Having levels of potassium that are too high or too low can be fatal. A new mathematical model sheds light on the often mysterious ways the body regulates this important electrolyte.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jan 30, 2023
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225
Earth's potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service finds new research led by Carnegie's Nicole Nie and Da Wang. Their work, published in Science, shows that some primitive meteorites contain a different mix of potassium ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 26, 2023
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274
At first glance, mica is something quite ordinary: it is a common mineral, found in granite for example, and has been extensively studied from geological, chemical and technical perspectives.
Nanomaterials
Jan 25, 2023
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122
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are potentially harmful substances known as "forever chemicals" because they are so difficult to destroy. One emerging technique to degrade PFAS involves forcefully grinding them ...
Analytical Chemistry
Jan 23, 2023
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104
Potassium (K+) channels are small, highly specialized conduits within every living cell that are responsible for the extremely selective and rapid transport of K+ ions across cell membranes. Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 12, 2022
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63
Oregon State University scientists are decoding how cells communicate and collectively respond to chemical stimuli in the extracellular environment, knowledge that's critical to understanding physiological processes and blocking ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 12, 2022
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94
Efforts to improve the yields of staple cereal crops like maize and rice at scale in Africa remain seriously hampered by the effects of poor soil fertility. The lack of adequate information to base an effective fertilizer ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 22, 2022
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3
In mythologies and origin stories around the world, various cultures and religions point to clay as the vessel of life, the primordial material that creator gods imbued with a self-sustaining existence. Nowadays we have biology ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 20, 2022
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367
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that arises from abnormal electrical activity in the brain leading to seizures. These seizure events can have a variety of causes, including genetic variants in a family of proteins that ...
Biochemistry
Aug 18, 2022
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110
Intrigued by the properties of ion channel proteins commonly observed in cells, Tokyo Tech researchers have developed the first synthetic mechanosensitive potassium channel using a newly developed aromatic fluorinated amphiphilic ...
Biochemistry
Jul 15, 2022
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20
Potassium (pronounced /pɵˈtæsiəm/) is the chemical element with the symbol K (Latin: kalium, from Arabic: القَلْيَه al-qalyah “plant ashes”, cf. Alkali from the same root), atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white metallic alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the evolved hydrogen.
Potassium in nature occurs only as ionic salt. As such, it is found dissolved in seawater, and as part of many minerals. Potassium ion is necessary for the function of all living cells, and is thus present in all plant and animal tissues. It is found in especially high concentrations in plant cells, and in a mixed diet, it is most highly concentrated in fruits.
In many respects, potassium and sodium are chemically similar, although they have very different functions in organisms in general, and in animal cells in particular.
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