The slimy outer layer of fungi and bacteria known as the "extracellular matrix," or ECM, has the consistency of jelly and acts as a protective and envelope layer. But, according to a recent study in the journal iScience, ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 31, 2023
0
103
Urolithiasis is usually treated by surgery. However, the high recurrence rate and high cost of treatment call for a non-surgical medical solution. In the Dai minority region of China, the perennial woody vine of Aspidopterys ...
Biochemistry
Feb 14, 2023
0
12
In fossil leaves, puzzling structures are often visible under the microscope. Researchers at the University of Bonn have now been able to show for the first time that they originate from calcium oxalate crystals. On the one ...
Evolution
Oct 7, 2022
0
321
A funny thing happened on the way to discovering how zinc impacts kidney stones—two different theories emerged, each contradicting the other. One: Zinc stops the growth of the calcium oxalate crystals that make up the stones; ...
Biochemistry
Jun 14, 2021
0
16
Lysosomes are cellular waste disposal organelles containing potent enzymes. These enzymes can cause cellular damage if they leak out of ruptured lysosomes. In a recent study led by Osaka University, researchers found that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 28, 2020
0
38
Sometimes potentially useful enzymes are not easy to discover because their biocatalytic capabilities may go beyond their natural and thus known range of action. By recombining a newly discovered enzymatic capability, a research ...
Materials Science
May 27, 2020
0
96
As a non-noble metal, copper oxidizes more easily to a positive valence (Cu+ or Cu2+) than same-family elements Au or Ag. In general, this chemical property is mainly determined by electron structure. Can we change the chemical ...
Materials Science
Dec 21, 2018
0
459
A geologist, a microscopist and a doctor walk into a lab and, with their colleagues from across the nation, make a discovery that overturns centuries of thought about the nature and composition of kidney stones. The team's ...
Other
Sep 13, 2018
0
563
A team of scientists from MSU has developed a new material based on silicon-titanium gel and a dye agent. The material is able to reveal the presence of harmful oxalate ions in food products even in field conditions. Analysis ...
Analytical Chemistry
May 15, 2018
0
10
A wide variety of fruits and vegetables contain oxalate. But humans and most other animals lack the ability to metabolize this molecule—that is, to break it down while digesting it. And so for some people, a buildup of ...
Biochemistry
Dec 29, 2015
4
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