Engineering a Synthetic Cell: Replicating Nature’s Architecture

In their quest to replicate a biological cell, this group of researchers have successfully engineered a system complete with a ‘nuclear’ and a ‘cytoplasmic’ compartment! Moreover, it allows macromolecules to shuttle between the compartments, replicating a key biological functionality.

BACTERIA COULD BE OUR NEXT SOURCE OF SUNSCREEN MOLECULES!

Title: A Plastic Biosynthetic Pathway for the Production of Structurally Distinct Microbial Sunscreens Authors: Sıla Arsın, Endrews Delbaje, Jouni Jokela, Matti Wahlsten, Zoë M. Farrar, Perttu Permi, and David Fewer Publication: Chemical Biology Year: 2023 Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays through two…

Beetles Inspire Improved Water Purification Device

Article Title: Bio-Inspired Sandwich-Structured All-Day-Round SolarEvaporator for Synergistic Clean Water and Electricity Generation Authors: Ran Niu, Jiaxin Ren, Junqiang Justin Koh, Ling Chen, Jiang Gong,* Jinping Qu,Xiaodong Xu, Jalal Azadmanjiri, and Jiakang Min Journal: Advanced Energy Materials Year: 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202302451 Image Source: José Manuel Suárez…

Counterfeit Lithium Ion Batteries Often Underperform or Are Unsafe.

Title: Safety and Quality Issues of Counterfeit Lithium-Ion CellsAuthors: Tapesh Joshi, Saad Azam, Daniel Juarez-Robles, and Judith A. Jeevarajan*First author’s institution: UL Research InstitutesCover image source: Raimond Spekking From consumer electronics, to cars, to storing renewable energy for the grid, lithium-ion batteries have enjoyed immense popularity…