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Water quality in rivers is affected by underpinning 'natural' hydrogeological and biogeochemical processes, as well as interactions between people and their environment that are accelerating stress on water resources at unprecedented rates. Pollutants can move at different speeds and accumulate in varying quantities along rivers where the mix of the complex 'cocktail' of chemicals that is making its way towards the ocean is constantly changing, a new study reveals.

Water quality in rivers is affected by underpinning 'natural' hydrogeological and biogeochemical processes, as well as interactions between people and their environment that are accelerating stress on water resources at unprecedented rates. Pollutants can move at different speeds and accumulate in varying quantities along rivers where the mix of the complex 'cocktail' of chemicals that is making its way towards the ocean is constantly changing, a new study reveals.

Membranes are crucial to our cells. Every cell in your body is enclosed by one. And each of those cells contains specialized compartments, or organelles, which are also enclosed by membranes. Membranes help cells carry out tasks like breaking down food for energy, building and dismantling proteins, keeping track of environmental conditions, sending signals and deciding when to divide.

A molecular machine is a series of molecules that can conduct different mechanical movements as a response to a stimulus. This is a key structure for the development of different cellular functions. Professor Lluïsa Pérez-García, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the UB, took part in an international research led by the University of Nottingham, which has created a light-controlled artificial molecular machine.

MEET Battery Research Center of the University of Münster starts a new research project in 2022: In the joint project -AReLiS-2-, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) and thus a potential successor to today's lithium ion batteries are being investigated. The focus of the research is on sulfur-containing cathodes as well as polymer, solid-state and hybrid electrolytes.

When developing environmentally friendly chemicals or innovative material, you must be able to make exceptionally high-resolution images of processes in molecules and nanoparticles. Tais Gorkhover from Universität Hamburg is researching new image-producing procedures as part of her HIGH-Q project and is now receiving funding from the European Research Council.

Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a new powerful and sustainable method of combining enzymes found in nature with non-toxic synthetic catalysts to deliver important chemical building blocks needed for the production of pharmaceuticals as well as other valuable chemicals. New research published today describes the use of natural enzymes and earth-abundant and non-toxic transition metal-catalysts to forge organic molecules, creating what is known as an amide bond, in a more efficient and sustainable manner.

Advanced algorithms plus an exceptional X-ray laser can reveal the structures of not-so-neat-and-tidy materials unattainable by other techniques Francis Crick, who famously co-discovered the shape of DNA , once said: "If you want to understand function, study structure." Many decades later, this remains a tenet of biology, chemistry, and materials science.

Turns out entropy binds nanoparticles a lot like electrons bind chemical crystals Entropy, a physical property often explained as "disorder,” is revealed as a creator of order with a new bonding theory developed at the University of Michigan and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For the elimination of trace substances at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), granular activated carbon (GAC) is also available as an alternative treatment option to ozonation and the powdered activated carbon process (PAC). In contrast to the high energy consumption in ozonation (electrical energy to generate ozone and liquid oxygen), the energy-intensive production and CO2-footprint of carbon (starting raw materials, process energy) have an impact on activated carbon treatment.

New findings make it possible to explore in detail the links between defects in mitochondrial proteins and diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems Mitochondria are key components of our cells. Cell respiration and control of many metabolic and signalling processes take place within them. In order for the biochemical reactions to take place flawlessly, complex interactions between specialized protein molecules are required.

Scientists have observed how catalysts behave at the particle level during water electrolysis. Catalysts play a crucial role in this reaction, in which water splits into hydrogen and oxygen. By shedding light on the underlying mechanism of the functional role of catalysts during the reaction, the scientists have made an important discovery for the design of renewable-energy storage systems.

Researchers from the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences have contributed to a new study ­of a Martian meteorite which could provide insights into the reactions that led to the building blocks of life on early Earth. The study, led by the Carnegie Institution for Science and , demonstrates that organic molecules found in a meteorite that hurtled to Earth from Mars were synthesized during interactions between water and rocks that occurred on the Red Planet about 4 billion years ago.

A copper-based fungicide known as Bourdeaux mixture is applied to vineyards to prevent downy mildew. (iStock image Copper released into the environment from fungicides, brake pads, antifouling paints on boats and other sources may be contributing significantly to stratospheric ozone depletion, according to a new study from the University of California, Berkeley.

Organoids are miniature lab-grown tissue structures that can mimic real organs. But guiding stem cells to grow an organoid of defined shape and size is difficult. Now, EPFL bioengineers have developed new methods for successfully guiding the stem cells to grow into intestinal tissues with real-life 3D structure and function.

Enormous ecological and economic potential consists in the circular value chain of batteries: The use of recycled materials not only reduces the costs of raw materials, but also enables energy savings in battery production.

Chemical engineers at EPFL have developed a new approach to artificial photosynthesis, a method for harvesting solar energy that produces hydrogen as a clean fuel from water. -Artificial photosynthesis is the holy grail of all chemists,- says Astrid Olaya, a chemical engineer at EPFL's Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC).

Every living thing requires energy. This is also true of microorganisms. This energy is frequently generated in the cells by respiration, that is by the combustion of organic compounds, in other words: food. During this process, electrons are released which the microorganisms then need to get rid of.

Regular smokers are at heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but crushing the butts in favor of a "smokeless" alternative like chewing tobacco, snuff or tobacco lozenges may go a long way toward bringing the danger down to a more normal level, a new UCLA-led study shows. The findings also indicate that the primary culprit in smokers' increased risk is not nicotine but other chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

A simple, low-cost method of directly converting natural gas into useful chemicals and fuels, using the precious metal gold as a key ingredient, has been proposed by researchers at Cardiff University in collaboration with researchers at Lehigh University, USA and the National Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, China.