News

Ion channels, crucial for brain and heart function, that allow potassium and sodium ions to flow in and out of cells, use a “ball-and-chain” mechanism to help regulate their ion flow, according to a new study.

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. Chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage.

Flexible temporary electronic displays could be more environmentally friendly by making them from fish scales, as described in a new study.

A molecular maggot analysis method that’s quick, easy and less subjective, could help pinpoint when a person or animal died or maltreatment began.

Cyclic molecules are everywhere, and everything around us stems from the way they are assembled: not just taste, color and smell but also (for example) pharmaceutical drugs. Now chemists have devised a new technique for creating these chains of molecular rings that do not use standard chemical interactions.

Scientists have developed a cheaper and more user-friendly cryo-electron microscope, which could ultimately put cryo-EM in reach of thousands of labs.

Pesticide-coated seeds, many of which are highly toxic to both pest and beneficial insects, are increasingly used in the major field crops, but are underreported, in part, because farmers often do not know what pesticides are on their seeds,

Chemists have discovered the structure of an unusual bacterial enzyme that can break down an amino acid found in collagen, which could provide a target in treating C. difficile infections.

A team has figured out the details of interleukin-2 (IL-2)’s complex interactions with receptor molecules on immune cells, providing a blueprint for the development of more targeted therapies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Calcium acetate hemihydrate that makes up lumpy salt crystals on an artwork bears a similar structure to collagen. The structural characteristics not only help prevent damage, but have also provided the researchers with interesting new ideas for bioinorganic chemistry.