A potential game-changer for fuel cells, smart windows, and next-generation electronics
A team of scientists from Korea and Japan has discovered a new type of crystal that can “breathe”—releasing and absorbing oxygen repeatedly at relatively low temperatures. This unique ability could transform the way we develop clean energy technologies, including fuel cells, energy-saving windows, and smart thermal devices.
DNA aptamers are powerful molecular tools in biosensing, bioimaging and therapeutics. However, a limited understanding of their tertiary structures and binding mechanisms hinders their further optimizations and applications.
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a central metabolite in cellular energy metabolism, is a key target for aptamer development. A DNA aptamer 1301b has recently been reported to bind to one molecule of ATP with a dissociation constant (KD) of ~2.5 µM. However, the structural basis for ATP recognition by 1301b remains unclear, lacking guiding principles for rational optimization.
In a study published in PNAS, a team led by Prof. Tan Weihong, Prof. Han Da, and Prof. Guo Pei from the Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences determined the tertiary structure of a DNA aptamer-ATP 1:1 binding complex, revealed the recognition mechanism, and engineered an optimized DNA aptamer with a submicromolar KD for ATP binding, which exhibited the highest affinity reported for ATP-binding DNA aptamers to date.
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Scientists have developed a diamond-based sensor that could make it easier for doctors to detect the spread of cancer.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have created a handheld device that is designed to trace tiny magnetic particles injected into the body.
The scientists said this offers a non-toxic alternative to radioactive tracers and dyes currently used in hospitals.
US scientists tap seaweed for rare earths and metals used in EVs, electronics.
Researchers in the United States discovered a new way to extract rare earth minerals. They focused on seaweed, which hosts rare earth minerals in their leaf-like tissues. After multiple efforts, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) research team successfully extracted critical mineral content from the seaweed biomass.
They have been growing several species in the Sequim campus and investigating different methods of extracting minerals from seaweed.
Researchers at NPL have reported a novel high-speed charge sensing method for ballistic electrons, a potentially useful technique in the fields of electron quantum optics, quantum electrical metrology, flying qubit technology, and signal sensing.
The study, published in Physical Review Letters, reveals that the presence of a single ballistic electron can be revealed by tracking the path of another fast-moving “sensing” electron. By steering the paths of these electrons close to each other, the tiny repulsion between them can redirect the sensing electron, like a train switching tracks or cars diverting off a freeway.
When charge sensors are used in quantum devices, they are measured continuously, with each sample long enough to resolve a signal from the noise. The NPL sensing system leverages synchronization between the detector and sensing electrons to achieve extreme time selectivity, only sampling within a minuscule time window and detecting interactions that occur in just 1–2 picoseconds.
The development of ESA’s Earth Explorer FLEX mission has recently passed a significant milestone: the mission’s all-important, single instrument has been joined to its satellite platform.
This delicate operation was carried out by spacecraft engineers at Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France, following the delivery of the instrument from Leonardo in Florence, Italy.
FLEX’s fluorescence imaging spectrometer is called FLORIS for short and designed to map vegetation fluorescence around the globe and quantify photosynthetic activity and plant stress.
A team of scientists from Korea and Japan has discovered a new type of crystal that can “breathe”—releasing and absorbing oxygen repeatedly at relatively low temperatures. This unique ability could transform the way we develop clean energy technologies, including fuel cells, energy-saving windows, and smart thermal devices.
