Pushing the limits of cryo-electron microscopy, University of California, Berkeley, scientists have captured freeze-frames of the changing shape of a huge molecule, one of the body's key molecular machines, as it locks onto DNA and loads the machinery for...
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed a new way to cure adhesives using a magnetic field.
Conventional adhesives like epoxy which are used to bond plastic, ceramics and wood are typically designed to cure using moisture,...
University of Michigan researchers have developed a powerful microscope that can map how light energy migrates in photosynthetic bacteria on timescales of one-quadrillionth of a second.
The microscope could help researchers develop more efficient organic photovoltaic materials, a type of...
Superhard materials can slice, drill and polish other objects. They also hold potential for creating scratch-resistant coatings that could help keep expensive equipment safe from damage.
Now, science is opening the door to the development of new materials with these...
Metals such as iron and calcium play a crucial role inside the human body, so it's no surprise that bioengineers would like to integrate them into the soft, stretchy materials used to repair skin, blood vessels, lungs and other...
Scientists at TU Dresden and Hasselt University in Belgium investigated the physical causes that limit the efficiency of novel solar cells based on organic molecular materials. Currently, the voltage of such cells is still too low—one reason for their...
A virus, the simplest physical object in biology, consists of a protein shell called the capsid, which protects its nucleic acid genome—RNA or DNA. The capsid can be cylindrical or conical in shape, but more commonly it assumes an...
Diagram of enzyme (orange) encapsulating 2'-azido-DNA/DNA hydrogel.
Credit: Courtesy Romesberg Lab
DNA evolved to store genetic information, but in principle this special, chain-like molecule can also be adapted to make new materials. Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have now...
IBS scientists and their colleagues have recently report an ultimate electrocatalyst that addresses all of the issues that trouble H2O2 production. This new catalyst comprising the optimal Co-N4 molecules incorporated in nitrogen-doped graphene, Co1-NG(O), exhibits a record-high electrocatalytic reactivity, producing up...
The Grignard reaction is used to synthesize carbon-carbon bonds, a crucial step for making new molecules for academic and industry uses. Finding efficient and selective methods for this reaction, using low cost materials and minimal energy resources has been...
Artificial cells that release materials when exposed to light have been embedded in a durable membrane, allowing chemical reactions to be controlled.
These structures could be used to control the synthesis of drugs in the body on demand, as well...
