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'On' switches for cells Researchers find early developmental signal hidden amid 'noncoding' RNA W hether human or animal, vertebrate or invertebrate, nearly every creature begins life as a tiny clump of cells. Before those cells can begin blossoming toward being a fully formed organism, however, they first must reorganize themselves into layers, each of which goes on to form complex structures such as internal organs, skin, muscle, and bone.

A new X-ray method will enable the development of more efficient catalysts. The method opens up new opportunities to work on atomic level in a number of areas of materials science. Researchers from Lund University are among those behind the new method. The new X-ray method is used to determine the atomic structure of the surface of different materials.

Scientists have discovered vital clues as to how the pathogen responsible for the Irish potato famine adapted to spread between different plant species. Researchers at Oxford University and The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, looked in unprecedented detail at how Phytophthora infestans , a pathogen that continues to blight potatoes and tomatoes today, evolved to target other plants.

If the chemical bonds that hold together the constituent atoms of a molecule could be tuned to become stronger or weaker, certain chemical properties of that molecule might be controlled to great advantage for applications in energy and catalysis. Berkeley Lab researchers at the Molecular Foundry, in collaboration with researchers from Rice University, were able to accomplish this feat by using an applied voltage and electric current to tune the strength of chemical bonds in fullerene or "buckyball" molecules.

A new technique developed at Imperial College London could lead to the next generation of tailor-made materials. Researchers have developed a method of controlling the composition of a range of polymers, the large molecules that are commonly used as plastics and fibres. These materials are the building blocks for a vast number of everyday materials.

Some may think of turkeys as good for just lunch meat and holiday meals, but bioengineers at UC Berkeley saw inspiration in the big birds for a new type of biosensor that changes color when exposed to chemical vapors. This feature makes the sensors valuable detectors of toxins or airborne pathogens.

Research on first data release from Gaia-ESO project suggests the Milky Way formed by expanding out from the centre, and reveals new insights into the way our Galaxy was assembled.

This image shows a single neuron in a whole animal five hours after dendrites were removed with laser surgery (left). The same cell was imaged at 48 hours and 96 hours after the dendrites were removed. At 48 hours (middle) a new dendrite arbor extends from the cell body, and by 96 hours the new arbor fills the entire space normally occupied by the cell.

Scientists discover extracellular vesicles produced by ocean microbes. Marine cyanobacteria - tiny ocean plants that produce oxygen and make organic carbon using sunlight and CO2 - are primary engines of Earth's biogeochemical and nutrient cycles. They nourish other organisms through the provision of oxygen and with their own body mass, which forms the base of the ocean food chain.

Light-gathering macromolecules in plant cells transfer energy by taking advantage of molecular vibrations whose physical descriptions have no equivalents in classical physics, according to the first unambiguous theoretical evidence of quantum effects in photosynthesis published today . The majority of light-gathering macromolecules are composed of chromophores (responsible for the colour of molecules) attached to proteins, which carry out the first step of photosynthesis, capturing sunlight and transferring the associated energy highly efficiently.

Unique findings of original pigment in fossilised skin from three multi-million-year old marine reptiles are attracting considerable attention from the scientific community. The pigment reveals that these animals were, at least partially, dark-coloured in life, which is likely to have contributed to more efficient thermoregulation, as well as providing means for camouflage and UV protection.

A new method for analysing biological samples based on their chemical makeup is set to transform the way medical scientists examine diseased tissue. When tests are carried out on a patient's tissue today, such as to look for cancer, the test has to be interpreted by a histology specialist, and can take weeks to obtain a full result.

The five fingers of our feathered friends: New research results on the evolution of bird wings In general, land vertebrates have five fingers or toes per hand or foot. Many animal groups, however, have modified this recipe in the course of evolution. For example, camels have only two and horses only one fully developed toe.

Weather forecasters on exoplanet GJ 1214b would have an easy job. Today's forecast: cloudy. Tomorrow: overcast. Extended outlook: more clouds. That's the implication of a study led by researchers in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago who have definitively characterized the atmosphere of a super-Earth class planet orbiting another star for the first time.

Scientists have taken an important step towards new malaria treatments by identifying a way to stop malaria parasites from multiplying. In a study published in Nature Chemistry , they show that blocking the activity of an enzyme called NMT in the most common malaria parasite prevents mice from showing symptoms and extends their lifespan.

A small band of particle-seeking scientists at Yale and Harvard has established a new benchmark for the electron's almost perfect roundness, raising doubts about certain theories that predict what lies beyond physics' reigning model of fundamental forces and particles, the Standard Model.

The lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles could have significantly higher energy density if their graphite anodes were to be replaced by lithium metal anodes. Hampering this change, however, has been the so-called dendrite problem. Over the course of several battery charge/discharge cycles, particularly when the battery is cycled at a fast rate, microscopic fibers of lithium, called "dendrites," sprout from the surface of the lithium electrode and spread like kudzu across the electrolyte until they reach the other electrode.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Durham scientists win funding to work with industry to develop sustainable chemicals, energy, medicines and food Scientists at Durham University have won access to £45 million in Government funding to work with industry on new advances in biotechnology.

Chemists at Umeå University have been able to trace narcotics substances and prescription drugs in measurements of wastewater from 33 Swedish sewage treatment plants. Cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine, in measurable concentrations, were found in a total of half of the locations. When a person consumes a drug it is excreted through the digestive system, either unchanged or as metabolites through the body and ends up in the wastewater.

Yale researchers have discovered a targeted way to make proteins not generally found in nature by expanding the information encrypted in the genetic code. Working with bacteria, the Yale team rewrote most of the genetic instructions that encode all 20 amino acids - the building blocks of any protein - to create a specific, 21 st amino acid, researchers report in the January 2014 issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie.