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Scientists have developed a simple, low-cost method to drive key chemical reactions, which could make large-scale drug manufacturing, faster, more accessible and affordable. The new study, published in the journal Nature Synthesis today by The University of Manchester, describes how complex light or electricity-mediated methods currently used across modern chemistry could be replaced by those driven by a simpler technology - heat.

An international team led by ICREA researcher Mark Gieles, from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), has developed a groundbreaking model that reveals how extremely massive stars (EMS) - with more than 1,000 times the mass of the Sun - have governed the birth and early evolution of the oldest star clusters in the universe.

How silver iodide seeds ice: TU Wien researchers uncover how a tiny crystal triggers ice formation at the atomic level No one can control the weather, but certain clouds can be deliberately triggered to release rain or snow. The process, known as cloud seeding, typically involves dispersing small silver iodide particles from aircraft into clouds.

A puzzle in theoretical chemistry has been solved at TU Wien: a new computational method now makes it possible to calculate the forces between large molecules with unprecedented accuracy. Why can geckos walk up walls? Why does nitrogen become liquid at -196 °C? Many everyday phenomena can be explained by van der Waals forces - weak bonds between molecules that are notoriously difficult to calculate.

In 2024, TU Wien presented the world's first nuclear clock. Now it has been demonstrated that the technology can also be used to investigate unresolved questions in fundamental physics. Thorium atomic nuclei can be used for very specific precision measurements. This had been suspected for decades, and the search for suitable atomic nucleus states had been ongoing worldwide.

Researchers used glowing antioxidants to watch ferroptosis unfold inside living cells; discovery could pave way for better therapies for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases A team at McGill University studying ferroptosis, a form of cell death, have discovered that the process begins deep inside the cell, a finding that could lead to new treatments for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Once a sperm has broken through to an egg cell in order to fertilise it, the two cells need to hold together tightly. This occurs via a type of protein binding that is among the strongest in biology - and it is also unique. An egg cell and a sperm need to hold together tightly in the Fallopian tube in order to fuse, resulting in the creation of a new organism.

Combination of fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry reveals metabolic differences in tumours Diagnosing cancer and selecting the appropriate therapy depend crucially on how well experts understand the processes in tumours at the microscopic level. Central to this is understanding how cells in tissues communicate and what chemical signals are involved.

Two physicists from the University of Stuttgart have proven that Carnot's principle, a central law of thermodynamics, does not apply to objects of the size of atoms whose physical properties are linked (so-called correlated objects). This finding could, for example, advance the development of tiny, energy-efficient quantum motors.

ANU engineers have achieved world-leading efficiency in perovskite solar cells, by redesigning the interface of the device. Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have achieved a major breakthrough in solar energy research, setting a new efficiency record for perovskite solar cells.

A study by the University of Bonn proves that transformer models used in chemistry learn only statistical correlations Language models are now also being used in the natural sciences. In chemistry, they are employed, for instance, to predict new biologically active compounds. Chemical language models (CLMs) must be extensively trained.

Synchrotron radiation provides insight into the interior of modern energy storage devices: researchers at Montanuniversität Leoben have used synchrotron radiation to uncover a central interaction in supercapacitors and precisely describe its influence on the transport of charge carriers during operation - a finding that paves the way for more powerful energy storage devices and could even contribute to the removal of perpetual chemicals from water.

Astronomers have detected the explosive, highly toxic gas phosphine (PH3), in the atmosphere of an ancient brown dwarf (Wolf 1130C) located 54 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cygnus. Phosphine has long been recognised as a possible biosignature for anaerobic life, given that there are few natural sources in terrestrial planet atmospheres.

Saturn's moon Enceladus continuously ejects vast quantities of ice particles into space, originating from its subsurface ocean. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart and Freie Universität Berlin have now chemically analyzed freshly emitted particles originating directly from Enceladus' subsurface ocean.

From cell damage to empty batteries, ISTA chemists put singlet oxygen on a leash Researchers from the Freunberger group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have unveiled pivotal insights into the redox chemistry of oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS). While some ROS play essential roles in cell signaling, the particularly harmful singlet oxygen damages cells and degrades batteries.

Researchers at the University of Twente have developed a method to recycle polyurethane foam from mattresses and furniture and also household sponges. They did this safely, without using toxic chemicals. The discovery offers a circular solution for millions of tons of hard-to-recycle waste. Polyurethane (PUR), the foam found in mattresses, furniture, and countless other products, typically ends up in landfills or is incinerated after use because it is rarely reusable.

Hydrogen damages steels. High-strength steels, particularly those used to construct bridges, high-rise buildings and oil and gas infrastructure, are susceptible to embrittlement caused by atomic hydrogen coming from the environment. The complex mechanisms behind this are not yet fully understood. Native oxide films on steel can act as barriers to block hydrogen from entering the steel workpiece.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have been able to measure - for the first time - how the amount of dissolved organic carbon in the sea has changed over geological time. The results reveal that our explanations of how the ice ages and complex life forms came about are incomplete. Earth scientists often face huge challenges when researching the earth's history: many significant events occurred such a long time ago that there is little direct evidence available.

A German-Austrian team led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Leibniz-HKI has been able to biochemically demonstrate for the first time that different types of mushrooms produce the same mind-altering active substance, psilocybin, in different ways. Both Psilocybe mushrooms and fiber cap mushrooms of the genus Inocybe produce this substance, but use completely different enzymes and reaction sequences for this process.

Astrocytes are found throughout the brain. Each astrocyte is in contact with several neurons and more than 100'000 synapses. A new study shows that, at the microscopic level, dozens of synapses from distinct neural circuits gather around a single specialized astrocyte structure called a leaflet, which is capable of detecting and integrating the activities of multiple synapses.