Better Biosensor Technology Created for Stem Cells

A Rutgers-led team has created better biosensor technology that may help lead to safe stem cell therapies for treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and other neurological disorders. The technology, which features a unique graphene and gold-based platform and high-tech imaging, monitors the fate of stem cells by detecting genetic material (RNA) involved in turning such cells into brain cells (neurons), according to a study in the journal Nano Letters.

Scientists learn how to make oxygen “perform” for them

Chemists have figured out how to keep “the wave” of one particular isotope of oxygen – among the most abundant elements on the planet and a crucial building block for materials like glass and ceramics – going during nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy long enough to learn some things about its structure and function.

Single Mutation Dramatically Changes Structure and Function of Bacteria’s Transporter Proteins

Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study published in the journal eLife. The study—conducted using E. coli bacteria—can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance.

A simpler way to make some medicines

Organic chemists have figured out how to synthesize the most common molecule arrangement in medicine, a scientific discovery that could change the way a number of drugs – including one most commonly used to treat ovarian cancer – are produced. Their discovery, published today in the journal Chem, gives drug makers a crucial building block for creating medicines that, so far, are made with complex processes that result in a lot of waste.

Charging Up the Development of Lithium-Ion Batteries

On October 9, the Nobel committee recognized work in developing lithium-ion batteries. These batteries have enabled a huge number of advances, including mobile phones and plug-in electric vehicles. The DOE Office of Science is proud to have supported research by Drs. Whittingham and Goodenough and to have funded research by many scientists who have built upon their innovations.

Two Brookhaven Lab Scientists Named DOE Office of Science Distinguished Fellows

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have garnered two out of five “Distinguished Scientists Fellow” awards announced today by the DOE’s Office of Science. Theoretical physicist Sally Dawson, a world-leader in calculations aimed at describing the properties of the Higgs boson, and José Rodriguez, a renowned chemist exploring and developing catalysts for energy-related reactions, will each receive $1 million in funding over three years to pursue new research objectives within their respective fields.

Energy storage expert up for comments on chemistry Nobel Prize, Li-ion batteries

MOSCOW (MIPT) — Following the Wednesday announcement of this year’s Nobel laureates in chemistry, we talked to Dmitry Semenenko, who heads the Energy Storage Lab at MIPT’s Institute of Arctic Technology. He is available to comment on lithium-ion batteries and…

Six degrees of nuclear separation

For the first time, Argonne scientists have printed 3D parts that pave the way to recycling up to 97 percent of the waste produced by nuclear reactors. From left to right: Peter Kozak, Andrew Breshears, M Alex Brown, co-authors of a recent Scientific Reports article detailing their breakthrough. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.)

In first-of-its-kind study, UCI researchers highlight hookah health hazards

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 12, 2019 – Hookah waterpipe use has grown in popularity in recent years – 1 in 5 college students in the U.S. and Europe have tried it – but the practice could be more dangerous than other forms of smoking, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, published recently in Aerosol Science and Technology.

Heather J. Lynch, PhD

Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Announces 2019 National Laureates

An ecologist from Stony Brook University, a theoretical physicist from University of Colorado Boulder and a chemical biologist from Harvard University Three female scientists have been named Laureates of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, each receiving $250,000, the…