Scientists for the first time have found strong evidence that RNA and DNA could have arisen from the same set of precursor molecules even before life evolved on Earth about four billion years ago.
The discovery, published April 1 in Nature...
MIT chemists have devised a way to synthesize polymers that can break down more readily in the body and in the environment.
A chemical reaction called ring-opening metathesis polymerization, or ROMP, is handy for building novel polymers for various uses...
Solar cells that use mixtures of organic molecules to absorb sunlight and convert it to electricity, that can be applied to curved surfaces such as the body of a car, could be a step closer thanks to a discovery...
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...
New research from Washington University in St. Louis explains the cellular processes that allow a sun-loving microbe to "eat" electricity—transferring electrons to fix carbon dioxide to fuel its growth.
Led by Arpita Bose, assistant professor of biology in Arts &...
A desalination membrane acts as a filter for salty water: push the water through the membrane, get clean water suitable for agriculture, energy production and even drinking. The process seems simple enough, but it contains complex intricacies that have...
eHow water solvates and transports protons is a fundamental question facing chemists and biologists alike and is vital to our understanding of processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
A team of researchers at the University of Chicago used broadband...
A new nanocatalyst that recycles major greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), into highly value-added hydrogen (H2) gas has been developed. This catalyst is expected to greatly contribute to the development of various waste-to-energy conversion...
How did life arise on Earth? Rutgers researchers have found among the first and perhaps only hard evidence that simple protein catalysts—essential for cells, the building blocks of life, to function—may have existed when life began.
Their study of a...
New developments in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with antibiofilm properties are rapidly materializing. ABP works by inhibiting antibiotic resistant bacteria in the biofilm through nucleotide signaling molecules.
Antimicrobial peptides and antibiofilm peptide (ABP) are new antibiotic molecules derived from microorganisms for...
For 6,000 years, humans have been making things from metal because it's strong and tough; a lot of energy is required to damage it. The flip side of this property is that a lot of energy is required to...
