Methanotrophic bacteria consume 30 million metric tons of methane per year and have captivated researchers for their natural ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas into usable fuel. Yet we know very little about how ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2022
5
2242
While methane accounts for about 16% of the abundance in the atmosphere of greenhouse gases—which also include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor—it is more than 25 times better than carbon dioxide at trapping ...
Biochemistry
Mar 17, 2022
0
44
Strings of sugars called polysaccharides are the most abundant biopolymers on Earth. Because of their versatile and environmentally friendly properties, these molecules could eventually replace some plastics. Now, researchers ...
Polymers
Mar 16, 2022
0
70
Enzymes are considered true multi-functional talents. They accelerate many chemical reactions as catalysts. In organisms, they are involved in vital processes. In technology and industry, they can be used as tools of white ...
Materials Science
Mar 14, 2022
0
20
In a paper published today in Sciences Advances, researchers in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine revealed new details about a key enzyme that makes ...
Biotechnology
Mar 11, 2022
0
227
Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, or PI3K for short, is a family of lipid kinases that plays a key role in the human body, performing functions such as cell division, metabolism, and cell growth.
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 7, 2022
0
40
Sugar chains confer functionality to many organic molecules in glycosides. Enzymes like glycosyltransferases catalyze the synthesis of these chains in various biological systems. However, the commercial production of carbohydrate ...
Biochemistry
Mar 7, 2022
0
18
The only references we have for "life" are the forms we know on Earth. Astrobiologists suspect that the search for alien life, and even for the origins of life on Earth, may require a broader scope. A NASA-funded team of ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 28, 2022
1
1088
Researchers have developed an efficient concept to turn carbon dioxide into clean, sustainable fuels, without any unwanted by-products or waste.
Materials Science
Feb 28, 2022
7
255
Lignin, a chief component of cell walls in plants, is naturally degraded in the soil. Identifying new microorganisms involved in this degradation can help develop novel lignin breakdown processes in industrial settings. Now, ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 24, 2022
0
17
