Molecular

The name might sound like a Nordic god, but it is actually the molecular machinery that allows many different species to eat and grow: fungi, plants, whales, humans, flies. It is the mighty TOR protein. An expedition to Easter Island half a century ago led to its discovery, and today it remains the subject of intense study. Lucas Tafur, a researcher at the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has solved the structure of one of the molecular switches that regulate this protein.

LazySlide is an open-source Python package designed to make whole-slide image analysis more accessible and ready to plug into the same computational workflows that already drive modern genomics. The post LazySlide: Open Framework for Integrating Whole-Slide and Molecular Data appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Imagine that plants could tell us exactly when they're stressed, infected, or being eaten by insects, by lighting up. A new study led by Dr. Karen Sarkisyan, Head of the Synthetic Biology group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), has borrowed molecular machinery from mushrooms and inserted it into plants to do just that. In a paper published in Nature Communications, the scientists engineered plants that could glow in the dark whenever their natural immune systems switch on.

The longest chains of the conductive polymer poly(p-phenylene; PPP) produced to date are just under one micrometer (thousandth of a millimeter) long—almost an order of magnitude longer than previously possible. A research team from the fields of chemistry and physics led by Prof. Dr. Michael Gottfried from Marburg University, Germany, has demonstrated for the first time that PPP can be synthesized on surfaces via a specific ring-opening polymerization as genuine chain growth.

Researchers at the Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, have developed an accessible platform to overcome the limitations of conventional static docking simulations, offering new avenues for education, training, and reproducible research in molecular recognition and supramolecular chemistry. Their Distance-Guided Fully Dynamic Docking (DFDD) platform is a cloud-ready simulation framework that enables students and researchers to explore dynamic docking, visualize molecular binding in motion, and understand how host-guest crystal structures emerge from molecular interactions.

By placing single-atom-thick adlayers of p-block metals on commonly employed gold electrodes (d-block), a research team at National Taiwan University has successfully quantified the "interfacial hopping integral" between molecules and electrodes. This new model establishes a universal descriptor to predict conductance trends in single-molecule junctions, resolving long-standing variations in molecular measurements.

By placing single-atom p-block metal adlayers on gold electrodes, researchers quantified the interfacial hopping integral, establishing a universal descriptor for single-molecule junction conductance.

The molecular-scale design of materials is one of the major frontiers in modern science. Flat, highly conjugated organic molecules are already used in advanced technologies such as chemical sensors, optoelectronic devices, and energy conversion systems. One of the most promising strategies to enhance their performance involves "linking" multiple units together, extending their electronic structure and thereby modifying their properties.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and approximately 30% of patients develop treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a condition that does not respond adequately to conventional antidepressant therapies.

Research uncovering the origin of pineoblastoma, a rare pediatric brain tumor, has also revealed a dependency across multiple brain tumor types that share a similar molecular program.

Innate immune sensors—known as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)—detect specific molecular components of bacterial or viral intruders. The PRRs forward the signals which results in the production of interferons, which in turn guide the immune cells. However, until now the precise mechanism of how these signals are forwarded has remained enigmatic.

Electrons can be "kicked across" solar materials at almost the fastest speed nature allows, scientists have discovered, challenging long-held theories about how solar energy systems work. The finding could help researchers design more efficient ways of harvesting sunlight and converting it into electricity. The research is published in Nature Communications.

The cold season is in full swing, throats are scratchy and noses are running. We feel ill and hope it is not the flu. The influenza virus continues to pose a threat to our health. It triggers seasonal epidemics and, from time to time, potentially serious global pandemics. Existing antiviral drugs are often less effective than hoped because the influenza virus mutates rapidly to escape their effect.

On the occasion of Rare Disease Day, the Biofisika Institute (CSIC, EHU) presents the progress of a project aimed at understanding the molecular origin of CTNNB1 neurodevelopmental syndrome, a rare disease caused by mutations in the beta-catenin protein.

Some solid materials can cool down or heat up when pressure is applied or released. This behavior enables cooling and heating technologies that do not rely on climate-damaging refrigerant gases. In practice, however, a major obstacle remains: many materials behave differently during heating and cooling, which makes their response difficult to use reliably in real devices. In a study published in the journal Communications Materials, researchers investigate a solid material known for its exceptionally large cooling/heating response (thermal response) under pressure and ask a simple question: can this response be made more reliable? They show that a very small change in composition leads to a clear improvement and use neutron experiments to explain why this improvement occurs.

