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Software which helps speed up the process of creating new diagnostic tests could help combat future pandemics, its developers say. A team of bioengineers and chemists in Scotland and China have developed a system which suggests new reaction pathways to accelerate the design and development of new diagnostic assays.

Using their novel organ-on-a-chip platform, a research team from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has identified a molecule with the potential to combat one of the most severe complications of COVID-19 infections. The molecule, a novel anti-inflammatory peptide called QHREDGS, does not act on the virus directly.

Compared to laboratory cells or aged but still intact commercial cells, shredded battery materials represent an even more complex sample. Active materials of both electrodes, inactive materials and electrolyte residues cannot be easily analysed separately.

A research team from Friedrich Schiller University Jena has developed a molecular photosystem inspired by nature that generates hydrogen under visible light irradiation. In contrast to other existing systems of this type, it functions without the use of precious or heavy metals.

In synthetic organic chemistry, so-called cycloadditions are a particularly important class of reactions. With this type of reaction, ring-shaped molecules can be constructed simply and efficiently by joining ("adding") two compounds that each contain double bonds. A team led by Frank Glorius from the University of Münster has now succeeded in performing an unconventional cycloaddition in which a carbon-carbon double bond reacts with a carbon-carbon single bond.

Scientists develop 'holy grail' method to identify the ageing mosquitos which cause malaria Scientists at the University of Glasgow and partner institutes have developed an inexpensive, fast and simple way to identify the ageing mosquitos which transmit the deadly malaria parasite.

Terahertz light creates twisting vibrations in biomolecules such as proteins, confirming whether their compositions and structures are safe and effective. It's not easy to be sure that drugs and supplements with twisted-or chiral-structures are turning in the correct direction. Now, twirling infrared light can probe both the structures of molecular crystals and their twists, research led by the University of Michigan has shown.

New supramolecular materials can be used in energy production and medical devices. The team of the TUM Innovation Network ARTEMIS aims to identify the best supramolecular materials for use with the help of machine learning. A team of scientists at the TUM Innovation Network ARTEMIS (Artificial Intelligence Powered Multifunctional Material Design), named after the Greek goddess of hunting, are researching supramolecular materials.

Researchers at The University of Queensland have identified a molecule essential for regulating the repair of injured nerves, which could help people recover from nerve damage. The finding was made using the nematode worm C. elegans which has long been studied by researchers for its ability to self-repair nerve cells.

Study shows how the mechanism of photoionization can be used to gain insights into complex molecular potentials How can researchers use the mechanism of photoionization to gain insight into complex molecular potential? This question has now been answered by a team led by Giuseppe Sansone from the Institute of Physics at the University of Freiburg.

Chemicals used as bait to trap and track so-called -murder hornets- as they expand their footprint in the Western United States The world's largest hornet has been the focus of extensive news coverage of late due to its menacing appearance and expanding footprint in North America. But while the "murder hornet" label attached to the Asian giant hornet ( Vespa mandarinia ) may be an overdramatization of its danger, researchers agree that the invasive species is destructive and threatens North American bee populations and millions of dollars in crop production.

IoP and QuSoft physicists use a single trapped ion to detect ultracold molecules When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. In a new publication that was highlighted as an Editor's Suggestion in Physical Review Letters this week, physicists from the University of Amsterdam, QuSoft and Stony Brook University, show that cold molecular ions can be created using a new method, and that they are a very useful tool for detecting small amounts of other, regular molecules.

In one of the world's first plastics contamination-controlled laboratories, University of Queensland researchers have begun testing blood and tissue samples to develop ways to detect and measure nanoplastics in the human body. A partnership between UQ and Minderoo Foundation , the Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health will enable world-leading research using this unique lab, state-of-the-art equipment and specific techniques to measure nanoplastics in samples.

Radiation therapy is one of the cornerstones of cancer therapy. However, some types of tumor respond little or hardly at all to radiation. If it were possible to make tumor cells more sensitive, treatment would be more effective and gentler. Empa and researchers have now succeeded in using metal oxide nanoparticles as "radiosensitizers" - and in producing them on an industrial scale.

Scientists from Heidelberg and Marburg prove that the greenhouse gas is formed chemically in the cells of all organisms The formation of the greenhouse gas methane is based on a universal mechanism. Scientists at Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg have made this discovery.

What proves to be advantageous will be preserved in the long term. Put in very simple terms, this is the principle of evolution whereby organisms adapt to an environment in the best possible way. These adaptation processes often result in similar or the same traits in different groups of organisms, if their environment requires it.

Researchers have made tiny 'skyscrapers' for communities of bacteria, helping them to generate electricity from just sunlight and water. Our approach is a step towards making even more sustainable renewable energy devices for the future Jenny Zhang The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used 3D printing to create grids of high-rise 'nano-housing' where sun-loving bacteria can grow quickly.

Researchers from Heidelberg and Würzburg have uncovered the inner workings of the molecular machinery that shapes chromosomes during cell division. Our cells perform a marvel of engineering when it comes to packing information into small spaces. Every time a cell divides, it bundles up an amazing 4 metres of DNA into 46 tiny packages, each of which is only several millionths of a metre in length.

In a recent study, the research group at the University of Cologne's Institute of Organic Chemistry led by Professor Dr Stephanie Kath-Schorr describes a novel method for the enzymatic production of synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA). While natural base modifications of mRNA are already being used - for example by BioNTech/Pfizer for the production of their coronavirus vaccine - this newly developed mRNA additionally contains site-specifically introduced, non-natural nucleotides.

Australian bull ants have evolved a venom molecule perfectly tuned to target one of their predators - the echidna - that also could have implications for people with long-term pain, University of Queensland researchers say. Dr Sam Robinson and David Eagles from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience found a bull ant venom component that exploits a pain pathway in mammals, which they believe evolved to stop echidnas attacking the ant's nests.