Programming pH: New technique could accelerate DNA synthesis

pH—the concentration of protons in a watery solution—indicates how acidic the solution is. It regulates a broad range of natural and engineered chemical processes, including the synthesis of designed DNA sequences for ...

New catalyst leads to more efficient butadiene production

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new catalyst that improves the efficiency of converting butane, a component of natural gas, into butadiene—a building block in synthetic rubber and a variety ...

ESA makes ground motion data freely accessible

Any movement beneath our feet—from barely perceptible subsidence to the sudden appearance of a sinkhole or a crashing landslide—spells big trouble. Even relatively modest subsidence can weaken buildings and infrastructure ...

Turning white blood cells into medicinal microrobots with light

Medicinal microrobots could help physicians better treat and prevent diseases. But most of these devices are made with synthetic materials that trigger immune responses in vivo. Now, for the first time, researchers reporting ...

Nanoparticle 'backpacks' restore damaged stem cells

Within a newborn's umbilical cord lie potentially life-saving stem cells that can be used to fight diseases like lymphoma and leukemia. That is why many new parents elect to store ("bank") their infant's stem cell-rich umbilical ...

Scientists engineer synthetic DNA to study 'architect' genes

Researchers at New York University have created artificial Hox genes—which plan and direct where cells go to develop tissues or organs—using new synthetic DNA technology and genomic engineering in stem cells.

Exploring nature's own assembly line

Today the raw ingredients for virtually all industrial products, ranging from medicines to car tires, come from non-renewable chemical feedstocks. They are produced in fossil fuel refineries that emit greenhouse gases, such ...

UM study finds microplastic pollution in Flathead Lake

They're in our oceans and rivers. They're in the food we eat and the water we drink. They've even been detected inside the human body. They're called microplastics—particles of plastic so small they can't be seen by the ...

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