Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Supermassive black hole appears to grow like a baby star      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Supermassive black holes pose unanswered questions for astronomers around the world, not least 'How do they grow so big?' Now, an international team of astronomers has discovered a powerful rotating, magnetic wind that they believe is helping a galaxy's central supermassive black hole to grow. The swirling wind, revealed with the help of the ALMA telescope in nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, suggests that similar processes are involved both in black hole growth and the birth of stars.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General
Published

Scientists devise algorithm to engineer improved enzymes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have prototyped a new method for 'rationally engineering' enzymes to deliver improved performance. They have devised an algorithm, which takes into account an enzyme's evolutionary history, to flag where mutations could be introduced with a high likelihood of delivering functional improvements. Their work could have significant, wide-ranging impacts across a suite of industries, from food production to human health.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

Creation of a power-generating, gel electret-based device      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has developed a gel electret capable of stably retaining a large electrostatic charge. The team then combined this gel with highly flexible electrodes to create a sensor capable of perceiving low-frequency vibrations (e.g., vibrations generated by human motion) and converting them into output voltage signals. This device may potentially be used as a wearable healthcare sensor.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

Transforming inexpensive quinolines into complex drug candidates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An innovative synthesis strategy opened up the way to 2D/3D fused frameworks using inexpensive quinolines as feedstock, report scientists. By leveraging a light-sensitive borate intermediate, the scientists could transform quinoline derivatives into a great variety of 2D/3D fused frameworks in a straightforward and cost-effective manner. Their findings are expected to enable the synthesis of highly customizable drug candidates.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: General Mathematics: General
Published

A railroad of cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Looking under the microscope, a group of cells slowly moves forward in a line, like a train on the tracks. The cells navigate through complex environments. A new approach now shows how they do this and how they interact with each other.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Much of the Nord Stream gas remained in the sea      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Much of the methane released into the southern Baltic Sea from the Nord Stream gas pipeline has remained in the water. This is shown by measurements taken by researchers from the University of Gothenburg.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

New technology provides electrifying insights into how catalysts work at the atomic level      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has invented a technique to study electrochemical processes at the atomic level with unprecedented resolution. They have already used it to discover a surprising phenomena in a popular catalyst material and plan to apply their technology to studying a wide variety of electrochemical systems including batteries, fuel cells, and solar fuel generators. The insights could lead to more efficient and durable devices.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: General
Published

Researchers create new class of materials called 'glassy gels'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created a new class of materials called 'glassy gels' that are very hard and difficult to break despite containing more than 50% liquid. Coupled with the fact that glassy gels are simple to produce, the material holds promise for a variety of applications.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Mirror-image chemicals may revolutionize drug delivery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More than 130 years after cyclodextrins were first discovered and reported, a team of scientists has created chemical mirror images of these complex carbohydrates in the laboratory. This discovery may revolutionize how medications are delivered to patients.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

What happens when neutron stars collide?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New simulations show that hot neutrinos created at the interface of merging binary neutron stars are briefy trapped and remain out of equilibrium with the cold cores of the stars for 2 to 3 milliseconds.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

Unveiling Telo-seq: A breakthrough in telomere research on aging and cancer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Telo-seq -- a new tool -- is bringing telomere science into its modern era. Scientists can finally explore questions about the role of telomeres in aging and cancer that were not accessible with previous methods. The findings will inspire novel telomere-targeting therapeutics for aging-related diseases.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Astronomers see a massive black hole awaken in real time      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In late 2019 the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before. To understand why, astronomers have used data from several space and ground-based observatories, including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), to track how the galaxy's brightness has varied. In a study out today, they conclude that they are witnessing changes never seen before in a galaxy -- likely the result of the sudden awakening of the massive black hole at its core.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Mathematics: Modeling Physics: Optics
Published

Custom-made molecules designed to be invisible while absorbing near-infrared light      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used theoretical calculations assessing electron orbital symmetry to synthesize new molecule designed to be both transparent and colorless while absorbing near-infrared light. This compound demonstrates the first systematic approach to producing such materials and have applications in advanced electronics. This compound also shows semiconducting properties.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Modified gravity theory: A million light years and still going      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a breakthrough discovery that challenges the conventional understanding of cosmology, scientists have unearthed new evidence that could reshape our perception of the cosmos. New research shows that rotation curves of galaxies stay flat indefinitely far out, corroborating predictions of modified gravity theory as an alternative to dark matter.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Scientists develop 3D printed vacuum system that aims to trap dark matter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using a specially designed 3D printed vacuum system, scientists have developed a way to 'trap' dark matter with the aim of detecting domain walls, this will be a significant step forwards in unravelling some of the mysteries of the universe.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

Molecular sponge for the electronics of the future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has succeeded in developing a new type of material in the rather young research field of covalent organic frameworks. The new two-dimensional polymer is characterized by the fact that its properties can be controlled in a targeted and reversible manner. This has brought the researchers a step closer to the goal of realizing switchable quantum states.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Breakthrough approach enables bidirectional BCI functionality      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Brain-computer interfaces or BCIs hold immense potential for individuals with a wide range of neurological conditions, but the road to implementation is long and nuanced for both the invasive and noninvasive versions of the technology. Scientists have now successfully integrated a novel focused ultrasound stimulation to realize bidirectional BCI that both encodes and decodes brain waves using machine learning in a study with 25 human subjects. This work opens up a new avenue to significantly enhance not only the signal quality, but also, overall nonivasive BCI performance by stimulating targeted neural circuits.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Pair of merging quasars at cosmic dawn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers have discovered a double-record-breaking pair of quasars. Not only are they the most distant pair of merging quasars ever found, but also the only pair confirmed in the bygone era of the Universe's earliest formation.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: Structures and Features
Published

Investigating the origins of the crab nebula      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to parse the composition of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.

Chemistry: Biochemistry
Published

Some CRISPR screens may be missing cancer drug targets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing has made possible a multitude of biomedical experiments including studies that systematically turn off genes in cancer cells to look for ones that the cancer cells heavily depend on to survive and grow. These genes, or 'cancer dependencies,' are often promising drug targets. But new research shows that many of these CRISPR screening experiments rely on components, called CRISPR/Cas9 guides, that do not perform equally well in cells from people of all ancestries, which can cause CRISPR screens to miss cancer dependencies.