How long-known genes continue to surprise researchers

The human genome was sequenced around 20 years ago. Since then, the sequence information encoding our proteins is known—at least in principle. However, this information is not continuously stored in the individual genes, ...

Cancer-promoting Ras protein exists in a pair within cells

Researchers from Bochum and Osnabrück have gained new insights into the structure of the Ras protein, which acts as a molecular switch for cell growth and is involved in the development of cancer. With the help of fluorescence ...

Understanding light-activated proteins in order to improve them

Today, proteins that can be controlled with light are a widely used tool in research to specifically switch certain functions on and off in living organisms. Channelrhodopsins are often used for the technique known as optogenetics: ...

Enzyme system for the hydrogen industry

An enzyme could make a dream come true for the energy industry: It can efficiently produce hydrogen using electricity and can also generate electricity from hydrogen. The enzyme is protected by embedding it in a polymer. ...

AI agent helps identify material properties faster

Efficient analysis of X-ray diffraction data (XRD) plays a crucial role in the discovery of new materials, for example for the energy systems of the future. It is used to analyze the crystal structures of new materials in ...

Objective analysis of stress in the classroom

Is it the difficulty of a task that determines whether or not students are stressed when working on it? Dr. Nina Minkley, a biologist working in biology didactics at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), set out to find out the ...

The role of hydrophobic molecules in catalytic reactions

Electrochemical processes could be used to convert CO2 into useful starting materials for industry. To optimize the processes, chemists are attempting to calculate in detail the energy costs caused by the various reaction ...

What happens underground during hydraulic fracturing

A research team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and McGill University in Montreal is investigating what exactly happens underground when the earth in western Canada shakes as a result of hydraulic fracturing activities. ...

A stable copper catalyst for carbon dioxide conversion

A new catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemicals or fuels has been developed by researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen. They optimized already available copper ...

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