Hantaviruses, transmitted from rodents to people, have a death rate approaching 40%. They're found around the world, and because there are no approved vaccines or treatments, they're among the pathogens of highest concern for future pandemics. They made news in the United States in 2025 when Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico in March.

From the 1950s to 1970s, discovery of enzymes began by identifying new chemical reactions within cell-free extracts, but their molecular identification among (function unknown) hypothetical genes (proteins) is difficult. Sugar acids are compounds formed by the oxidation of aldose monosaccharides. Metabolic genes for C4 and C5/C6 sugar acids are separately located on bacterial genomes. However, researchers discovered that in several bacteria, including the marine bacterium Paracoccus litorisediminis, these genes form a single cluster, in which a homologous gene to GL300_RS07945 was usually contained. GL300_RS07945, belonging to SDR protein superfamily, was a typical "function unknown gene" with less than 30% amino acid sequence similarity to any known functional protein.

Shifting the focus from organ to biomarker has unlocked new options for rare and advanced cancers. Uneven efficacy, diagnostic access, and regulation still slow clinical rollout.

Studying social behavior is crucial for understanding how certain neuromodulatory pathways—like the serotonin pathway, which influences mood and social interactions—are regulated. Kavita Babu, Professor at the Centre for Neuroscience (CNS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and her lab have been investigating these signaling mechanisms using the worm Caenorhabditis elegans.

An international team of astronomers has employed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to investigate molecular gas in a nearby galaxy known as NGC 1387. Results of the observational campaign, published Feb. 3 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, deliver important insights regarding the properties of giant molecular clouds of this galaxy.

Muscle loss, or atrophy, due to inactivity is common after illness, injury, hospitalization or falls, and becomes increasingly frequent with aging.

Antibiotic pollution in water is a growing global concern, as residues from human medicine, livestock production, and aquaculture can persist in the environment and contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Proteins often function in pairs or groups, concealing their internal connection points and making it difficult for scientists to study their individual units without altering their natural structure. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers successfully isolated single units of the protein SOD1, which is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), by chemically tagging the protein and encapsulating it within tiny, self-assembled artificial cages.

Author(s): Yufeng Cheng, Alberto T. Pérez, Weizong Wang, and Antonio RamosResearchers have used molecular dynamics simulations to study changes in the charge-transport properties of a room-temperature ionic liquid under a strong electric field. [Phys. Rev. E 113, 025415] Published Tue Feb 17, 2026

Adjusting the size and chemistry of nanocrystals within an ultrathin surface can speed up light-driven chemical reactions, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The new method works by matching the crystals' electronic rhythm to the internal vibrations of target molecules.

Most bacteria, including many bacterial pathogens, are surrounded by an outer protective layer of sugar molecules, known as a capsule. This primarily protects the bacteria from environmental influences, but also serves as a kind of cloak of invisibility, enabling them to evade the phagocytes of our immune system. Structural biologists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) have now used cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the central Wza-Wzc protein complex, with which sugar molecules pass from the interior of the bacterial cell to the outside, in three dimensions at the atomic level for the first time.

A scalable strategy combines high-throughput chemistry and cell-based screening to systematically discover molecular glues, enabling selective degradation of the leukemia-associated protein ENL and expanding therapeutic possibilities for previously undruggable targets. The post Systematic Discovery of Molecular Glues Targets Protein Degradation in Leukemia appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Cells constantly monitor and recycle their proteins through a tightly regulated waste-disposal system. Proteins that are no longer needed are tagged and broken down by specialized cellular machinery. Recent advances in drug discovery seek to exploit this system by redirecting it toward disease-relevant targets. This strategy relies on so-called molecular glues, small molecules that induce interactions between proteins that would not normally bind to each other. If a disease-causing protein can be brought into contact with a cellular degradation enzyme, it is selectively eliminated by the cell itself. Until now, however, most molecular glues have been discovered by chance, limiting their broader therapeutic application.

In children with tree nut or peanut allergy, molecular markers identified by component-resolved diagnostics may predict oral food challenge failure.

Whether a smartphone battery lasts longer or a new drug can be developed to treat incurable diseases depends on how stably the atoms constituting the material are bonded. The core of molecular design lies in finding how to arrange these countless atoms to form the most stable molecule. Until now, this process has been as difficult as finding the lowest valley in a massive mountain range, requiring immense time and costs. Researchers at KAIST have developed a new technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to solve this process quickly and accurately.

