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Scientists at EPFL have unraveled the details of the first crucial step in the oxygen evolution reaction, a bottleneck for clean hydrogen production, using advanced simulations and machine learning techniques. In our search for cleaner energy sources, hydrogen stands out, as it can store and deliver energy without producing carbon emissions because burning hydrogen only creates water.

University of Münster is involved in the new "Center for Molecular Water Science Water is not only essential for life, it is also a fascinating and complex molecule that forms the basis of all life on earth. In the new "Centre for Molecular Water Science", a European research network, scientists are investigating the molecular properties of water and its compounds.

Quantum effects are often used today for extremely precise measurements. But where is the absolute limit of accuracy? Results from TU Wien and collaborators show that it is better than expected. How can the strange properties of quantum particles be exploited to perform extremely accurate measurements? This question is at the heart of the research field of quantum metrology.

International researcher team develops scalable aluminium alloys for the hydrogen economy To the point Novel alloy design for aluminum: Researchers mix scandium with aluminum alloys to achieve 40 percent higher strength and five times higher resistance to hydrogen embrittlement - while maintaining the same ductility.

A team at EPFL and the University of Arizona has discovered that making molecules bigger and more flexible can actually extend the life of quantum charge flow, a finding that could help shape the future of quantum technologies and chemical control. In the emerging field of attochemistry , scientists use laser pulses to trigger and steer electron motion inside molecules.

An innovative combination of methods enables the precise localization of individual atoms in ultrathin materials. A research team from the University of Vienna and TU Wien has successfully embedded individual platinum atoms into an ultrathin material and, for the first time, pinpointed their positions within the lattice with atomic precision.

Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth - a key process in the origin of life. Scientists believe that, in the earliest life forms, genetic material would have been carried and replicated by strands of RNA, before DNA and proteins later emerged and took over.

Chemists at the University of Münster have successfully substituted carbon atoms with nitrogen atoms in pharmaceutical components / New possibilities for drug design Skeletal editing is a modern approach to chemical synthesis. By making precise alterations at the atomic level, researchers are able to directly convert existing drug scaffolds into new, biologically relevant compounds.

Life Published: 21 May 2025, 8:00 Fatty acids and the substances formed from them play an important role in inflammation in the human body-and therefore also in health and disease progression. However, the quantitative analysis of such compounds poses considerable technical challenges for research. An international team of around 100 scientists has now developed comprehensive guidelines for the standardised quantification of oxidised fatty acids using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Göttingen researchers develop algorithm to uncover overlooked chemical linkages in proteins   Proteins are among the most studied molecules in biology, yet new research from the University of Göttingen shows they can still hold surprising secrets. Researchers have discovered previously undetected chemical bonds within archived protein structures, revealing an unexpected complexity in protein chemistry.

A recent study by researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has investigated how powerful modern AI models such as GPT-4 are in Chemistry and how they perform in comparison to human experts. Using a newly developed test method called "ChemBench"", the team led by Dr Kevin M. Jablonka was able to show that AI models are convincing in certain task areas, but also have clear weaknesses.

Fungi are considered a promising source of biodegradable materials. researchers have developed a new material based on a fungal mycelium and its own extracellular matrix. This gives the biomaterial particularly advantageous properties. Sustainably produced, biodegradable materials are an important focus of modern materials science.

McGill researchers develop a method that could revolutionize biomedical and environmental applications  Researchers at McGill University, in collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal, pioneered a new way to create hydrogels using ultrasound, eliminating the need for toxic chemical initiators.

A new JKU catalyst is cheaper, simpler and, above all, does not harm the environment. Researchers at Johannes Kepler University Linz and the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock (LIKAT) have developed a new manganese catalyst that makes certain chemical processes ecologically harmless. The research breakthrough has now been published in the journal ACS Catalysis.

Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) have demonstrated how genetically engineered enzymes can harness visible light to drive highly selective chemical reactions. This breakthrough could lead to cleaner, more efficient ways of making medicines and other important chemicals, all while reducing the need for harsh chemicals and harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.

A new class of molecules capable of killing the cancer cells that are refractory to standard treatments and responsible for recurrence has just been developed by scientists at Institut Curie, the CNRS, and Inserm. This crucial advance in the fight against metastatic cancer is based on identifying the cellular site for ferroptosis initiation, a natural process, catalysed by iron, that sparks the oxidative degradation of cell membranes.

An international research team made up of scientists from Freie Universität Berlin and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in conjunction with Université de Lorraine in Metz, France, has achieved a significant breakthrough in the chemistry of fluorinated compounds. With the aid of quantum chemical simulations they were able to prove for the first time that heavy fluorine atoms can also "tunnel," or in other words, transform between two states.

A study led by researchers from EPFL and the University of Vienna shows that concentrations of concerning chemicals as high as those by a busy road can be found in the air of bouldering gyms. Those who climb indoors are doing something for their health. But climbing shoes contain chemicals of concern that can enter the lungs of climbers through the abrasion of the soles.

Scientists have developed a new technique to screen engineered enzyme reactions, which could lead to faster and more efficient creation of medicines and sustainable chemicals. Enzymes are proteins that catalyse chemical reactions, turning one substance into another. In labs, scientists engineer these enzymes to perform specific tasks like the sustainable creation of medicines, and materials.

Bizarre quantum phenomenon more common than anticipated, ISTA physicists show A surprising quantum phenomenon that goes against the universe's drive for increased chaos might not be all too exotic after all. So far, quantum many-body scars were thought to exist only under specific experimental conditions.