All posts tagged: molecule

Odd “butterfly” molecule could lead to new parts of the quantum realm

Odd “butterfly” molecule could lead to new parts of the quantum realm

Published by skeptic

A laser system used to create butterfly molecules Prof. Herwig Ott A large, cold molecule that resembles a butterfly, with “wings” made from electrons, has been made for the first time, completing the search for a “zoo” of similar molecules. The result could provide a gateway to completely new parts of the quantum realm. Herwig Ott at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau in Germany and his colleagues made the molecule by cooling rubidium atoms to a few millionths of a degree above absolute zero by using lasers and electromagnetic forces. The researchers then used lasers again to make some atoms very large by pushing their outermost electron very far from their nuclei. The quantum properties of atoms that have been cooled and enlarged in this way can be precisely manipulated with lasers, which the team leveraged to move a giant atom’s electron towards a normal-sized rubidium atom, binding them together to create a new type of molecule with extreme properties. Each molecule was about 25 nanometres in size – bigger than the diameter of a DNA strand …

Quantum computers simulated their biggest molecule yet – with help

Quantum computers simulated their biggest molecule yet – with help

Published by skeptic

An IBM quantum computer at Cleveland Clinic, one of the pair used to simulate a record-breakingly large molecule Kincaid/IBM One of the most promising uses for quantum computers is to simulate proteins that could help us discover new drugs, but these devices are currently too error-prone for the task. However, two quantum computers have now broken a simulation record – determining the properties of a molecule with 12,635 atoms – with some help from supercomputers. To understand the behaviour of drug molecules, we need to pin down the quantum states and energies of their electrons, which is a quantum problem that can often be solved only approximately on conventional computers. A collaboration between researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, the US tech firm IBM and the Japanese scientific institute RIKEN has instead turned to quantum computers, which “speak” quantum physics by default. They developed a hybrid approach that combines quantum computers and conventional supercomputers and used it to simulate two unprecedentedly large molecules, with one about 40 times bigger than the past largest molecule …

Scientists discover natural molecule in the human body that protects against the flu

Scientists discover natural molecule in the human body that protects against the flu

Published by Jenni Sidey

A different purpose has attracted attention for treating skin damage rather than simply preventing it. Dermcidin was previously known as a skin protector. This antimicrobial peptide produced by our bodies may perform additional functions beyond simply acting as an antimicrobial agent against fungi and bacteria. In addition, these functions may include potentially acting on the potential for viruses to enter the body and cause illness. Researchers at Fisabio have demonstrated that dermcidin can also protect against infection with the virus that causes the flu. It does this by interfering with its entry into the cell before it can infect the cell. A very interesting angle to consider is that people with high levels of dermcidin at baseline, as shown in this study, have a lower likelihood of developing flu-like symptoms than do those with low levels. In the participants in this study who had no flu-like symptoms after exposure to the virus, the levels of dermcidin present were at least six times higher. These levels were higher than the levels present in the subjects who …

Not one molecule! EU rules out relaxing Russian gas ban to ease energy crisis – POLITICO

Not one molecule! EU rules out relaxing Russian gas ban to ease energy crisis – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The comments come as a growing chorus of EU leaders push for a rethink of the bloc’s relationship with Russia, which threatens to upend the implementation of the EU’s historic phase-out of Russian gas. The Commission is set to announce a similar ban on oil next month. “We’ve been far too long dependent on energy from Russia, making it possible for Putin to blackmail us with energy, making it possible for Putin to weaponize energy against us, and we are determined to stay on course with these issues,” Jørgensen added. “It would be a mistake for us to repeat what we did in the past. In the future, we will not import as much as one molecule from Russia.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been among the most vocal advocates for revived Russian trade, calling on the EU to suspend sanctions on Moscow last week. On Sunday, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said the EU ought to negotiate with Russia to eventually “regain access to cheap energy.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has also …

Möbius strip-like molecule has an entirely new and bizarre shape

Möbius strip-like molecule has an entirely new and bizarre shape

Published by skeptic

Representation of the electrons in the “half-Möbius”-shaped molecule IBM Research and the University of Manchester Chemists have discovered a new molecular shape, and it is twice as odd as the twisty Möbius strip. The Möbius strip is a looped band with a twist, such that something tiny, such as an ant, would have to go around the loop twice to return to where it started on the same side of the strip. Igor Rončević at the University of Manchester in the UK and his colleagues now discovered a molecule with an even stranger “half-Möbius” shape. Their experiment may be the first step towards a new way to engineer useful molecules by tuning their 3D shapes, or topology. “This molecule is very new and very unexpected. The appeal is not just that we made a molecule with an unusual topology, but we also showed that this topology is possible, and no one really thought about it,” he says. To make the molecule, the researchers used 13 carbon atoms and two chlorine atoms assembled into a ring-like …

