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Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have for the first time observed photochemical processes inside the smallest particles in the air. In doing so, they discovered that additional oxygen radicals that can be harmful to human health are formed in these aerosols under everyday conditions. They report on their results today .

Combining structural biology, molecular simulations, mutagenesis, and in vivo assays, EPFL scientists have made the first extensive study of the mode of action of the enzyme acyl thioesterase, which regulates deacylation, one of the most critical functions of the cell. S'acylation is the process of chemically linking a lipid to protein via a thioester bond.

Gel created by Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering team could lead to new adhesives, implants Bone is not just a fixed material-it's a dynamic set of structures that can adapt their mass and strength based on the loads they must support. Developing that sort of adaptive material has long been the dream of scientists.

Hard times for burglars and safecrackers: Empa researchers have developed an invisible "keyhole" made of printed, transparent electronics. Only authorized persons know where to enter the access code. At first glance, Empa researcher Evgeniia Gilshtein's idea seems inconspicuous - or more precisely, invisible.

Scientists have discovered a vast, previously unknown reservoir of new aromatic material in a cold, dark molecular cloud by detecting individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules in the interstellar medium for the first time, and in doing so are beginning to answer a three-decades-old scientific mystery: how and where are these molecules formed in space?

Researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa have chemically modified wood and made it more compressible, turning it into a mini-generator. When compressed, it generates an electrical voltage. Such wood could serve as a biosensor or as a building material that harvests energy. As Ingo Burgert and his team at ETH Zurich and Empa have proven time and again: wood is so much more than just a building material.

An organic sunscreen filter frequently used in sunscreens and anti-aging creams, octocrylene degrades within the bottles themselves into a known carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting compound: benzophenone. This is the result of a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers from the Laboratory of Biodiversity and Microbial Biotechnology of the Oceanological Observatory of Banyuls-sur-Mer (Sorbonne University/CNRS) in collaboration with their American colleagues, published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology on March 8, 2021.

New research led by the University of Cambridge has found rare evidence - preserved in the chemistry of ancient rocks from Greenland - which tells of a time when Earth was almost entirely molten. It's astonishing that we can even hold these rocks in our hands - let alone get so much detail about the early history of our planet Helen Williams The study, published in the journal Science Advances , yields information on an important period in our planet's formation, when a deep sea of incandescent magma stretched across Earth's surface and extended hundreds of kilometres into its interior.

Light-absorbing molecules can transform photons into electricity or fuels by shuttling electrons from one atom to another. In many cases the molecules are surrounded by a solvent - such as water, in the case of the electron shuttling that underlies photosynthesis - and studies have shown that the solvent plays an important role in these electron transfers.

For the first time, a team from the University of Geneva has been able to follow precisely the path taken by a protein within the cell, paving the way for the study of the transport and distribution network of vital elements necessary for its survival. In order to stay alive, the cell must provide its various organelles with all the energy elements they need, which are formed in the Golgi apparatus, its centre of maturation and redistribution of lipids and proteins.

Researchers working on the Faraday Institution ReLiB (Recycling and Reuse of Li-ion Batteries) project have completed the installation of new battery testing and storage facilities at the University of Birmingham. The new facilities will allow battery scientists and engineers to speed up their research to develop safe, economic and environmentally sound recycling routes that recover large volumes of valuable materials contained in batteries at the end of their first life.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Skoltech in Russia have shown that polaritons, the quirky particles that may end up running the quantum supercomputers of the future, can form structures that behave like molecules - and these 'artificial molecules' can potentially be engineered on demand.

A large consortium led by the University of Bath has reached an important milestone in improving energy storage in lithium-ion batteries. Last updated on Tuesday 2 March 2021 A large consortium led by the University of Bath, investigating ways of improving energy storage in batteries, has made a significant step towards creating higher energy density lithium-ion batteries.

Scientists at UCL and the IIT -Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) have created a temporary tattoo with light-emitting technology used in TV and smartphone screens, paving the way for a new type of "smart tattoo" with a range of potential uses. The technology, which uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), is applied in the same way as water transfer tattoos.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the partner institute Empa have started a joint initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources. In this way liquid fuel mixtures of the highest quality, which would allow the most residue-free combustion possible and thus be suitable for aircraft propulsion, should be obtainable using carbon dioxide and hydrogen from renewable resources.

Researchers from the University of Jena and University of Florence, develop cobalt compound with special quantum properties In quantum computers, instead of electrical circuits being switched on or off, quantum mechanical states are altered.

New method could advance next-generation applications in medicine, cosmetics, and petroleum recovery Imaging of the same spot shows that cracks eventually self-heal, an important trademark that maintains the integrity of structured liquids. Real-time video of 70 nm nanoparticles (red) and 500 nanometer nanoparticles (green) captured via laser scanning confocal microscopy at the Molecular Foundry.

Terrestrial ecosystems help mitigate climate change by absorbing large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. A new study now confirms that changing climate conditions could reduce this effect because in warmer and wetter areas, carbon stored in the soil is released back into the atmosphere more quickly.

Recerca Air pollution from fuel combustion is one of the greatest environmental problems, especially in urban environments. In densely populated cities, the presence of nitrogen oxides, very small carbon particles, and carbon monoxide (CO) in the air seriously harms the human health and increases mortality.

Symmetry is an important underlying structure of nature, present not only in mathematics and art, but also in living organisms and galaxies. Scientists originally thought protons, the positively charged particle at the center of every atom, displayed symmetry. But a research team that includes University of Michigan physicists has found the proton displays asymmetry in its makeup.