Showing 20 articles starting at article 1
Categories: Biology: Molecular, Physics: Optics
Published Strength training activates cellular waste disposal



The elimination of damaged cell components is essential for the maintenance of the body's tissues and organs. An international research team has made significant findings on mechanisms for the clearing of cellular wastes, showing that strength training activates such mechanisms. The findings could form the basis for new therapies for heart failure and nerve diseases, and even afford benefits for manned space missions.
Published AI tackles one of the most difficult challenges in quantum chemistry



New research using neural networks, a form of brain-inspired AI, proposes a solution to the tough challenge of modelling the states of molecules.
Published Revealing DNA behavior in record time



Studying how single DNA molecules behave helps us to better understand genetic disorders and design better drugs. Until now however, examining DNA molecules one-by-one was a slow process. Biophysicists have developed a technique that speeds up screening of individual DNA molecules at least a thousand times. With this technology, they can measure millions of DNA molecules within a week instead of years to decades.
Published Physicists shine new light on ultra-fast atomic processes



Scientists report incredibly small time delays in a molecule's electron activity when the particles are exposed to X-rays. To measure these tiny high-speed events, known as attoseconds, researchers used a laser to generate intense X-ray flashes that allowed them to map the inner workings of an atom.
Published Engineers design lookalike drug carrier to evade lung's lines of defense



Managing hard-to-treat respiratory illnesses like asthma and pulmonary fibrosis just got easier if a new drug-carrying molecule is as sneaky as its inventors think.
Published Gut molecule slows fat burning during fasting



In a struggle that probably sounds familiar to dieters everywhere, the less a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) worm eats, the more slowly it loses fat. Now, scientists have discovered why: a small molecule produced by the worms' intestines during fasting travels to the brain to block a fat-burning signal during this time.
Published Next time you beat a virus, thank your microbial ancestors



When you get infected with a virus, some of the first weapons your body deploys to fight it were passed down to us from our microbial ancestors billions of years ago. According to new research, two key elements of our innate immune system came from a group of microbes called Asgard archaea.
Published Life from a drop of rain: New research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls



New research shows that rainwater could have helped create a meshy wall around protocells 3.8 billion years ago, a critical step in the transition from tiny beads of RNA to every bacterium, plant, animal, and human that ever lived.
Published Freeze-frame: World's fastest microscope that can see electrons in motion



A team of researchers has developed the first transmission electron microscope which operates at the temporal resolution of a single attosecond, allowing for the first still-image of an electron in motion.
Published Chalk-based coating creates a cooling fabric



In the scorching heat of summer, anyone who spends time outside could benefit from a cooling fabric. While there are some textiles that reflect the sun's rays or wick heat away, current options require boutique fibers or complex manufacturing processes. But now, demonstrations of a durable chalk-based coating show it can cool the air underneath treated fabric by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Published Quality control: Neatly arranging crystal growth to make fine thin films



Researchers have succeeded in forming metal-organic framework thin films on a substrate while controlling the growth direction of crystals so that they are arranged neatly without gaps. The resulting thin films of unprecedented high quality can be expected for use as optical sensors, optical elements, and transparent gas adsorption sheets.
Published Engineered Bacteria make thermally stable plastics similar to polystyrene and PET



Bioengineers around the world have been working to create plastic-producing microbes that could replace the petroleum-based plastics industry. Now, researchers have overcome a major hurdle: getting bacteria to produce polymers that contain ring-like structures, which make the plastics more rigid and thermally stable. Because these molecules are usually toxic to microorganisms, the researchers had to construct a novel metabolic pathway that would enable the E. coli bacteria to both produce and tolerate the accumulation of the polymer and the building blocks it is composed of. The resulting polymer is biodegradable and has physical properties that could lend it to biomedical applications such as drug delivery, though more research is needed.
Published Benefits and downside of fasting



Researchers identified a signaling pathway in mice that boosts intestinal stem cells' regeneration abilities after fasting. When cancerous mutations occurred during this regenerative period, mice were more likely to develop early-stage intestinal tumors.
Published Self-repairing mitochondria use novel recycling system



A newly identified identified cellular mechanism allows mitochondria to recycle localized damage and maintain healthy function.
Published Surprising mechanism for removing dead cells identified



A tandem signaling process turns ordinary cells into an efficient cleanup crew.
Published Compound in rosemary extract can reduce cocaine sensitivity



A team of researchers has discovered that an antioxidant found in rosemary extract can reduce volitional intakes of cocaine by moderating the brain's reward response, offering a new therapeutic target for treating addiction.
Published Researchers teaching artificial intelligence about frustration in protein folding



Scientists have found a new way to predict how proteins change their shape when they function, which is important for understanding how they work in living systems. While recent artificial intelligence (AI) technology has made it possible to predict what proteins look like in their resting state, figuring out how they move is still challenging because there is not enough direct data from experiments on protein motions to train the neural networks.
Published Explanation found for X-ray radiation from black holes



Researchers have succeeded in something that has been pursued since the 1970s: explaining the X-ray radiation from the black hole surroundings. The radiation originates from the combined effect of the chaotic movements of magnetic fields and turbulent plasma gas.
Published Deadly sea snail toxin could be key to making better medicines



Scientists are finding clues for how to treat diabetes and hormone disorders in an unexpected place: a toxin from one of the most venomous animals on the planet.
Published Scientists harness quantum microprocessor chips for revolutionary molecular spectroscopy simulation



Engineering researchers have successfully developed a quantum microprocessor chip for molecular spectroscopy simulation of actual large-structured and complex molecules.