X-rays reveal why sea urchins are no easy prey

(PhysOrg.com) -- The spine of a sea urchin is 99.9% chalk, a very common material forming tiny crystals that are very hard but easy to break apart. Scientists have now discovered how these marine animals use chalk or lime ...

Fastest X-ray images of tiny biological crystals

(PhysOrg.com) -- An international research team headed by DESY scientists from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) in Hamburg, Germany, has recorded the shortest X-ray exposure of a protein crystal ever achieved. ...

Researchers learn how pathogen causes speck disease

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have discovered how the structure of a protein allows a certain bacteria to interfere with the tomato plant's immune system, causing bacterial speck disease.

Finding E. coli’s Achilles heel

(PhysOrg.com) -- Thanks to the work of a Simon Fraser University researcher and two of his students, science is closer to finding a new way of combatting infections caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) and other related bacteria.

A simple compound with surprising antifreeze properties

A chemical compound used to stabilize particles in suspension has proved capable of controlling the growth of ice crystals. This finding was made by CNRS/Saint-Gobain researchers in France. Surprisingly, the compound in question ...

Pee power: Urine-loving bug churns out space fuel

Scientists on Sunday said they had gained insights into a remarkable bacterium that lives without oxygen and transforms ammonium, the ingredient of urine, into hydrazine, a rocket fuel.

Crystal structure shows how motor protein works

The crystal structure of the dynamin protein — one of the molecular machines that makes cells work — has been revealed, bringing insights into a class of molecules with a wide influence on health and disease.

Crystal clear research

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have successfully created synthetic crystals whose structures and properties mimic those of naturally occurring biominerals such as seashells.

How receptors talk to G proteins

(PhysOrg.com) -- The mechanism by which cells respond to stimuli and trigger hormonal responses, as well as the senses of sight, smell, and taste, has for the first time been brought into focus with the help of high-brightness ...

Study builds on plausible scenario for origin of life on Earth

A relatively simple combination of naturally occurring sugars and amino acids offers a plausible route to the building blocks of life, according to a paper published in Nature Chemistry co-authored by a professor at the University ...

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