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How much and what kind of information is required to fold a chain of amino acids into a functioning protein? It seems the problem may not be as daunting as once thought — the solution is in the coevolution data.
The selective production of a particular mirror-image form of a molecule is immensely important to organic synthesis. But techniques to find the right catalysts have traditionally been protracted and fiddly. Help is at hand.
Magnetic resonance imaging is often limited by the need to encode information and acquire the resonance signals in less-than-ideal locations. Performing these two steps at different places provides a solution.
In the summer of 2003, Europe experienced an exceptionally hot and dry spell. That ‘natural experiment’ prompted a continental-scale analysis of how terrestrial ecosystems respond to such climatic extremes.
The idea that complex biological systems can evolve through a series of simple, random events is not universally accepted. The structure of a vital immune protein shows how such evolution can occur at a molecular level.
Previous measurements of uranium-series isotopes have implied uncomfortably fast speeds of melt movement through the mantle. Yet the latest results suggest such velocities were serious underestimates.
To realize the potential of the genome for identifying candidate drugs we must move beyond individual genes and proteins. The signalling pathways in cells provide the right level for such analyses.
The behaviour of a seismic fault in Chile seemed to confound predictions of how often giant earthquakes should recur. Examination of a 2,000-year record of tsunami deposits in the region clarifies matters.
Synchronized radiation from arrays of oscillators is widely used in microwave and wireless communications. Phase-locked oscillations produced at the atomic level now pave the way for devices on the nanoscale.
A sequencing system has been developed that can read 25 million bases of genetic code — the entire genome of some fungi — within four hours. The technique may provide an alternative approach to DNA sequencing.
Many bacteria socialize using diffusible signals. But some of these messages are poorly soluble, so how do they move between bacteria? It seems they can be wrapped up in membrane packages instead.
White-light-emitting diodes are becoming increasingly important, but what is the best way to build compact devices possessing high efficiency? Bright prospects are offered by multi-layer organic devices grown from solution.
