In recent years, global environmental concerns have prompted a significant shift toward eco-friendly manufacturing processes in organic synthetic chemistry. One such advancement is the use of photoredox catalytic reactions, which leverage light to drive redox reactions via a photoredox catalyst. This method reduces the reliance on harsh and toxic reagents, utilizing visible light as a … Read more
Recent discoveries by the James Webb Space Telescope have unveiled surprising details about WASP-107 b, an exoplanet that has intrigued astronomers with its puffy, cotton candy-like appearance. The findings reveal an unexpectedly low amount of methane and a massive core, providing new insights into the planet’s structure and composition. WASP-107 b orbits a star roughly … Read more
A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has found an unconventional way to improve catalysts made of more than one material. The solution demonstrates a path to designing catalysts with greater activity, selectivity and stability. A catalyst normally uses a support to stabilize nanometer-sized metal particles that speed … Read more
Chemical reactions are complex mechanisms. Many different dynamic processes are involved, affecting both the electrons and the nucleus of the present atoms. Very often, the strongly coupled electron and nuclear dynamics induce radiation-less relaxation processes known as conical intersections. Such dynamics, which are at the basis of many biological and chemical relevant functions, are extremely … Read more
The history of life on Earth spans billions of years, from the formation of our planet to the evolution of diverse life forms. This epic tale of biological evolution is intertwined with geological events, environmental changes, extinction events, and the emergence of complex organisms. The story of life on Earth is a testament to the … Read more
Biotechnology is a rapidly evolving field that harnesses biological processes and systems to develop innovative solutions for various applications in medicine and industry. It encompasses a diverse range of techniques, including genetic engineering, fermentation, and cell culture, to manipulate biological systems for practical purposes. Biotechnology has revolutionized healthcare, agriculture, environmental science, and industrial manufacturing, offering … Read more
Biochemistry is the branch of science that explores the chemical processes and molecules within living organisms. It delves into the structure, function, and interactions of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and metabolites, elucidating fundamental principles of life, cellular functions, biochemical pathways, and molecular mechanisms underlying biological processes. Proteins Proteins are essential biomolecules … Read more
In most industrial chemical reactions, catalysts combine with the starting materials and accompany them through intermediate stages to the product. In chemistry, this pathway is known as the reaction mechanism, and it is a kind of black box: nobody knows what is happening at the molecular level at first. If the reaction result in the … Read more
Researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan have improved on their green and sustainable method of extracting hydrogen from water by using a custom-made catalyst for the chemical reaction. Published in Nature Catalysis, the study details how they manipulated the catalyst’s 3D structure, which led to improved stability and … Read more
Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators have long fascinated scientists and engineers with their ability to concentrate and manipulate light in minute circular paths, akin to the way whispering galleries focus sound waves. This unique property has led to their utilization in various sensing applications, from detecting chemical signatures to monitoring single molecules. However, their widespread adoption has … Read more
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study from scientists with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The results, published April 23, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, push back the previous record for … Read more
The interstellar medium (ISM) is the vast expanse of gas and dust that fills the space between stars in galaxies. Comprising a complex mixture of elements, molecules, and particles, the ISM plays a crucial role in the formation and evolution of stars, planets, and galaxies. Understanding the properties and dynamics of the interstellar medium is … Read more
While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has fascinated scientists for decades, as at least 200 unique molecules form in its cold, low-pressure environment. It’s a subject that … Read more
Hydrogen gas is a clean fuel. It burns with oxygen in the air to provide energy with no CO2. Hydrogen is a key to sustainable energy for the future. Though humans are just now coming to realize the benefits of hydrogen gas (H2 in chemical shorthand), microbes have known that H2 is a good fuel for as … Read more
A new, greener, and cheaper method to accelerate chemical reactions has been developed by scientists at King’s College London in collaboration with the University of Barcelona and ETH Zurich. Instead of using polluting and expensive metal-based catalysts, the team proved that electric fields can catalyze reactions to produce chemical compounds. Building on previous research published … Read more
Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system and the only one with a dense atmosphere. At the top of this atmosphere, rich in nitrogen and methane, the sun’s radiation produces a great diversity of organic molecules, some of which we also find on Earth as constituents of the basic unit of life, the … Read more
The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of chemical elements, organized by their atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties. It provides a systematic way to categorize and understand the behavior of elements based on their shared characteristics. Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with developing the first periodic table in 1869, arranging elements by their … Read more
Boston College researchers used a mild charge of electricity to precisely modify proteins, a new tool that can be used to develop novel biotherapeutics and protein-based research tools, the team reported recently in the journal Nature Chemistry. The team, led by BC professors of chemistry Abhishek Chatterjee and Eranthie Weerapana, developed and optimized a novel … Read more
Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientists say they have found a new function for the SYNGAP1 gene, a DNA sequence that controls memory and learning in mammals, including mice and humans. The finding, published in Science, may affect the development of therapies designed for children with SYNGAP1 mutations, who have a range of neurodevelopmental disorders marked by … Read more
Molecules often have a structural asymmetry called chirality, which means they can appear in alternative, mirror-image versions akin to the left and right versions of human hands. One of the great mysteries about the origins of life on Earth is that virtually all of the fundamental molecules of biology, such as the building blocks of … Read more