Utilizing tumor suppressor proteins to shape nanomaterials

A new method combining tumor suppressor protein p53 and biomineralization peptide BMPep successfully created hexagonal silver nanoplates, suggesting an efficient strategy for controlling the nanostructure of inorganic materials.

Image: Smart particles

Down to the microscopic level, nanoparticles show promising properties. A team of experts in Italy has spent years tailoring tiny inorganic materials and analysing their behaviour. Some have magnetic properties, others are ...

From hard to soft: Making sponges from mussel shells

Scientists have discovered a spongy form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a material found in limestone, chalk, marble, and the shells of mussels and other shellfish. While most forms of calcium carbonate are hard minerals, ...

High construction cost for cycads

Self-sustaining organisms like plants possess the ability to synthesize their own food using inorganic materials. Plants use water and carbon dioxide to begin this process in their green tissues. The leaf is the organ most ...

Materials database proves its mettle with new discoveries

Trying to find new materials, to improve the performance of anything from microchips to car bodies, has always been a process of trial and error. MIT materials scientist Gerbrand Ceder likens it to setting out from Boston ...

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