Method for producing designer proteins improved

Long-standing problem solved: Researchers discover that misfolding prevents efficient utilisation of so-called split inteins as ‘protein glue’

11-Apr-2025 - Proteins are the building blocks of life. They consist of folded peptide chains, which in turn are made up of a series of amino acids. From stabilising cell structure to catalysing chemical reactions, proteins have many functions. Their diversity is further increased by modifications that take ...

Nanotechnology: DNA origami boosts sensitivity of rapid tests

Early detection of strokes and heart attacks

08-Apr-2025 - An LMU team has developed a technology that can amplify the signals of biomarkers in conventional test strips more than a hundredfold. Now the researchers are commercializing the method. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, pretty much everybody is familiar with this technology: paper-based rapid test ...

Improved analysis of silicon surfaces

Progress for photovoltaics, for example

03-Apr-2025 - A new method for analyzing rough silicon surfaces combines atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This makes it easier to correct errors caused by surface roughness. The method delivers more precise results, particularly with black silicon, a special, ...

Solving the case of the missing platinum

25-Feb-2025 - For nearly two decades, scientists have tried to understand how negatively polarized platinum electrodes corrode, a costly mystery that plagues water electrolyzers, a promising energy technology for making hydrogen, as well as electrochemical sensors using platinum electrodes. Now, a close ...

Analyze odorous substances without errors

Comparative study confirms established method as gold standard

18-Feb-2025 - When analyzing odorants in foods or their raw materials, the formation of artefacts can significantly distort the results. Two researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich have now shown in a new comparative study that the choice of ...

Innovations for Health: When Molecular Spectroscopy Meets Lasers and Photonics

"An all-optical, minimally invasive and label-free diagnostic tool could represent a significant advance in health..."

17-Feb-2025 - A team led by DESY scientist Tim Laarmann has successfully detected the vibrational fingerprints of glucose molecules in aqueous solution using a nonlinear optical method in the mid-infrared spectral range called ultra-broadband vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy. The ...

Testing the effect of thousands of compounds on cellular metabolism

New applications for tried and tested medications

30-Jan-2025 - Researchers at the University of Basel are able to test the effects of more than 1,500 compounds on cell metabolism in parallel. Their analysis also led to the discovery of previously unknown mechanisms for known drugs. This approach could help scientists better predict side effects and find ...

How cryogenic microscopy could help strengthen food security

Scientists produced unprecedented images

21-Jan-2025 - According to the United Nations, soil salinization affects between 20% and 40% of arable land globally, with human activity and climate change – especially rising sea levels – largely responsible for this process. While the human body needs sodium to function, this is not the case for most ...

How machine learning can help predict the spectral properties of materials

07-Jan-2025 - Many techniques in computational materials science require scientists to identify the right set of parameters that capture the physics of the specific material they are studying. Calculating these parameters from scratch is sometimes possible but costs a lot of time and computational power. ...

Scientists use harmless viruses to investigate the nervous system in frogs

New era in amphibian biology

28-Nov-2024 - Amphibians hold a significant place in evolution, representing the transition from aquatic to terrestrial lifestyles. They are crucial for understanding the brain and spinal cord of tetrapods—animals with four limbs, including humans. A group of scientists led by a team at the Institute of ...