Osteoarthritis often goes undetected until cartilage damage is advanced, limiting treatment options. A new study shows that molecular changes in subchondral bone occur earlier and can signal disease progression before cartilage loss.

Author(s): Silvia Macedonio, Luca Lepori, Alessandro Chiesa, Simone Chicco, Laura Bersani, Marcos Rubin-Osanz, Lukas Bradley Woodcock, Athanasios Mavromagoulos, Giuseppe Allodi, Elena Garlatti, Stergios Piligkos, Augusto Smerzi, and Stefano CarrettaThis work studies generalized Bell inequalities in molecular spin qudits, focusing on qubit-qudit and qudit-qudit systems. Numerical simulations using experimentally measured parameters on an a Yb(trensal) molecule, featuring a nuclear spin qudit coupled to an electronic spin qubit, demonstrate that violations of Bell inequalities can be achieved with realistic control protocols and decoherence times. [Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013138] Published Mon Feb 09, 2026

A novel study uncovers how a subtle chemical tweak transforms the naturally occurring phytotoxin into a powerful molecular glue, 12-deoxyfusicoccin (12-dFC), that locks 14-3-3 proteins onto the intrinsically disordered translational repressor GIGYF2 in human cells. Through integrated proteomic, biochemical, and functional analyses, the work reveals an AMPK-driven stress pathway that 12-dFC exploits to shut down protein synthesis, rewire metabolism, and halt cell proliferation, pointing to an unexpected and promising strategy for targeting cancer cells.

Scientists have cracked a key mystery behind spider silk’s legendary strength and flexibility. They discovered that tiny molecular interactions act like natural glue, holding silk proteins together as they transform from liquid into incredibly tough fibers. This same process helps create silk that’s stronger than steel by weight and tougher than Kevlar.

DNA nanostructures store and encrypt data using physical shape, enabling fast electronic readout and secure molecular information processing.

In biology, many RNA molecules act as sophisticated microscopic machines. Among them, riboswitches function as tiny biological sensors, changing their 3D shape upon binding to a specific metabolite. This shape-change acts as a switch, often turning a downstream gene "on" or "off." The ability to design artificial switches from scratch would hold immense promise for synthetic biology, drug design, and new diagnostic tools. However, designing a sequence that can stably fold into two different shapes and switch between them is an extremely difficult challenge.

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Institute of Neurophysiology at Uniklinik RWTH Aachen in Germany have deciphered the molecular signature of so-called sleeping nociceptors-a type of pain-sensing nerve cell that normally remains quiet and does not respond to touch or pressure, but can become overactive and drive chronic pain.

Sens. Diagn.DOI: 10.1039/D5SD00196J, Critical Review Open Access   This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence.Ling Leng, Ruihan Zhang, Yuxia Shan, Rong Chen, Minghui Yang, Zhenze Cui, Yuan LiangObjectifying and standardizing diagnostic methods are essential steps toward the modernization and global recognition of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above.The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

This study reveals carbon nanotubes with pH-switchable gates, enhancing our understanding of ion transport and offering insights for synthetic membrane design.

Before plants evolved, vegetative life consisted of primitive green algae living in the sea. Like plants, these algae survived by performing photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. However, little light reaches the ocean where algae live; therefore, they evolved specialized organs to grab what little is available.

Small RNAs are short RNA molecules that help determine which genes in a cell are switched on or off. Until now, it was assumed that the small RNAs necessary for pollen development originate in the pollen itself and in the directly surrounding maternal tissue. However, a new study conducted by the MPI-MP reveals a surprisingly different picture: The crucial signals do not originate in the pollen, but in maternal tissue and can be transported over long distances, for example from the roots.

Conventional treatments of Alzheimer's disease, one of the most common forms of dementia, have been largely focused on targeting individual pathological features. However, Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial disorder driven by multiple, tightly interconnected processes, rendering single-target therapeutic approaches inherently limited. Addressing this challenge, KAIST researchers propose a new strategy that enables the simultaneous regulation of multiple disease-inducing factors simply by rearranging the structural positions of drug candidate molecules without altering their chemical substituents.

