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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published Researchers use Hawk supercomputer and lean into imperfection to improve solar cell efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Solar energy is one of the most promising, widely adopted renewable energy sources, but the solar cells that convert light into electricity remains a challenge. Scientists have turned to the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart to understand how strategically designing imperfections in the system could lead to more efficient energy conversion.
Published Microbial comics: RNA as a common language, presented in extracellular speech-bubbles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Decoding the conversations between microbes of hypersaline environments reveals deep insights into the origins of complex life.
Published Imaging grain boundaries that impede lithium-ion migration in solid-state batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has developed a new technique to image grain boundaries obstructing lithium-ion migration in solid-state batteries -- a promising type of next-generation battery.
Published AI-driven lab speeds catalysis research
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a 'self-driving' lab that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to provide in-depth analyses of catalytic reactions used in chemical research and manufacturing. The new tool, called Fast-Cat, can provide more information in five days than is possible in six months of conventional testing.
Published 'Janitors' of the Sea: Overharvested sea cucumbers play crucial role in protecting coral
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers discovered that sea cucumbers -- sediment-eating organisms that function like autonomous vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor -- play an enormous role in protecting coral from disease.
Published Cutting-edge 'protein lawnmower' created
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have designed the first synthetic protein-based motor which harnesses biological reactions to fuel and propel itself. 'Imagine if a Roomba could be powered only by the dirt it picks up,' says one of the authors of the study. The motor uses the digestive enzyme trypsin to cut the peptides and convert them into the energy it needs to propel itself.
Published A new theoretical development clarifies water's electronic structure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have decoded the electronic structure of water, opening up new perspectives for technological and environmental applications.
Published Scientists assemble a richer picture of the plight and resilience of the foothill yellow-legged frog
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Up to only a few inches in length, with a lemon-hued belly, the foothill yellow-legged frog may seem unassuming. But its range once stretched from central Oregon to Baja California. In 2023, it was listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Its rapidly decreasing range is due in part to a fungal pathogen called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, that has devastated amphibians around the world.
Published The mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have been able to directly visualize the neutral products of the mutual neutralization of hydronium and hydroxide, and report three different product channels: two channels were attributed to a predominant electron-transfer mechanism, and a smaller channel was associated with proton transfer. The two-beam collision experiment is an important step toward understanding the quantum dynamics of this fundamental reaction.
Published Robots, monitoring and healthy ecosystems could halve pesticide use without hurting productivity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Smarter crop farming that combats weeds, insect pests and plant diseases by integrating modern technologies like AI-based monitoring, robotics, and next-generation biotechnology with healthy and resilient agricultural ecosystems.
Published Blindness from some inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sight loss in certain inherited eye diseases may be caused by gut bacteria, and is potentially treatable by antimicrobials, finds a new study in mice.
Published Global warming increases the diversity of active soil bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Warmer soils harbor a greater diversity of active microbes, according to a new study. The study represents a significant shift in our understanding of how microbial activity in the soil influences the global carbon cycle and possible feedback mechanisms on the climate. Until now, scientists have assumed that higher soil temperatures accelerate the growth of microbes, thus increasing the release of carbon into the atmosphere. However, this increased release of carbon is actually caused by the activation of previously dormant bacteria.
Published Altering the circadian clock adapts barley to short growing seasons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source To ensure that plants flower at the right time of year, they possess an internal clock, which enables them to measure the amount of daylight during a day. Biologists now describe that the mutation of a specific gene makes the flowering time of barley almost entirely independent of day length. This mutation can be useful for breeding varieties adapted to altered climatic conditions with relatively mild winters and hot, dry summers.
Published Lab-spun sponges form perfect scaffolds for growing skin cells to heal wounds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new technique for electro-spinning sponges has allowed scientists to directly produce 3D scaffolds -- on which skin grafts could be grown from the patient's own skin.
Published 'Dynamic duo' defenses in bacteria ward off viral threats
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered that bacteria can pair up their defense systems to create a formidable force, greater than the sum of its parts, to fight off attack from phage viruses. Understanding how bacteria react to this type of virus is a big step in combating antimicrobial resistance.
Published Compound vital for all life likely played a role in life's origin
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A chemical compound essential to all living things has been synthesized in a lab in conditions that could have occurred on early Earth, suggesting it played a role at the outset of life.
Published Chemists synthesize unique anticancer molecules using novel approach
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nearly 30 years ago, scientists discovered a unique class of anticancer molecules in a family of bryozoans, a phylum of marine invertebrates found in tropical waters. The chemical structures of these molecules, which consist of a dense, highly complex knot of oxidized rings and nitrogen atoms, has attracted the interest of organic chemists worldwide, who aimed to recreate these structures from scratch in the laboratory. However, despite considerable effort, it has remained an elusive task. Until now, that is. A team of chemists has succeeded in synthesizing eight of the compounds for the first time using an approach that combines inventive chemical strategy with the latest technology in small molecule structure determination.
Published Copies of antibiotic resistance genes greatly elevated in humans and livestock
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered a key link between the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and the evolution of resistance to new drugs in certain pathogens. Bacteria exposed to higher levels of antibiotics often harbor multiple identical copies of protective antibiotic resistance genes which are linked to 'jumping genes' that can move from strain to strain. Duplicate genes provide a mechanism for resistance to spread and enable evolving resistance to new drugs.
Published Metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mice that received fecal implants from donors that had their ovaries removed gained more fat mass and had greater expression of liver genes associated with inflammation, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. The findings may shed light on the greater incidence of metabolic dysfunction in postmenopausal women.
Published Damage to cell membranes causes cell aging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that damage to the cell membrane promotes cellular senescence, or cell aging.