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Category: chemistry – Page 4

A platform developed nearly 20 years ago previously used to detect protein interactions with DNA and conduct accurate COVID-19 testing has been repurposed to create a highly sensitive water contamination detection tool.

The technology merges two exciting fields— and nanotechnology—to create a new platform for chemical monitoring. When tuned to detect different contaminants, the technology could detect the metals lead and cadmium at concentrations down to two and one parts per billion, respectively, in a matter of minutes.

The paper was published this week in the journal ACS Nano and represents research from multiple disciplines within Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.

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The quantum rules shaping molecular collisions are now coming into focus, offering fresh insights for chemistry and materials science. When molecules collide with surfaces, a complex exchange of energy takes place between the molecule and the atoms composing the surface. But beneath this dizzying complexity, quantum mechanics, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, governs the process.

Quantum interference, in particular, plays a key role. It occurs when different pathways that a molecule can take overlap, resulting in specific patterns of interaction: some pathways amplify each other, while others cancel out entirely. This “dance of waves” affects how molecules exchange energy and momentum with surfaces, and ultimately how efficiently they react.

But until now, observing in collisions with heavier molecules like methane (CH4) was nearly impossible because of the overwhelming number of pathways available for the system to take en route to the different collision outcomes. Many scientists have even wondered if all quantum effects would always “wash out” for these processes so that the simpler laws of classical physics, which apply to everyday, “macroscopic” objects, might be enough to describe them.

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Yeast cells can be used to convert agricultural and forestry residues, as well as industrial byproducts, into valuable bioproducts. New and unexplored yeast strains may have properties that can enhance the commercial competitiveness of this sustainable production. In a study recently published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, researchers collected and examined the biotechnological potential of 2,000 West African yeast strains.

The study—the first of its kind—is a collaboration between the University of Nigeria, Chalmers University of Technology, and the University of Gothenburg. It is based on a nationwide collection of samples from fruit, bark, soil, and waterways in Nigeria. This approach, known as bioprospecting, involves exploring various plants or microorganisms in nature to identify properties that can be utilized for different industrial or societal applications.

In this study, researchers searched for new yeast species with the potential use in industrial production of biochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food ingredients.

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In a breakthrough that could transform bioelectronic sensing, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Rice University has developed a new method to dramatically enhance the sensitivity of enzymatic and microbial fuel cells using organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The research was recently published in the journal Device.

The innovative approach amplifies electrical signals by three orders of magnitude and improves signal-to-noise ratios, potentially enabling the next generation of highly sensitive, low-power biosensors for health and .

“We have demonstrated a simple yet powerful technique to amplify weak bioelectronic signals using OECTs, overcoming previous challenges in integrating fuel cells with electrochemical sensors,” said corresponding author Rafael Verduzco, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and materials science and nanoengineering. “This method opens the door to more versatile and efficient biosensors that could be applied in medicine, environmental monitoring and even wearable technology.”

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What tests can be performed on Earth to help us find signs of ancient life on Mars? This is what a recent study published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how scientific methods used on Earth to identify fossilized microbial life could be used on a future mission to Mars to identify similar microfossils on the Red Planet. This study has the potential to help researchers develop more efficient methods in finding ancient life on Mars, which has long been the driving force behind exploring the Red Planet.

For the study, the researchers used a laser-powered mass spectrometer to identify microfossils in gypsum deposits in Algeria with the goal of using similar instruments on future missions to Mars. Mass spectrometers are used for classifying the chemical characteristics and structures of molecules while gypsum is a widely used mineral on Earth that is formed when water evaporates. On Mars, hydrated sulfate deposits, which contain water molecules, have been identified across the Martian surface, so using gypsum is an appropriate analog to study in preparation for future missions to Mars. In the end, the researchers successfully identified microfossils within the gypsum deposits using their laser-powered mass spectrometer.

“Our findings provide a methodological framework for detecting biosignatures in Martian sulfate minerals, potentially guiding future Mars exploration missions,” said Youcef Sellam, who is a PhD student at the University of Bern and first author of the study. “Our laser ablation ionization mass spectrometer, a spaceflight-prototype instrument, can effectively detect biosignatures in sulfate minerals. This technology could be integrated into future Mars rovers or landers for in-situ analysis.”

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Researchers from Japan and Taiwan reveal for the first time that helium, usually considered chemically inert, can bond with iron under high pressures. They used a laser-heated diamond anvil cell to find this, and the discovery suggests there could be huge amounts of helium in the Earth’s core. This could challenge long-standing ideas about the planet’s internal structure and history, and may even reveal details of the nebula our solar system coalesced from.

The research is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

During a there are often traces of what is known as primordial helium. That is, helium, which differs from normal helium, or 4 He, so called because it contains two protons and two neutrons and is continuously produced by radioactive decay. Primordial helium, or 3 He, on the other hand, is not formed on Earth and contains two protons and one neutron.

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Super cool paper where Jeppesen et al. discover and characterize a new type of large extracellular vesicle (EV) that they call blebbisomes! These blebbisomes have active mitochondria as well as other organelles (except nucleus), secrete and take up smaller EVs, and can reach sizes of up to 20 micrometers! #cellbiology #molecularbiology #biochemistry

Cells release a variety of 30-to 10,000-nm lipid-bilayer-enclosed extracellular vesicles (EVs) to facilitate cell-to-cell and cell-to-environment communication by packaging signalling molecules to avoid degradation1,2,3,4,5 and escape immune surveillance6,7,8,9. EVs may interact with target cells through contact between molecules on the EV surface with receptors on the cell surface to relay signals. In addition, modulation of recipient cell behavior may follow uptake of EVs cargo, including bioactive proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. EVs have emerged as important actors and agents of intercellular communication in normal cell biology and pathological conditions2,4,6.

Here, we identify blebbisomes, an exceptionally large functional EVs, that are actively released by human and mouse cells, remain motile independently of cells and have the capacity to both take up EVs and secrete exosomes and microvesicles. Blebbisomes are the largest type of EV described so far with an average diameter of 10 µm but can be as large as 20 µm, with an area commonly larger than 50 µm2. After being released from motile cells, blebbisomes display marked contractility-dependent ‘blebbing’ behaviour. Both normal and cancer cells release blebbisomes that contain active, healthy, mitochondria further distinguishing them from other large EVs (lEVs) such as exophers10,11 and migrasomes12 that function in the removal of damaged mitochondria from cells under stress conditions. In addition, blebbisomes contain many other cellular organelles including endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, lysosomes, endosomes, multivesicular endosomes (MVEs) and autophagosomes/amphisomes, as well as cytoskeletal elements; however, they lack a definable nucleus.

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There’s an arms race in medicine—scientists design drugs to treat lethal bacterial infections, but bacteria can evolve defenses to those drugs, sending the researchers back to square one. In an article published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a University of California, Irvine-led team describes the development of a drug candidate that can stop bacteria before they have a chance to cause harm.

“The issue with antibiotics is this crisis of antibiotic resistance,” said Sophia Padilla, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry and lead author of the new study. “When it comes to antibiotics, can evolve defenses against them—they’re becoming stronger and always getting better at protecting themselves.”

About 35,000 people in the U.S. die each year from from pathogens like Staphylococcus, while about 2.8 million people suffer from bacteria-related illnesses.

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A brain’s 86 billion neurons are always chattering along with tiny electrical and chemical signals. But how can we get inside the brain to study the fine details? Can we eavesdrop on cells using other cells? What is the future of communication between brains? Join Eagleman with special guest Max Hodak, founder of Science Corp, a company pioneering stunning new methods in brain computer interfaces.

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