The discovery of a 13-atom sulfur ring in deep space links simple cosmic chemistry to the complex organic building blocks of life's origins.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), in collaboration with astrophysicists from the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, have identified the largest sulfur-bearing molecule ever found in space: 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-thione (C₆H₆S). They made this breakthrough by combining laboratory experiments with astronomical observations. The molecule resides in the molecular cloud G+0.693–0.027, about 27,000 light-years from Earth near the center of the Milky Way.

Inserting, removing or swapping individual atoms from the core of a molecule is a long-standing challenge in chemistry. This process, called skeletal editing, can dramatically speed up drug discovery or be applied for upcycling of plastics. Consequently, the field is witnessing a surge of interest spanning from fundamental chemical research to applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

Author(s): Ian MacPhail-Bartley, Alexander A. Milner, Frank Stienkemeier, and Valery MilnerA technique for spinning up molecules in a gas has now been adapted to work with superfluid helium as the host medium. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 033002] Published Thu Jan 22, 2026

Piezofluorochromism, the phenomenon of materials reversibly changing their fluorescent color when pressure is applied, is used to create the pressure sensors used in automotive and medical industries. By monitoring color changes, researchers can visually recognize phenomena, such as chemical changes, that actually take place. However, as devices get increasingly complicated, there is an increasing demand for ways to produce more sensitive sensors.

For 450 million years, plants and soil fungi have been trading partners. The fungi weave through plant roots, delivering phosphorus and other soil minerals in exchange for sugars and fats produced by the plant through photosynthesis. This ancient collaboration supports roughly 80% of Earth's plant species—including corn, wheat, and other crops that feed billions of people.

Initially stacked benzene layers increase fluorescent color change drastically when exposed to pressure, suggesting new ways to design the pressure sensors used in machinery and medical devices.

Sum-frequency generation (SFG) is a powerful vibrational spectroscopy that can selectively probe molecular structures at surfaces and interfaces, but its spatial resolution has been limited to the micrometer scale by the diffraction limit of light.

Young stars need time to grow into their final masses before they begin fusing lighter elements into heavier elements as main-sequence stars. They can spend hundreds of thousands of years as protostars, when they're still accreting mass from the molecular clouds they form in. But even though they haven't begun fusion, they still inject energy into their surroundings.

More efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies, among other applications, hinge on lowering the amount of energy needed to trigger specific reactions on the surface of electrodes. Called electrocatalysis, the process conserves energy by transferring electrons and speeding up the reaction time, but the molecules involved typically cannot shuttle other particles or directly activate components of the system.

Scientists reported new discoveries about the tiny nanocourier machine that delivers essential molecular packages to the cell surface as part of exocytosis, a fundamental cellular process that is essential for maintaining cell health in nearly all eukaryotes. The post Tiny Nanocourier that Delivers Molecular Packages to Cell Surface Unveiled appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Author(s): Daria Kývala and Jindřich KolorenčThe authors discuss here a theory of the inelastic electron tunneling spectra of a magnetic nanosystem (an atom or a molecule) adsorbed on a solid surface measured in a scanning tunneling microscope. They study scenarios when the tunneling electrons sequentially interact with several magnetic centers or when the magnetic centers are made out of heavy atoms with a strong spin-orbit coupling. They discuss how the exchange interaction between the nanosystem and the tunneling electrons changes when orbital moments enter the picture. [Phys. Rev. B 113, 035427] Published Fri Jan 16, 2026

Author(s): A. Voisine, P. Béjot, F. Billard, O. Faucher, and E. HertzMolecular rotational echoes can be selectively retrieved by angular momentum using vortex beams. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 023202] Published Fri Jan 16, 2026

Young protostars populate the cloudy regions in the Orion Molecular Cloud complex in these images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Three of the telescope's new images are part of a scientific effort to understand the gaseous, dusty envelopes around protostars. Scientists know that these young stars have powerful stellar winds and jets that carve caverns and bubbles out of the surrounding gas, but they have unanswered questions about that process.

Researchers have developed a new class of redox-switchable molecular mediators that activate halogen bonding to more efficiently and selectively drive carbon-nitrogen bond formation.

Although constipation and diarrhea may seem like opposite problems, they both hinge on the same underlying issue: how much fluid moves into the gut. These common issues affect millions of people in the U.S. each year, yet scientists have not fully understood what regulates intestinal fluid balance.

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have identified the genes that allow an organism to switch between living as single cells and forming multicellular structures. This ability to alternate between life forms provides new insights into how multicellular life may have evolved from single-celled ancestors and eventually led to complex organisms like animals and plants.

