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The structure of sodium channels - which play an essential role in the functioning of heart and nerve cells - are different than previously believed. Researchers hope their discovery will lead to improvements in drugs that act on the sodium channel to treat a range of cardiac and pain conditions. To actually see the atomic structure of the subunit was one of those rare 'a-ha!' moments, like switching on a light bulb.

In the framework of the EU-project Solarjet, scientists demonstrate for the first time the entire production path to liquid hydrocarbon fuels from water, CO2 and solar energy. The key technological component is a solar reactor developed at ETH Zurich. By playing this video, you agree to the use of cookies by YouTube This may include analytics, personalization, and ads.

23 Apr 2014 Manchester scientists have improved a way of analysing how cancer spreads and how effective drugs are at killing the cells. A team from The University of Manchester - part of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre - have found a new method to more efficiently manufacture a chemical used to monitor cancer cells.

Ever-shrinking electronic devices could get down to atomic dimensions with the help of transition metal oxides, a class of materials that seems to have it all: superconductivity, magnetoresistance and other exotic properties. These possibilities have scientists excited to understand everything about these materials, and to find new ways to control their properties at the most fundamental levels.

A new collaboration solved a decades-old medical mystery involving an antifungal agent. Pictured, from left: graduate student Grant Hisao; chemistry professor Martin Burke; graduate students Alex Cioffi, Katrina Diaz, Marcus Tuttle and Mary Clay; chemistry professor Chad Rienstra; and graduate students Brice Uno, Tom Anderson and Matt Endo.

Parasitic infections like malaria and sleeping sickness affect hundreds of millions of people, primarily in the poorest regions of the world. Diagnosis of these diseases is often difficult because the concentration of parasites in the blood can be very low and hard to measure. British scientists have now developed a simple chip-based method for enriching rare cells in blood samples, as reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie .

Researchers at Umeå University have found that carbon dioxide, in its ionic form bicarbonate, has a regulating function in the splitting of water in photosynthesis. This means that carbon dioxide has an additional role to being reduced to sugar. The pioneering work is published in the latest issue of the scientific journal PNAS.

University of Washington The rise and fall of acid rain is a global experiment whose results are preserved in the geologic record. By analyzing samples from the Greenland ice sheet, University of Washington atmospheric scientists found clear evidence of the U.S. Clean Air Act. They also discovered a link between air acidity and how nitrogen is preserved in layers of snow, according to a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New research reveals that both pregnant women with diabetes and with type 2 diabetics have high levels of a fat metabolite that impairs pancreatic cells from secreting insulin. The findings, which are published in the April 1 issue of the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism , suggest that blocking the effects of this fat metabolite may help prevent and treat diabetes.

Experiments at the Vienna University of Technology can explain the behaviour of electrons at tiny step edges on titanium oxide surfaces. This is important for solar cell technology and novel, more effective catalysts. It can be found in toothpaste, solar cells, and it is useful for chemical catalysts: titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an extremely versatile material.

A team of researchers at the IRCM, led by Dr. André Veillette, an adjunct professor at McGill University in the Faculty of Medicine explains how our immune system kills abnormal blood cells. Their discovery, recently published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine , could eventually lead to new treatment avenues for leukemia, lymphoma and certain types of infectious viral diseases.

When ice is warmed, the water molecules forming its structure vibrate more and more vigorously until finally the forces between them are no longer strong enough to hold them together - the ice melts and turns into liquid water. Quantum physics predicts that similar phenomena can be observed if the quantum mechanical fluctuations of the particles in a material can be altered.

AUSTIN, Texas — In a first-of-its-kind study, a team of environmental engineers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin found that infants are exposed to high levels of chemical emissions from crib mattresses while they sleep. Analyzing the foam padding in crib mattresses, the team found that the mattresses release significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals also found in household items such as cleaners and scented sprays.

Scientists have developed a way of reading the universe's 'cosmic barometer' to learn more about ancient violent events in space. Exploding stars, random impacts involving comets and meteorites, and even near misses between two bodies can create regions of great heat and high pressure. The ability to detect high pressure environments in space has tremendous implications for our ability to learn more about the formation of our solar system and the universe.

Latest research finds that the trailblazing 'perovskite' material used in solar cells can double up as a laser, strongly suggesting the astonishing efficiency levels already achieved in these cells is only part of the journey. Our findings demonstrate potential uses for this material in tele and for light emitting devices Felix Deschler Commercial silicon-based solar cells - such as those seen on the roofs of houses across the country - operate at about 20% efficiency for converting the Sun's rays into electrical energy.

What singing fruit flies can tell us about quick decisions Posted March 20, 2014; 11:30 a.m. by Morgan Kelly, Office of You wouldn't hear the mating song of the male fruit fly as you reached for the infested bananas in your kitchen. Yet, the neural activity behind the insect's amorous call could help scientists understand how you made the quick decision to pull your hand back from the tiny swarm.

Researchers looking at the origins of life on Earth have come up with a new explanation for how the earliest molecular material was able to replicate in the primordial soup. They have found that hydrogen peroxide, an ingredient commonly associated with hair bleach, may have been the key to the early replication of RNA - the polymeric molecule that is thought to have existed before cellular life and DNA.

A Surprise in Materials Chemistry: At Vienna University of Technology, materials for lightweight construction, protective clothing or sports equipment can be produced at high temperatures and high pressures. This process is faster, better and more eco-friendly than other techniques. The earth's crust works like a pressure cooker.

The term a "brighter future" might be a cliché, but in the case of ultra-small probes for lighting up individual proteins, it is now most appropriate. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered surprising new rules for creating ultra-bright light-emitting crystals that are less than 10 nanometers in diameter.

Nanotechnology could turn shrubbery into supercharged energy producers or sensors for explosives. Plants have many valuable functions: They provide food and fuel, release the oxygen that we breathe, and add beauty to our surroundings. Now, a team of MIT researchers wants to make plants even more useful by augmenting them with nanomaterials that could enhance their energy production and give them completely new functions, such as monitoring environmental pollutants.