Smart materials: Fused liquid marbles show their strength

'Liquid marbles' are a peculiar new substance made by rolling water droplets into powders incapable of dissolving in water. The resulting micro- and nanoscale-particles act like soft solids, and can speed along surfaces without ...

Double calixarenes bind neuromuscular blockers

Under anesthesia, patients are often given muscle-relaxing neuromuscular blockers to make intubations easier and reduce the skeletal muscle tone during surgery. Using a drug to remove the blocking agent after the operation ...

Glowing flowers for ultra-trace analysis of TNT

(Phys.org)—Highly sensitive and highly selective tests are important for the early detection of disease, the detection of environmental toxins, or for the detection of explosives at airports. Increased selectivity for the ...

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 ...

The chemistry lab inside cells

Investigators from the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University, together with Hiroshima Institute of Technology, have announced the discovery of a new protein that allows an organism to conduct ...

The secret to stickiness of mussels underwater

Mussels survive by sticking to rocks in the fierce waves or tides underwater. Materials mimicking this underwater adhesion are widely used for skin or bone adhesion, for modifying the surface of a scaffold, or even in drug ...

Making sense of misfolded proteins

The endoplasmic reticulum of cells provides a pivotal quality-control system that eliminates improperly folded, or misfolded, glycoproteins, such as antibodies and hormones. The UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glycotransferase (UGGT) ...

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