Detecting cancer in the earliest stages could dramatically reduce cancer deaths because cancers are usually easier to treat when caught early.

Astronomers from Cardiff University, UK, have employed the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) to explore the nearby Andromeda galaxy. Results of the observational campaign, published December 27 on the pre-print server arXiv, yield important insights into the molecular cloud system of this galaxy.

Researchers at the University of St Andrews have uncovered a long‑elusive molecular "reshuffle," a breakthrough that tackles one of chemistry's most persistent challenges and could transform the way medicines are manufactured.

Northwestern University scientists have uncovered a hidden molecular "control switch" inside a protein that helps the body sense taste, control blood sugar and defend the gut.

Yale School of Medicine (YSM) scientists have discovered a molecular difference in the brains of autistic people compared

Scientists have found a way to see ultrafast molecular interactions inside liquids using an extreme laser technique once thought impossible for fluids. When they mixed nearly identical chemicals, one combination behaved strangely—producing less light and erasing a single harmonic signal altogether. Simulations revealed that a subtle molecular “handshake” was interfering with electron motion. The discovery shows that liquids can briefly organize in ways that dramatically change how electrons behave.

For more than 50 years, scientists have sought alternatives to silicon for building molecular electronics. The vision was elegant; the reality proved far more complex. Within a device, molecules behave not as orderly textbook entities but as densely interacting systems where electrons flow, ions redistribute, interfaces evolve, and even subtle structural variations can induce strongly nonlinear responses. The promise was compelling, yet predictive control remained elusive.

By analyzing the archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has inspected the outflow of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 1266. Results of the new study, presented Dec. 11 on the arXiv pre-print server, could help us better understand the nature of this galaxy.

In this James Webb telescope image, the gigantic molecular cloud near our galaxy's center appears as a canvas of pink and purple clouds set against a shadowy backdrop.

Molecular vanadium cluster on carbon nanotubes switches between oxygen and hydrogen production in acid, depending on assembly, offering a path beyond iridium and platinum.

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, but it relies on efficient and stable catalysts that work under acidic conditions—currently dominated by precious metals like iridium and platinum.

Matías Gómez-Corrales, a recent biological sciences Ph.D. graduate from the University of Rhode Island, and his advisor, Associate Professor Carlos Prada, have published a paper in Nature Communications, revealing key mechanisms in speciation in corals and proposing a new hypothesis on the origin of species in the ocean.

RIKEN researchers have discovered how right-handed molecules in our cells can give rise to cells that are not symmetrical about their central axes. This discovery is a key step toward determining why most of our organs lack left–right symmetry.

A research team led by Félix Viana, co-director of the Sensory Transduction and Nociception laboratory at the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), has demonstrated that the body uses different molecular mechanisms to detect cold in the skin and in internal organs.

For years, ETH researchers have been investigating a molecular complex that plays a key role in protein synthesis. They have now discovered that this complex also contributes a crucial function in ensuring that our DNA is properly processed and “packaged”.

Researchers at ETH Zurich recently explained the role of a molecular complex that orchestrates the production of proteins in our cells. They now show that this complex also controls the processing of proteins that compact DNA. These new insights could form the basis for new approaches in cancer treatment, but they also critically extend the current understanding of protein biosynthesis.

A team of researchers at Radboud University has discovered a promising new method to make ammonia—a key ingredient in fertilizers and many industrial chemicals—more efficiently and sustainably.

Gestational diabetes can cause a multitude of complications in the offspring, but to date, the reasons are incompletely understood.

The onset of sudden cold spells can threaten plant survival, especially during early growth phases. But how do plants detect low temperatures fast enough to initiate life-saving changes? Researchers at Chonnam National University have identified a hidden molecular "off-switch" that quickly reprograms root development to withstand the adverse cold conditions.

Globally, soils contain three times as much carbon as exists in the atmosphere and all plants, combined. Which means that understanding how soil microbes recycle organic materials—sometimes sending CO2 back into the atmosphere, sometimes mineralizing it for long-term storage—may be crucial for the fight against climate change.

There is more than one way to describe a water molecule, especially when communicating with a machine learning (ML) model, says chemist Robert DiStasio. You can feed the algorithm the molecule's structural information: two hydrogen atoms flanking an oxygen atom with the bonds a certain length and a certain bond angle.

Zoom in far enough on an empress cicada wing, and a strange landscape materializes. At the nanoscale, densely packed spires rise from the surface, covering the wing in an endless grove of bowling pins.

