Category: Biochemistry

Researchers have developed a technique that controls how the flame interacts with the material you use to process . The technique allows users to finely tune the characteristics of the processed material .

Insect-derived chemicals can be used to make bioplastics that can biodegrade later . Researchers will describe their progress to date, including the isolation and purification of the chemicals . The concept is closer to reality than you might expect .

Some bacteria are able to decompose iron anaerobically in a process referred to as electrobiocorrosion . The sediment-dwelling bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens uses electrically conductive protein threads for this purpose . They produce magnetite from the iron, which promotes further corrosion .

Medical imaging via X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds can visualize many unseen ailments and diseases . Spectroscopy offers a means to identify biomolecules within specimens through their characteristic signatures for absorption in the electromagnetic spectrum . This imaging is beneficial for health-care professionals to make correct diagnoses .

Expensive noble metals often play a vital role in illuminating screens or converting solar energy into fuels . Now chemists have succeeded in replacing these rare elements with a significantly cheaper metal . In terms of their properties, the new materials are very similar to those used in the past .