Researchers create new molecule to insert DNA into cells

Researchers create new molecule to insert DNA into cells

Published by Jenni Sidey

Getting DNA into a living cell sounds simple, until you remember the cell’s outer membrane acts like a guarded wall. DNA strands carry a negative charge, and they do not cross that wall easily. So for years, many genetic therapies and DNA-based vaccines have depended on delivery helpers that are strongly positively charged, because opposite charges stick. That trick works, but it can come with baggage: irritation, inflammation, and messy clumping with other molecules in the body. A team led by Professor Shoichiro Asayama at Tokyo Metropolitan University set out to dodge that tradeoff. Their approach uses an uncharged polymer, paired with a small DNA “handle,” to escort plasmid DNA into cells. In mouse experiments, their best formulation produced luciferase gene expression that tended to be about 14 times higher than annealed DNA delivered without a carrier, with results reported as p < 0.1 in groups of four mice. The goal is not a new gene-editing tool. It is a new way to carry DNA safely, particularly into skeletal muscle, where the surrounding environment can …

Largest sulfur-bearing molecule ever found in space links interstellar chemistry to life

Largest sulfur-bearing molecule ever found in space links interstellar chemistry to life

Published by Jenni Sidey

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany and the Centro de Astrobiología, part of Spain’s CSIC-INTA, have identified the largest sulfur-bearing molecule ever confirmed in interstellar space. The discovery fills a long-standing gap in astrochemistry and strengthens the link between space chemistry and the origins of life. The molecule, called 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-thione, has 13 atoms arranged in a stable six-membered ring. It was detected inside a dense molecular cloud near the center of the Milky Way, about 27,000 light-years from Earth. Until now, sulfur compounds found in space were much smaller, usually fewer than six atoms. “This is the first unambiguous detection of a complex, ring-shaped sulfur-containing molecule in interstellar space and a crucial step toward understanding the chemical link between space and the building blocks of life,” said Mitsunori Araki, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute and lead author of the study. The cloud, known as G+0.693-0.027, sits near the Galactic Center and has become a hotspot for complex molecule discoveries. It contains no stars, yet it shows surprisingly rich …

A Single Molecule Has Given Dementia Researchers New Hope

A Single Molecule Has Given Dementia Researchers New Hope

Published by Sam Flores

Different types of conditions fall under the umbrella of dementia. There’s the most common form, Alzheimer’s disease, but also lesser-known types like frontotemporal dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. The second-most common form, meanwhile, is vascular dementia, which is related to the blood flow to our brains. Heart health seems to be key to preventing most forms of dementia. Now, new research has suggested that a single molecule called PIP2 could help to improve blood flow to the brain, potentially reducing dementia risk. Why might PIP2 reduce dementia risk? This study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, built upon existing research that highlighted the importance of endothelial cells (which line blood vessels) in creating a smooth blood flow. The researchers looked at the protein Piezo1 which, when overworked, slows blood flow down. A fat molecule called PIP2, meanwhile, was found to be abnormally low in mice with Alzheimer’s. Researchers think PIP2 acts as a kind of braking system on Piezo1. When researchers gave those mice …

Neuroscientists link a common inflammatory molecule to the dopaminergic mechanisms of addiction

Neuroscientists link a common inflammatory molecule to the dopaminergic mechanisms of addiction

Published by José Betancourt

A new study published in the journal Science Signaling has found that an immune system protein plays a central role in the addictive mechanisms of methamphetamine. The findings suggest that tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF-α, works in tandem with dopamine transporters to amplify the drug’s effects on neural activity in the brain’s reward centers. Methamphetamine use disorder presents a persistent and severe public health challenge. Unlike opioid or alcohol addiction, there are currently no FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatments available to help individuals stop using methamphetamine. This lack of therapeutic options makes the search for biological targets a high priority for medical science. Scientists have understood for some time that methamphetamine use leads to severe inflammation throughout the body. This is visibly manifested in conditions such as severe dental decay, often called “meth mouth,” and systemic wound-healing issues. However, the specific relationship between this inflammation and the drug’s addictive properties in the brain has remained unclear. The authors of this study sought to determine if the immune system directly influences the release of dopamine, the chemical messenger …

The rise of a promising one-health molecule

The rise of a promising one-health molecule

Published by skeptic

Richard Stead, CEO of Qures Group, discusses the century-long history of Hypothiocyanite and the Lactoperoxidase System, and their modern potential in the fight against AMR. In late 2012, I set out deliberately to understand how nature protects the body at its most vulnerable entry points. I was searching, without knowing the name, for a natural antimicrobial molecule capable of preventing pathogens from entering through the eyes and mouth. These sites are moist, nutrient-rich, and constantly exposed to the environment, yet infections there are surprisingly rare. Something must be working with a competence comparable to that of the skin. What I eventually found was Hypothiocyanite (OSCN⁻), a molecule I had never encountered before. To my surprise, it had already been described a century earlier. Its biology and chemistry had been mapped decades before I began my search, yet its relevance, power, and potential remain profoundly under-recognised. This article provides a concise historical overview of the discovery of Hypothiocyanite and the Lactoperoxidase System (LPS), explaining why this natural defence mechanism is so critical in an era of rising antimicrobial …