Launch of fourth LCLS instrument reveals crisp, fine molecular detail
The first set of user experiments with the Linac Coherent Light Source's newest instrument is under way, and about 40 researchers are working very long hours this week to decipher the structures of...
View ArticleResearchers make visible the structure of the smallest crystals
A radical new way of making structures visible at the nano level has been developed at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU, Germany). This new method makes it possible to determine with precision...
View ArticleNew strategy could lead to dose reduction in X-ray imaging
For more than a century, the use of X-rays has been a prime diagnostic tool when it comes to human health. As it turns out, X-rays also are a crucial component for studying and understanding molecules,...
View ArticleNew fluorescent imaging sorts microbiome in human mouth
New fluorescent labeling technology that distinguishes in a single image the population size and spatial distribution of 15 different taxa has uncovered new taxon pairings that indicate unsuspected...
View ArticleAqueous iron interacts as strong as solid iron
German scientists have applied a new method -- "inverse Partial Fluorescence Yield" (iPFY) on micro-jet -- which will enable them to probe the electronic structure of liquids free of sample damages....
View ArticleGround-breaking nuclear magnetic resonance tool analyzes nanostructures...
A revolutionary tool created by scientists at the University of Sheffield has enabled researchers to analyse nanometer-sized devices without destroying them for the first time, opening the door to a...
View ArticleNew tool gives structural strength to 3-D printed works
(Phys.org)—Objects created using 3-D printing have a common flaw: They are fragile and often fall apart or lose their shape.
View ArticleAn elephant that speaks Korean (w/ Video)
An Asian elephant named Koshik can imitate human speech, speaking words in Korean that can be readily understood by those who know the language. The elephant accomplishes this in a most unusual way: he...
View ArticleSecret of efficient photosynthesis: Purple bacteria's light-harvesting...
Purple bacteria are among Earth's oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained through...
View ArticleMolecular VELCRO for chromosome stability
(Phys.org) —A team of scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Geneva has functionally dissected the molecular processes that ensure the stability of...
View ArticleHistone exchanger comes into focus
The packaging of a gene has a major impact on its functional state and must be precisely controlled. A novel blend of methods has unveiled the architecture of a large protein complex that modulates DNA...
View ArticleScientists develop a more effective molecular modeling process
It's difficult and time-consuming to produce accurate computer models of molecules, primarily because traditional modeling methods are limited in their ability to handle alternative molecular shapes...
View ArticleX-ray imaging reveals a complex core
Macromolecular complexes composed of self-assembling proteins and nucleic acids hold promise for a wide range of applications, including drug delivery, sensing and molecular electronics. Scientists...
View ArticleNew technique facilitates analysis of biomolecules in a near-natural state
Photosynthesis is one of the most important processes in nature. The complex method by which all green plants harvest sunlight and thereby produce the oxygen in our air is still not fully understood....
View ArticleDynamics of crucial protein 'switch' revealed
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine have published a study that offers a new understanding of a protein...
View ArticleScientists use fossil feathers reveal lineage of extinct, flightless ibis
A remarkable first occurred recently at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History when ornithologists Carla Dove and Storrs Olson used 700- to 1,100-year-old feathers from a long extinct...
View ArticleSlicing mitotic spindle with lasers, nanosurgeons unravel old pole-to-pole...
The mitotic spindle, an apparatus that segregates chromosomes during cell division, may be more complex than the standard textbook picture suggests, according to researchers at the Harvard School of...
View ArticleGender issues in children's literature
Writers, publishers, teachers and parents need to closely scrutinise gender construction in children's literature so that young children are presented with stories that promote equality and respect for...
View ArticleComputer scientists develop new way to study molecular networks
Computer scientists at Virginia Tech developed a new approach to address the shortcomings in the computational analysis of the multiple ways interactions can occur within cells. Their award winning...
View ArticleProtein origami: Quick folders are the best
The evolutionary history of proteins shows that protein folding is an important factor. Especially the speed of protein folding plays a key role. This was the result of a computer analysis carried out...
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