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Category: chemistry – Page 2

Comprehensive digital materials ecosystem can perform ‘sanity check’ to guide design

There is a near-infinite number of material candidates out there—and simply not enough time to hunker down in the lab and test them all. Thankfully, researchers have a variety of tools (such as AI) at their disposal to streamline what would otherwise be a time-consuming process of trial-and-error.

To create an efficient materials design workflow, a team of researchers at Tohoku University is suggesting not just one tool—but a whole toolbox that works together as a cohesive kit. The work is published in the journal Chemical Science.

This comprehensive system is called a “digital materials ecosystem” because it integrates multiple processes together instead of treating them as disconnected steps. For example, the ecosystem is capable of not only predicting how certain materials will react, but also orchestrating multi-step scientific workflows including searching for evidence, screening candidates, and deciding what to test next.

Inside the light: How invisible electric fields drive device luminescence

Fleeting electron-hole pairs are giving scientists a new window into optimizing light-emitting devices (LEDs). Using quantum magnetic resonance, Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have discovered how shifting internal electric fields dictate whether these devices shine brightly or dimly. Their study is published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are simple, flexible, and low-cost thin-film devices that generate light from an electric current. Unlike conventional organic LEDs, LECs contain just a single active layer—an organic semiconductor blended with mobile ions—sandwiched between two electrodes. This structural simplicity makes them promising tools for next-generation light-emitting technologies.

Inside that apparently simple structure, however, things aren’t so simple after all.

Physicists observe rare nuclear isomer in ytterbium-150 for first time

Nuclear isomers are crucial probes for studying the structure of nuclei. Unlike chemical isomers—which have the same chemical formula but different arrangements of atoms—nuclear isomers are nuclei that exist in a long-lived and relatively stable excited state.

Normally, an atomic nucleus resides in its lowest-energy state, known as the ground state. Under external perturbations, such as nucleus-nucleus collisions, however, a nucleus can be excited to a higher-energy state.

While most excited nuclear states are extremely short-lived and rapidly decay back to the ground state, some nuclei remain “trapped” in an excited state for a remarkably long time. Such isomeric states help reveal the structure of the nucleus due to its high sensitivity to the underlying shell structure as well as to changes in single-particle levels.

Oligodendrocyte molecular perturbations associated with tau in Alzheimer’s

The findings suggest that in AD, part of what happens in the brain may involve changes in DNA tagging that affect the function of oligodendrocytes, particularly in relation to the buildup of the toxic protein tau.

Oligodendrocytes are the brain cells that make myelin, the insulation that helps nerve cells communicate. Scientists have theorized that disrupting neuron communication contributes to symptoms for people with AD. Researchers in this study found that nearly all significant methylation changes — small chemical tags added to DNA that help control when genes are turned on or off — were linked to the tau protein. This supports the idea that this protein plays a key role in brain cell changes tied to AD.

“Our team has previously shown that oligodendrocytes are affected in Alzheimer’s and another tau-related disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP),” says the author. “These new results further highlight that problems in oligodendrocytes and myelin are central to AD. They also point to specific molecular pathways, particularly epigenetic changes, that could be targeted in future therapies.”

The study results identified new genes that may play a role in AD, including one called LDB3, and confirmed many findings across multiple independent datasets, showing its reliability. The identification of specific genes provides potential targets for future research — for example, scientists might investigate whether interventions that reverse methylation or support oligodendrocyte health can slow or modify disease progression for patients with AD. ScienceMission sciencenewshighlights.

In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers have identified specific DNA-level changes in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using advanced biological analysis, the team mapped alterations in the brain’s regulatory landscape that may help explain why Alzheimer’s presents and progresses differently from person to person. The findings could also open new avenues for understanding other neurodegenerative diseases.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Biologically, the disease begins with the formation of protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. This causes brain cells to die over time and the brain to shrink. About 6.9 million people in the U.S. age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease. There is no cure, and in advanced stages, complications can result in a significant decline in quality of life and death.

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Jupiter’s Galilean moons may have gained life’s building blocks at birth

Southwest Research Institute was part of an international team that demonstrated how complex organic molecules (COMs), key chemical precursors to life, could have been incorporated into Jupiter’s Galilean moons during their formation. The team’s findings have resulted in complementary studies published in The Planetary Science Journal and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, offering new insights into the potential for life in the Jovian system.

How complex organics can form Carbon-rich compounds containing oxygen, nitrogen and other elements are necessary for living matter to form. Laboratory experiments have shown that COMs can form when icy grains containing methanol or mixtures of carbondioxide and ammonia are exposed to either ultraviolet radiation or moderate heating under conditions found in protoplanetary disks. These disks of gas and dust surround newly formed stars that eventually form planets.

“By combining disk evolution with particle transport models, we could precisely quantify the radiation and thermal conditions the icy grains experienced,” said Dr. Olivier Mousis of SwRI’s solar system science and exploration division, who is lead author of one of the two studies. “Then we directly compared our simulations with other laboratory experiments that produce COMs under realistic astrophysical conditions. The results showed that COM formation is possible in both the protosolar nebula environment and Jupiter’s circumplanetary disk.”

Galactic islands of tranquility: ‘Little red dots’ may have brewed life’s building blocks

Astronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just a cosmic curiosity; it may be essential for forming complex molecules that provide the ingredients of life.

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters highlights how the Milky Way’s center and mysterious early proto-galaxies known as “little red dots” (LRDs) harbor massive black holes within peaceful, dust-and gas-rich environments. These conditions create natural laboratories for prebiotic chemistry, suggesting that the universe may have supported life’s chemical precursors far earlier than previously imagined.

The work was led by Professor Remo Ruffini and Professor Yu Wang from the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet) and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).

How much do nontargeted analyses really see? A model maps chemical blind spots

In a study published in Analytical Chemistry, researchers from the University of Amsterdam’s Van ‘t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) reveal a sobering reality regarding nontargeted chemical analysis. Although widely used for screening the environment for chemicals, this concept isn’t nearly as broad as its name suggests, leaving massive blind spots in the data.

Scientists Solve a Long-Standing Chemistry Challenge With Light-Driven Catalysis

Chemists have developed a light-driven method for producing a rare and highly strained molecular structure known as “housane.” Designing a new drug often starts with a basic but difficult task: making the exact molecular framework needed for a medicine to work. Some important drugs, including pen

Popular Anti-Aging Supplement May Fuel Cancer Growth — Here’s Why

This actually offers some significant new insights for both cancer treatment research and the development of anti-aging therapies. 🧠

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A group of natural compounds attracting attention for their anti-aging potential has a dark side.

New research shows how a family of chemicals called polyamines speeds up the growth of cancer cells. Led by a team from the Tokyo University of Science in Japan, the study offers some significant new insights for both cancer treatment research and the development of anti-aging therapies.

Polyamines are essential molecules found in all living cells. Including compounds with colorful names like spermidine and putrescine, they regulate processes involving cell growth and protein synthesis.

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