Scientists have recently uncovered new properties of promethium, a rare earth element first discovered 80 years ago at Clinton Laboratories, now known as the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This breakthrough opens a new pathway for exploring elements that are critical in modern technology, including applications in medicine and space travel. Promethium, … Read more
Cellular respiration is a fundamental biological process that occurs in living cells to generate energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This process involves the breakdown of organic molecules, such as glucose, through a series of biochemical reactions that release energy stored in chemical bonds. Cellular respiration is essential for the survival and functioning … Read more
An Australian-led study has found unusual insulating behavior in a new atomically-thin material—and the ability to switch it on and off. Materials that feature strong interactions between electrons can display unusual properties such as the ability to act as insulators even when they are expected to conduct electricity. These insulators, known as Mott insulators, occur … Read more
Our bodies are made up of trillions of different cells, each fulfilling their own unique function to keep us alive. How do cells move around inside these extremely complicated systems? How do they know where to go? And how did they get so complicated to begin with? Simple yet profound questions like these are at … Read more
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have gained new insights in the field of high-pressure carbon chemistry: They synthesized two new carbides—compounds of carbon and another chemical element—with unique structures. The results may provide an unexpected explanation of the wide spread of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the universe. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications. Carbides … Read more
Exploring the Oort Cloud and comets is a captivating journey into the outer reaches of our solar system, shedding light on the origins of celestial bodies, the dynamics of the solar system, and the processes that shaped the early solar nebula. The Oort Cloud, a vast reservoir of icy bodies orbiting the Sun at great … 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
Astrobiology, a multidisciplinary field at the intersection of astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and planetary science, explores the origins, evolution, distribution, and potential for life in the universe. This fascinating realm of scientific inquiry delves into fundamental questions about the nature of life, its cosmic origins, and the conditions required for habitability beyond Earth. From the … Read more
Mars, often referred to as the Red Planet, has captivated human imagination for centuries with its mysterious allure. As the fourth planet from the Sun and Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor, Mars has been a focal point of space exploration and scientific inquiry. From ancient myths and speculative fiction to modern-day missions and discoveries, the exploration … 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
On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pann-STARRS survey observed an interstellar object passing through our system—1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua. This was the first time an ISO was detected, confirming that such objects pass through the solar system regularly, as astronomers predicted decades prior. Just two years later, a second object was detected, the interstellar comet … 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
Scientists at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have collaborated with the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) on a new study to better understand the degradation of blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The study has been published in Nature Communications. The degradation mechanisms—whether physical, chemical or something else—that cause blue OLEDs to fail are still … Read more
A group led by researchers at Nagoya University in Japan has created a material based on fullerene indanones (FIDO), which promises to improve the durability of next-generation solar cells. Durability has been one of the biggest hurdles in their practical application and commercialization. The researchers published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical … Read more
Amino acids are fundamental building blocks of proteins and play crucial roles in numerous biological processes. Understanding the structure, function, and significance of amino acids is essential for comprehending the complexity of living organisms and the molecular mechanisms that underlie their functions. Amino acids are organic molecules composed of a central carbon atom (referred to … Read more