Hydrogels are fascinating materials that can absorb and retain large amounts of water, making them useful in various fields such as medicine, environmental science, and engineering. A recent study has explored a new type of hydrogels made from cellulose nanofibres (CNFs) and lignocellulose nanofibres (LCNFs), aiming to enhance their strength and water-absorbing capabilities. Cellulose and […]
Cement is a fundamental material in modern construction, used in everything from buildings to bridges. One of its key components, tricalcium aluminate (C₃A), plays a crucial role in determining cement’s setting time and durability. A recent study has provided new insights into how C₃A behaves under heat, combining computer simulations with experimental data to deepen […]
A new study reveals that implementing enhanced weathering (EW), the practice of adding crushed basalt to soils, with U.S. agriculture could remove between 160 and 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere annually by 2050, rising to 250 to 490 million tons of CO2 removal by 2070. The authors demonstrate that […]
The origins of life on Earth remain one of the most fascinating and profound questions in science. A new research sheds light on this mystery by exploring how the building blocks of life could have formed under early Earth conditions. In this study, we focused on understanding how simple chemicals might have come together to […]
Author: Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry, Connecticut College The 2024 Nobel Prize in chemistry recognized Demis Hassabis, John Jumper and David Baker for using machine learning to tackle one of biology’s biggest challenges: predicting the 3D shape of proteins and designing them from scratch. This year’s award stood out because it honored research that originated […]
A team of chemists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has succeeded in pulling an oxygen atom from a molecule and replacing it with a nitrogen atom. In their study, published in the journal Science, the group used photocatalysis to edit a furan in their lab. Ellie Plachinski and Tehshik Yoon with […]
Chemistry • DIPC Biochemistry • DIPC Computational and Theoretical Chemistry
Protein molecules consist of one or several long chains of aminoacids (usually between and 300 units) called polypeptides – a peptide is an organic compound comprising two or mores aminoacids – linked in a characteristic sequence. This sequence is called the primary structure of the protein. These polypeptides may undergo coiling or pleating, the nature […]
The protein “MIPS” changes its internal structure when it becomes active. Its disordered active centre becomes a defined structure with special functions. The protein plays a key role in the production of inositol, which is also known as vitamin B8, and fulfils important tasks in the body. A team of researchers has succeeded for the […]
Catalysis in industry is often driven by empirical investigations and, eventually, by unexpected discoveries. Frequently, the scientific understanding of the process takes much longer to develop. Ideally, it would be preferable to reverse this timeline, where scientific insights precede application. Nonetheless, even when the scientific explanation takes more time, a deep understanding of the underlying […]
Liquid crystals are all around us, from cell phone screens and video game consoles to car dashboards and medical devices. Run an electric current through liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and they generate colours, thanks to the unique properties of these fluids: rearrange their shape, and they reflect different wavelengths of light. As the lab of […]