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Categories: Biology: Cell Biology, Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published Novel spectroscopy technique sheds light on NOx reduction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The process that can convert pollution into benign by-products is called selective catalytic reduction, or SCR. Until now, it has been unclear how this reaction actually occurs, and contradictions have long existed between reaction models within the literature. Catalysis researchers used a technology called modulation excitation spectroscopy, or MES, to finally identify the correct pathway.
Published Creating supranormal hearing in mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has produced supranormal hearing in mice, while also supporting a hypothesis on the cause of hidden hearing loss in people.
Published No more stressing out over structural formulas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Structural formulas are a source of dread for many students, but they're an essential tool in biology lessons. A study has now shown that the stress levels of students working with chemical formulas are significantly reduced if they are given simple tips on how to deal with these formulas.
Published New materials: Synthetic pathway for promising nitride compounds discovered
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have successfully synthesized Ruddlesden-Popper nitrides for the first time, opening the door to new materials with unique properties.
Published Long-standing marine mystery solved: How algae get nitrogen to grow
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists shed light on an unexpected partnership: A marine diatom and a bacterium that can account for a large share of nitrogen fixation in vast regions of the ocean. This symbiosis likely plays a key role for global marine nitrogen fixation and productivity, and thus uptake of carbon dioxide. The newly-discovered bacterial symbiont is closely related to the nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia which live in partnership with many crop plants and may also open up new avenues for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants.
Published New deep-learning model outperforms Google AI system in predicting peptide structures
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a deep-learning model, called PepFlow, that can predict all possible shapes of peptides -- chains of amino acids that are shorter than proteins, but perform similar biological functions. Peptides are known to be highly flexible, taking on a wide range of folding patterns, and are thus involved in many biological processes of interest to researchers in the development of therapeutics.
Published Aromatic compounds: A ring made up solely of metal atoms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The term aromaticity is a basic, long-standing concept in chemistry that is well established for ring-shaped carbon compounds. Aromatic rings consisting solely of metal atoms were, however, heretofore unknown. A research team recently succeeded in isolating such a metal ring and describing it in full.
Published Last surviving woolly mammoths were inbred but not doomed to extinction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The last population of woolly mammoths was isolated on Wrangel Island off the coast of Siberia 10,000 years ago, when sea levels rose and cut the mountainous island off from the mainland. A new genomic analysis reveals that the isolated mammoths, who lived on the island for the subsequent 6,000 years, originated from at most 8 individuals but grew to 200--300 individuals within 20 generations. The researchers report that the Wrangel Island mammoths' genomes showed signs of inbreeding and low genetic diversity but not to the extent that it can explain their ultimate (and mysterious) extinction.
Published Invasive ants spread by hitchhiking on everyday vehicles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ants might spread to new locations by stowing away on everyday vehicles. Previously, this was thought to occur mostly on agricultural equipment.
Published A promising weapon against measles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What happens when measles virus meets a human cell? The viral machinery unfolds in just the right way to reveal key pieces that let it fuse itself into the host cell membrane.
Published Scientists use computational modeling to guide a difficult chemical synthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a new way to drive chemical reactions that could generate a wide variety of azetidines -- four-membered nitrogen heterocycles that have desirable pharmaceutical properties.
Published Under pressure: How comb jellies have adapted to life at the bottom of the ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have studied the cell membranes of ctenophores ('comb jellies') and found they had unique lipid structures that allow them to live under intense pressure.
Published Potent therapy candidate for fatal prion diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a gene-silencing tool that shows promise as a therapy against fatal prion diseases. The tool, a streamlined epigenetic editor, paves the way for a new class of genetic approaches to treat certain diseases.
Published New, holistic way to teach synthetic biology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Synthetic biology combines principles from science, engineering and social science, creating emerging technologies such as alternative meats and mRNA vaccines; Deconstructing synthetic biology across scales gives rise to new approach to uniting traditional disciplines; Case studies offer a modular, accessible approach to teaching at different institutions.
Published Solar technology: Innovative light-harvesting system works very efficiently
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are reporting progress on the road to more efficient utilization of solar energy: They have developed an innovative light-harvesting system.
Published Brain's 'escape switch' controlled by threat sensitivity dial
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Neuroscientists have discovered how the brain bidirectionally controls sensitivity to threats to initiate and complete escape behaviour in mice. These findings could help unlock new directions for discovering therapies for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Published From takeoff to flight, the wiring of a fly's nervous system is mapped
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Although a fly's motor neurons are few, it performs remarkable aerial and terrestrial feats. A wiring diagram recently created of the motor circuits in the central nervous system of the fruit fly is providing detailed information on how the nerve coordination of leg movements differs from that controlling the wings. Such studies reveal the unexpected complexity of the fly's tiny motor system. They also advance the understanding of how the central nervous system in animals coordinates individual muscles to carry out a variety of behaviors.
Published Scientists discover genetic 'off switch' in legume plants that limits biological ability to source nutrients
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A genetic 'off switch' that shuts down the process in which legume plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients has been identified for the first time by a team of international scientists.
Published Cell division: Before commitment, a very long engagement
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Before a cell commits fully to the process of dividing itself into two new cells, it may ensure the appropriateness of its commitment by staying for many hours -- sometimes more than a day -- in a reversible intermediate state, according to a new discovery. Their revelation of this fundamental feature of biology includes details of its mechanisms and dynamics, which may inform the development of future therapies targeting cancers and other diseases.
Published New tool enables faster, more cost-effective genome editing of traits to improve agriculture sustainability
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research had the goal of reducing the time and cost it takes to bring an improved crop to the marketplace to improve agriculture sustainability.