can synthetic polymers replace the body's natural proteins?
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists developing new biomaterials often try to mimic the body's natural proteins, but a chemist shows that simpler polymers -- based on a handful of plastic building blocks -- also work well. Using AI, her team was able to design polymer mixtures that replicate simple protein functions within biological fluids. The random heteropolymers dissolve and stabilize proteins and can support cells' normal protein-making machinery. The technique could speed the design of materials for biomedical applications.
Published Protein engineers navigate toward more targeted therapeutics
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers uncovered the role of the third intracellular loop in the G protein-coupled receptors' signaling mechanism, which could lead to a more targeted approach to drug discovery and a paradigm shift for new therapeutics.
Published Nano cut-and-sew: New method for chemically tailoring layered nanomaterials could open pathways to designing 2D materials on demand
(via sciencedaily.com) A new process that lets scientists chemically cut apart and stitch together nanoscopic layers of two-dimensional materials -- like a tailor altering a suit -- could be just the tool for designing the technology of a sustainable energy future. Researchers have developed a method for structurally splitting, editing and reconstituting layered materials, called MAX phases and MXenes, with the potential of producing new materials with very unusual compositions and exceptional properties.
Published Humans are altering the diet of Tasmanian devils, which may accelerate their decline
(via sciencedaily.com) New research shows how human-modified landscapes affect the diets of these marsupial scavengers.
Published Modelling superfast processes in organic solar cell material
(via sciencedaily.com) In organic solar cells, carbon-based polymers convert light into charges that are passed to an acceptor. Scientists have now calculated how this happens by combining molecular dynamics simulations with quantum calculations and have provided theoretical insights to interpret experimental data.
Published Bigger flowers, greater rewards: Plants adapt to climate disruptions to lure pollinators
(via sciencedaily.com) There's been a well-documented shift toward earlier springtime flowering in many plants as the world warms. The trend alarms biologists because it has the potential to disrupt carefully choreographed interactions between plants and the creatures -- butterflies, bees, birds, bats and others -- that pollinate them.
Published Major advance in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy
(via sciencedaily.com) Pushing the MINFLUX technique to higher spatial and temporal precision allows protein dynamics to be observed under physiological conditions.
Published Filming proteins in motion
(via sciencedaily.com) Proteins are the heavy-lifters of biochemistry. These beefy molecules act as building blocks, receptors, processors, couriers and catalysts. Naturally, scientists have devoted a lot of research to understanding and manipulating proteins.
Published Researchers control the degree of twist in nanostructured particles
(via sciencedaily.com) Micron-sized 'bow ties,' self-assembled from nanoparticles, form a variety of different curling shapes that can be precisely controlled, a research team has shown.
Published Making sense of scents: Deciphering our sense of smell
(via sciencedaily.com) Breaking a longstanding impasse in our understanding of olfaction, scientists have created the first molecular-level, 3D picture of how an odor molecule activates a human odorant receptor, a crucial step in deciphering the sense of smell.
Published Bird flu associated with hundreds of seal deaths in New England in 2022
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have found that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was associated with the deaths of more than 330 New England harbor and gray seals along the North Atlantic coast in June and July 2022, and the outbreak was connected to a wave of avian influenza in birds in the region.
Published 'Glow-in-the-dark' proteins could help diagnose viral diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Despite recent advancements, many highly sensitive diagnostic tests for viral diseases still require complicated techniques to prepare a sample or interpret a result, making them impractical for point-of-care settings or areas with few resources. But now, a team has developed a sensitive method that analyzes viral nucleic acids in as little as 20 minutes and can be completed in one step with 'glow-in-the-dark' proteins.
Published High winds can worsen pathogen spread at outdoor chicken farms
(via sciencedaily.com) A study of chicken farms in the West found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter in outdoor flocks, a bacterial pathogen in poultry that is the largest single cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. Researchers found that about 26% of individual chickens had the pathogen at the 'open environment' farms in the study, which included organic and free-range chicken farms. High winds the week prior to sampling and the farms' location in more intensive agricultural settings were linked to a greater prevalence of Campylobacter.
Published Climate change alters a human-raptor relationship
(via sciencedaily.com) Bald Eagles and dairy farmers exist in a mutually beneficial relationship in parts of northwestern Washington State. According to a new study, this 'win-win' relationship has been a more recent development, driven by the impact of climate change on eagles' traditional winter diet of salmon carcasses, as well as by increased eagle abundance following decades of conservation efforts.
Published Thousands of native plants are unphotographed, and citizen scientists can help fill the gaps
(via sciencedaily.com) New research finds almost 4000 Australian plant species have not been photographed before in the wild, which may lead to their extinction.
Published Swan populations grow 30 times faster in nature reserves
(via sciencedaily.com) Populations of whooper swans grow 30 times faster inside nature reserves, new research shows.
Published Minke whales are as small as a lunge-feeding baleen whale can be
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study of Antarctic minke whales reveals a minimum size limit for whales employing the highly efficient 'lunge-feeding' strategy that enabled the blue whale to become the largest animal on Earth.
Published 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have pioneered a technique to observe the 3D internal structure of rechargeable batteries. This opens up a wide range of areas for the new technique from energy storage and chemical engineering to biomedical applications.
Published Thermal conductivity of metal organic frameworks
(via sciencedaily.com) Metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, are kind of like plastic building block toys. The pieces are simple to connect, yet they're capable of building highly sophisticated structures.
Published Brown widow spiders' aggression likely driver of black widow decline
(via sciencedaily.com) Black widow spiders have earned a fearsome reputation for their venomous bite. But in parts of the southern United States these spiders have much to fear themselves -- from spider relatives who really don't like their company. In the past couple decades, researchers have noticed black widow spiders being displaced by the brown widow, a fellow species in the same genus. But new research suggests this isn't a simple case of one species winning the competition for food or habitat. Instead, a study shows brown widow spiders have a striking propensity to seek out and kill nearby black widows.