Researchers found that ice can trigger stronger chemical reactions than liquid water, dissolving iron minerals in extreme cold. Freeze-thaw cycles amplify the effect, releasing iron into rivers and soils. With climate change accelerating these cycles, Arctic waterways may face major transformations.
Read moreScientists at Harvard have discovered how salts like lithium bromide break down tough proteins such as keratin—not by attacking the proteins directly, but by altering the surrounding water structure. This breakthrough opens the door to a cleaner, more sustainable way to recycle wool, feathers, and hair into valuable materials, potentially replacing plastics and fueling new industries.
Read moreResearchers have explored how carbon moves between Earth's interior, surface and atmosphere; how much deep carbon exists, in what forms (including vast microbial life); where carbon came from; and how life began.
Read moreMany medicines are twisted molecules with two mirror image versions, but the body uses only one. Inspired by photosynthetic bacteria, a team built a catalyst that guides chemical reactions toward the right version of twisted molecules. It could lead to more efficient production of some medicines.
Read moreResearchers have built a self-assembled nanocage with a very unusual nanospace: Its walls are made of antiaromatic molecules, which are generally considered too unstable to work with. By overturning assumptions about the limits of nano-chemical engineering, the study creates an entirely new nanospace for scientists to explore. Nanometer-sized cavities are already finding a range of useful applications in chemistry, medicine and environmental science.
Read moreMixtures called alpha-gels are thick, do not flow easily, and can hold much water. Therefore, many skincare products are based on them. A group of scientists from Japan has made an alpha-gel with a compound resembling a main component of the moisture-holding layer on our skin. The characteristics of this alpha-gel indicate that it will make possible environment-friendly and effective skincare products at low energy-costs.
Read moreResearchers have developed a new catalyst that can cleave plastic's strong carbon-carbon, converting it into higher value products.
Read moreResearchers are exploring the development of cultured meat found that the addition of the iron-carrying protein myoglobin improves the growth, texture and color of bovine muscle grown from cells in culture. This development is a step toward the ultimate goal of growing meat from livestock animal cells for human consumption.
Read moreA research team has created a third approach to engineering proteins that uses deep learning to distill the fundamental features of proteins directly from their amino acid sequence without the need for additional information.
Read moreScientists demonstrate a new approach in fluorescence microscopy that can be used to locate individual biomolecules in 3D space with nanometer-scale precision.
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