Materials consisting of a few atomic layers display properties determined by quantum physics. In a stack of such layers, vibrations of the atoms can be triggered by infrared light. New experimental and theoretical work shows ...
Quantum Physics
Oct 12, 2021
0
157
Magnets formed from a single molecule are of particular interest in data storage, since the ability to store a bit on every molecule could vastly increase the storage capacity of computers. Researchers have now developed ...
Materials Science
Sep 14, 2021
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4299
Engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago have created a solar-powered electrochemical reaction that not only uses wastewater to make ammonia—the second most-produced chemical in the world—but also achieves a solar-to-fuel ...
Materials Science
Sep 8, 2021
1
1199
Your ride might be a modest one—but if it burns gasoline, you have precious metals on board. To reduce pollution at the tailpipe, gasoline cars and trucks today come equipped with catalytic converters that contain platinum-group ...
Materials Science
Aug 19, 2021
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333
Interstellar clouds are the birthplaces of new stars, but they also play an important role in the origins of life in the Universe through regions of dust and gas in which chemical compounds form. The research group, molecular ...
General Physics
Jul 20, 2021
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211
When something is awry with your immune system, your digestion or your endocrine systems, nuclear receptors, as they are called, may well be involved. If need be, the operation of these regulator proteins can be altered with ...
Biochemistry
Jun 22, 2021
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9
Certain cyanobacteria can change the absorbing light colors for photosynthesis using a green- and red-light sensing photosensor protein. A Japanese research group elucidated the molecular structure of RcaE, a representative ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 4, 2021
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5
Nitrogen, an element that is essential for all living cells, makes up about 78 percent of Earth's atmosphere. However, most organisms cannot make use of this nitrogen until it is converted into ammonia. Until humans invented ...
Materials Science
May 27, 2021
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136
Middle school students learn in science class about the carbon cycle—the flow of carbon among the atmosphere, living organisms, soil and the oceans. But another, less familiar cycle also plays a crucial role in the balance ...
Plants & Animals
May 24, 2021
1
15
Molecules are the building blocks for our modern world, from phones to cars to Doritos. But coming up with new ones is still an incredibly costly and time-consuming process. A group of University of Chicago chemists wants ...
Materials Science
May 12, 2021
2
20