A new study identifies molecular factors that promote small vessel disease - and an active drug that can restore impaired vascular functions.

Liquids and solutions are complex environments—think, for example, of sugar dissolving in water, where each sugar molecule becomes surrounded by a restless crowd of water molecules. Inside living cells, the picture is even more complex: tiny liquid droplets carry proteins or RNA and help organize the cell's chemistry.

Author(s): J. Caylor, R. Biswas, B. Crawford, M. S. Dewey, N. Fomin, G. L. Greene, S. F. Hoogerheide, J. Hungria-Negron, H. P. Mumm, J. S. Nico, F. E. Wietfeldt, D. O. Valete, and J. ZuchegnoPrecision knowledge of the neutron lifetime is important in predicting the cosmological abundance of helium following the Big Bang, the flux of solar neutrinos, and the influence of beyond-standard-model theories with new massive particles on electroweak interactions. However, the neutron lifetime puzzle—the several-standard-deviation discrepancy between the neutron storage “bottle” experiments and the neutron decay “beam” experiments—limits a confident extraction of the experimental lifetime. This work addresses a previously unquantified systematic effect in the beam experiments, the loss of trapped protons due to charge exchange with molecular hydrogen in the residual gas.

With targeted molecularly designed contacts, researchers reach an efficiency of perovskite-silicon tandem cells of 31.4 percent.

Researchers have developed a new tool, FibrilPaint combined with the FibrilRuler test, that allows scientists to directly measure the length of toxic Tau amyloid fibrils in tiny fluid samples, from the earliest aggregation stages to mature fibrils and even at very low concentrations.

Author(s): Dalton Chaffee, Baruch Margulis, April Sheffield, Julian Schmidt, April Reisenfeld, David R. Leibrandt, Dietrich Leibfried, and Chin-Wen ChouMolecular quantum state preparation, coherent manipulation, and measurement with high fidelity are demonstrated in a polar molecule for the first time. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 240801] Published Tue Dec 09, 2025

Sens. Diagn.DOI: 10.1039/D5SD00176E, Critical Review Open Access   This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.Yanping Wang, Huimin Jiang, Yanyin Zhang, Qingran Yang, Yujun Song, Yanfeng GaoThis review highlights recent advances in microfluidics-integrated CRISPR–Cas systems for rapid, sensitive, and portable detection of diverse biomarkers, emphasizing their potential to enable sample-to-answer point-of-care diagnostics.To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above.The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

Countless bacterial species share cramped environments where competition for space and resources is fierce. Some rely on a molecular speargun to outcompete their opponents. One of them is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is widespread in nature but also notorious as a difficult-to-treat hospital pathogen.

Soil salinity is a key abiotic stress factor. Salt stress substantially impairs plant growth, development, and productivity, significantly reducing crop yields worldwide. It induces various kinds of stress in plant organs, including toxic ion accumulation, oxidative stress, and osmotic stress.

Scientists from Turkey have designed a next-generation implantable biosensor using genetically engineered E. coli for molecular-level monitoring within the body that runs on its own, wirelessly, with no external batteries required.

Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the LMU University Hospital Munich uncovered a mechanism that protects nerve cells from premature cell death, known as ferroptosis.

Cholera is a deadly bacterial disease that kills about 95,000 people every year. Vibrio cholerae bacteria infect cells in the small intestine, which the bacteria can do in part due to their flagella—powerful tail-like structures that the pathogen uses to move around.

Researchers built a silver atomic switch that forms and breaks single-molecule junctions, enabling stable molecular wiring and advancing scalable, energy-efficient electronics.

Silver-based atomic switches that create stable electrical connections between individual molecules and electrodes have been developed by researchers from Japan, addressing a key challenge in wiring molecular electronics. The switch operates by forming and breaking silver atomic filaments when a voltage is applied and reversed, corresponding to the "on" and "off" states. This method enables the scalable integration of molecular components, paving the way for ultra-compact and energy-efficient circuits built from single molecules.

Viruses and their hosts—whether bacteria, animals, or humans—are locked in a constant evolutionary arms race. Cells evolve defenses against viral infection, viruses evolve ways around those defenses, and the cycle continues.

Author(s): Mytraya Gattu and J. K. JainThe quasiparticles associated with a phenomenon called the fractional quantum Hall effect can bind together into stable clusters. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 236601] Published Tue Dec 02, 2025