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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Engineering: Graphene
Published Discovery of a new form of carbon called Long-range Ordered Porous Carbon (LOPC)


The most well-known forms of carbon include graphite and diamond, but there are other more exotic nanoscale allotropes of carbon as well. These include graphene and fullerenes, which are sp2 hybridized carbon with zero (flat-shaped) or positive (sphere-shaped) curvatures. Researchers now report the discovery of a new form of carbon formed by heating fullerenes with lithium nitride.
Published Humidity may be the key to super-lubricity 'switch'


A material state known as super-lubricity, where friction between two contacting surfaces nearly vanishes, is a phenomenon that materials researchers have studied for years due to the potential for reducing the energy cost and wear and tear on devices, two major drawbacks of friction. However, there are times when friction is needed within the same device, and the ability to turn super-lubricity on and off would be a boon for multiple practical engineering applications.
Published Elucidating enzyme gene expression in filamentous fungi for efficient biomass energy production


A research team analyzed the regulatory mechanisms of carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzyme production in Aspergillus aculeatus, a filamentous fungus that produces enzymes with an excellent ability to degrade plant biomass. The team found that UDP-glucose 4-epimerase (Uge5), an enzyme known for its involvement in galactose metabolism, also regulates the expression of degrading enzyme genes in A. aculeatus. This is the very first report of Uge5's roles in selective gene expression in response to different types of inducing sugars in filamentous fungi.
Published Scientists get fungi to spill their secrets


Using multiplex base-editing, an approach that simultaneously modifies multiple sites in fungal genomes, chemical and biomolecular engineers coax fungi into revealing their best-kept secrets, ramping up the pace of new drug discovery.
Published 'Jumping genes' help fungus kill salamanders


A fungus that infects salamanders contains multiple copies of the same 'jumping genes', scientists have discovered.
Published Researchers discover new process to create freestanding membranes of 'smart' materials


A team has developed a new method for making nano-membranes of 'smart' materials, which will allow scientists to harness their unique properties for use in devices such as sensors and flexible electronics.
Published Human brain organoids implanted into mouse cortex respond to visual stimuli for first time


A team of engineers and neuroscientists has demonstrated for the first time that human brain organoids implanted in mice have established functional connectivity to the animals' cortex and responded to external sensory stimuli. The implanted organoids reacted to visual stimuli in the same way as surrounding tissues, an observation that researchers were able to make in real time over several months thanks to an innovative experimental setup that combines transparent graphene microelectrode arrays and two-photon imaging.
Published Ethereal color variant of mysterious plant is actually a new species


It was thought that there was only one species of the ghost-like Monotropastrum humile plant found in woodlands across East and Southeast Asia. In a major new discovery, botanists reveal that a rosy pink colored variant is actually a distinct new species, shaking up our understanding of this unusual-looking genus of plants. This 20-year study emphasizes the importance of combining various analytical methods to fully understand and protect biodiversity.
Published At the edge of graphene-based electronics


Researchers developed a new graphene-based nanoelectronics platform compatible with conventional microelectronics manufacturing, paving the way for a successor to silicon.
Published Lucky find! How science behind epidemics helped physicists to develop state-of-the-art conductive paint


Scientists demonstrate how a highly conductive paint coating that they have developed mimics the network spread of a virus through a process called 'explosive percolation' -- a mathematical process which can also be applied to population growth, financial systems and computer networks, but which has not been seen before in materials systems. The finding was a serendipitous development as well as a scientific first for the researchers.
Published Two fungi work together to kill fig trees, study finds


Research finds that fungus carried by ambrosia beetles works together with a second fungus to cause fig wilting disease.
Published A deep red, cranberry-tinted lipstick that's also antimicrobial


Lipstick can be a confidence booster, enhance a costume and keep lips from chapping. But sharing a tube with a friend or family member can also spread infections. To develop a version with antimicrobial properties, researchers have added cranberry extract to the formulation. Their deep red cream quickly inactivates disease-causing viruses, bacteria and a fungus that come in contact with it.
Published Harmful fungal toxins in wheat: a growing threat


Wheat -- the most widely cultivated crop in the world -- is under growing attack from harmful toxins. Across Europe, almost half of wheat crops are impacted by the fungal infection that gives rise to these toxins, according to a new study.
Published A shield for 2D materials that adds vibrations to reduce vibration problems


A new study demonstrates a new, counterintuitive way to protect atomically-thin electronics -- adding vibrations, to reduce vibrations. By squeezing a liquid-metal gallium droplet, graphene devices are painted with a protective coating of gallium-oxide that can cover millimeter-wide scales, making it potentially applicable for industrial large-scale fabrication. The new technique improves device performance as well as protecting 2D materials from thermal vibration in neighboring materials.
Published Increasing forest cover in the Eifel region 11,000 years ago resulted in the local loss of megafauna


Sediment cores obtained from Eifel maar sites provide insight into the presence of large Ice Age mammals in Central Europe over the past 60,000 years: Overkill hypothesis not confirmed. Herds of megafauna, such as mammoth and bison, have roamed the prehistoric plains in what is today's Central Europe for several tens of thousands of years. As woodland expanded at the end of the last Ice Age, the numbers of these animals declined and by roughly 11,000 years ago, they had completely vanished from this region. Thus, the growth of forests was the main factor that determined the extinction of such megafauna in Central Europe.
Published Nanomaterial influences gut microbiome and immune system interactions


The nanomaterial graphene oxide -- which is used in everything from electronics to sensors for biomolecules -- can indirectly affect the immune system via the gut microbiome, as shown in a new study on zebrafish.
Published New life flashed into lithium-ion anodes


Chemists use flash Joule heating to recover graphite anodes from spent lithium-ion batteries at a cost of about $118 per ton.
Published New way to produce important molecular entity


A team presents a new, direct way to produce unsymmetrically constructed vicinal diamines. These structures are relevant for the function of biologically active molecules, natural products and pharmaceuticals.
Published Understanding the cryptic role fungi play in ecosystems


It is estimated that there are approximately 3 to 13 million fungal species on Earth, many of which are microscopic in size. They live in a range of environments such as in soils, inside the tissues of leaves in rainforests, and in deep oceans. Understanding how fungi move across a range of spatial scales is important to understanding ecosystems and has implications for agriculture and human health, according to a new review.
Published Accelerating pathogen identification in infants and children with bloodstream infections


A collaborative team has re-engineered the process of microbial pathogen identification in blood samples from pediatric sepsis patients using broad-spectrum pathogen capture technology. The advance enables accurate pathogen detection with a combination of unprecedented sensitivity and speed, and could significantly improve clinical outcomes for pediatric and older patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) and sepsis.