Scientists can now identify plastic in coastal water from pictures taken by European Space Agency (ESA) satellites
3D printed blood vessels allow easy monitoring and experimentation
Paper: ECM-based microchannel for culturing in vitro vascular tissues with simultaneous perfusion and stretch Journal: Lab on a Chip Authors: Azusa Shimizu, Wei Huang Goh, Shun Itai, Michinao Hashimoto, Shigenori Miurad and Hiroaki Onoe Year: 2020 Featured Image: Jesus Leonardo Rondon Tapia–Creative Commons License Inflammation or…
Parasitic ticks, friends rather than foes?
Ticks are usually viewed as disgusting parasites, but new research has emerged that may make you change your mind about these little critters.
A Solution Worse than the Problem: Using Chemistry to Understand the Runaway Immune Reaction in COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 has now caused over 100,000 deaths in the United States alone. However, only a small fraction of people infected develop severe illness leading to death. Why do some people barely display any symptoms, while others progress to complete respiratory failure? Here, researchers at Shanghai Children’s Hospital used chemical proteomic technology to identify protein-protein interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and human proteins and use these data to better understand how the virus interacts with the immune system, leading to a runaway reaction in some patients. They also correlate levels of important immune proteins IL-6 and IL-8 to COVID-19 severity in patient samples, in agreement with their chemical proteomic data.
A new link between the gut microbiome and ourselves
Sphingolipids – a new gut microbiota molecule that impact host health
Harnessing an enzyme’s full potential by locking it in a protein cage
Researchers use a naturally crystalline protein to act as a cage to hold another enzyme. This assembly can then be used to turn waste cooking oil into biodiesel.
Monitoring plant maturation with a Wack reaction
When the authors’ blurb about their own work is “Okay, bloomer,” you know you have to read it.
Catching it Early: New Ways of Detecting Coronavirus
Coronavirus has affected every one of us directly or indirectly. Early detection can lower the spread of the disease. Let’s learn about a new technique for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
From Lead Pipes to Contaminated Drinking Water: Lead’s Chemical Accomplices
Lead pipes still exist in older infrastructure, but chemical water treatment can prevent (or increase!) the release of lead from the pipes to drinking water.
A Closer Look At The Walls of The Toughest Microbes
Mycobacteria are tough, pathogenic microbes that shield themselves with a hardy envelope known as the mycomembrane. Little is still known about the proteins that build or interact with this envelope, but these researchers are up to the challenge.
The Chemistry of Intermittent Fasting
Our bodies evolved two primary systems to generate energy so why is one so misunderstood?
Road Salt Impacts the Atmosphere
A surprising new source of chlorine to the atmosphere: road salt!
How effective are fabric masks?
The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives, including the daily use of face masks. But how well do home-made fabric masks really filter the air we breathe?
These artificial muscles don’t mind being “light” weight
Light-responsive substances are all the rage; find out how one research group invented a new class of photomechanical materials.
Hydrogenation without turning up the heat
Researchers discover a new way to dope high-melting oxides in solution with hydrogen.
Visualising Chemistry
Appreciating the 3D structure of the tiny chemical compounds we work with can be really difficult – but what if you could project the structure onto your living room floor?
Making materials that are both soft and firm
Living tissues are mostly soft, but put them under a bit of stress, and they quickly become firm to prevent tissues from breaking. This property has been very difficult to imitate with synthetic tissues, but new research has finally bridged that gap.
How Does a Newly Approved Drug Inhibit the Novel Coronavirus?
The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become the worlds most significant public health challenge. Within days, the FDA is expected to announce the authorization of Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir to treat this disease. In this paper, Calvin Gordon and coauthors explore the biochemical mechanism of remdesivir, helping us understand why this drug, of all the antiviral drugs available to us, might be effective against the novel coronavirus.
Metal organic framework used to treat low-oxygen tumors
Cancerous tumors can often create areas of low oxygen concentration around them. This creates challenges for cancer treatments that rely on creating reactive oxygen species to damage tumor DNA. Research from the University of Chicago developed a metal-organic framework to help reverse hypoxia in cancerous tumors in mice.
Simple molecules for complicated diseases?
Alzheimer’s is an extremely complicated disease with limited treatment options. Researchers have recently designed some very simple molecules that may be able to help.
New Genetic Codes to Program Biology
Researchers show for the first time that “unnatural” codons can code for “unnatural” proteins within a cell. Organisms can now operate with both synthetic code and synthetic hardware!
How microbes fuse rings together
Researchers discover a new way fungi fuse rings together
Hopping from liquid to liquid or entering a sea of nanocrystals?
For some molecules, it’s not just gas, liquid, and solid. In these cases, careful characterization is required to determine if a liquid-liquid phase transition is occurring or nanocrystals are forming.
Want fluffy whole wheat bread? Use smaller flour particles
Chemists take a gander at how to make more appealing whole wheat loaves. For your COVID-19 baking needs and beyond!
Evolution of Medical Diagnosis with Sound Waves
Innovation in healthcare sector is important now more than ever. Let’s learn about how researchers used sound waves to develop a new technology for rapid, bed-side testing of haemoglobin.