Students isolate potentially novel soil-dwelling viruses

After sifting through soil samples collected from across Massachusetts, then drilling down to analyze the DNA of viruses they found, a team of undergraduates at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) hit pay dirt—three potentially ...

Unearthing novel antibiotics to deal with the rise of superbugs

As doctors globally are warned that overconsumption of antibiotics has led to resistance to the drug – medical researchers are equally focussed on finding alternatives to treatments for bacterial infections, particularly ...

Molecular architects—how scientists design new materials

When Thomas Edison wanted a filament for his light bulb, he scoured the globe collecting thousands of candidates before settling on bamboo. (It was years before people were able to make tungsten work properly.) That's our ...

Novel polymeric materials from palm oil derivatives

Palm oil is not a polymer; but through chemical reactions it can be converted to intermediates with different functional groups that could interact with other monomers, either through condensation reactions or free radical ...

Novel technique to find salt-tolerant plants

University of Adelaide researchers are developing a novel technique to easily measure root growth on growing cereal plants, to identify varieties that are more tolerant to salt stress.

New gene drive technology evokes hopes and fears

The idea of introducing a novel gene into a few individuals that then spreads through an entire population sounds like a premise for science fiction. And yet fiction can be prophetic.

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