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Archive for the ‘chemistry’ category: Page 214

Oct 13, 2021

Migraines Caused by Alterations in Metabolite Levels

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, genetics, health, neuroscience

“Lower levels of DHA are associated with inflammation, cardiovascular and brain disorders, such as depression, which are all linked to migraine risk.”

Professor Nyholt said LPE(20:4) was a chemical compound that blocked the production of an anti-inflammatory molecule called anandamide.


Summary: Researchers have identified causal genetic links to three blood metabolite levels that increase migraine risks.

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Oct 12, 2021

Deaths Linked to ‘Hormone Disruptor’ Chemical Costs Billions in Lost U.S. Productivity

Posted by in categories: chemistry, economics, food

Daily exposure to chemicals called phthalates, which are used in the manufacture of plastic food containers and many cosmetics, may lead to roughly 100,000 premature deaths among older Americans each year, a new study shows. The resulting annual economic burden is between $40 billion and $47 billion, a value more than quadruple that of previous estimates.


NYU Langone study shows deaths linked to endocrine-disrupting chemicals called phthalates may cost United States billions in lost productivity. Learn more.

Oct 12, 2021

Endocrine Disruptors

Posted by in categories: chemistry, food, health, neuroscience

Endocrine disrupting chemicals cause adverse effects in animals. But limited scientific information exists on potential health problems in humans. Because people are typically exposed to multiple at the same time, assessing public health effects is difficult.


Many chemicals, both natural and man-made, may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. Called endocrine disruptors, these chemicals are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems.

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Oct 11, 2021

Bioinspired electromechanical nanogenerators to regulate cell activity

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nanotechnology

😳!


The extracellular matrix (ECM) including three-dimensional (3D) network and bioelectricity can profoundly influence cell development, migration, and functional expression. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Tong Li and a research team in chemistry, nanotechnology, bioelectronics and advanced materials in China, developed an electromechanical coupling bio-nanogenerator abbreviated bio-NG inspired by biophysical cues of the extracellular matrix. The device contained highly discrete piezoelectric fibers to generate piezo potential of up to millivolts to provide in situ electrical stimulation for living cells.

Oct 11, 2021

Himalayan fungus compound refined to offer 40 times the anti-cancer potency

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry

By using a compound derived from a Himalayan fungus and used for centuries in Chinese medicine as a jumping off point, scientists have developed a new chemotherapy drug with powerful anti-cancer effects. Doing so involved chemically altering the compound to better infiltrate cancerous cells, which proved to boost its potency by up to 40 times.

Oct 10, 2021

Researchers announce photon-phonon breakthrough

Posted by in categories: chemistry, mathematics

New research by a City College of New York team has uncovered a novel way to combine two different states of matter. For one of the first times, topological photons—light—has been combined with lattice vibrations, also known as phonons, to manipulate their propagation in a robust and controllable way.

The study utilized topological photonics, an emergent direction in photonics which leverages fundamental ideas of the mathematical field of topology about conserved quantities—topological invariants—that remain constant when altering parts of a geometric object under continuous deformations. One of the simplest examples of such invariants is number of holes, which, for instance, makes donut and mug equivalent from the topological point of view. The topological properties endow photons with helicity, when photons spin as they propagate, leading to unique and unexpected characteristics, such as robustness to defects and unidirectional propagation along interfaces between topologically distinct materials. Thanks to interactions with vibrations in crystals, these helical photons can then be used to channel along with vibrations.

The implications of this work are broad, in particular allowing researchers to advance Raman spectroscopy, which is used to determine vibrational modes of molecules. The research also holds promise for vibrational spectroscopy—also known as —which measures the interaction of infrared radiation with matter through absorption, emission, or reflection. This can then be utilized to study and identify and characterize .

Oct 9, 2021

A rare feat: Material protects against both biological and chemical threats

Posted by in categories: biological, biotech/medical, chemistry, military

A Northwestern University research team has developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and chemical threats, such as those used in chemical warfare. A material that is effective against both classes of threats is rare.

The material also is reusable. It can be restored to its original state after the fabric has been exposed to threats by a simple bleach treatment. The promising fabric could be used in and other protective clothing.

“Having a bifunctional material that has the ability to deactivate both and biological toxic agents is crucial since the complexity to integrate multiple materials to do the job is high,” said Northwestern’s Omar Farha, an expert in , or MOFs, which is the basis for the technology.

Oct 9, 2021

Common Chemicals in Electronics and Baby Products Harm Brain Development

Posted by in categories: chemistry, neuroscience, policy

“The use of organophosphate esters in everything from TVs to car seats has proliferated under the false assumption that they’re safe,” said Heather Patisaul, lead author and neuroendocrinologist at North Carolina State University. “Unfortunately, these chemicals appear to be just as harmful as the chemicals they’re intended to replace but act by a different mechanism.”


Summary: Exposure to even low levels of common chemicals called organophosphate esters can harm IQ, memory, learning, and brain development overall in young children.

Source: Green Science Policy Institute

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Oct 8, 2021

Project Orion: Detonating Nuclear Bombs For Thrust

Posted by in categories: chemistry, military, physics, space travel

Circa 2018 o.o


Rockets with nuclear bombs for propulsion sounds like a Wile E. Coyote cartoon, but it has been seriously considered as an option for the space program. Chemical rockets combust a fuel with an oxidizer within themselves and exhaust the result out the back, causing the rocket to move in the opposite direction. What if instead, you used the higher energy density of nuclear fission by detonating nuclear bombs?

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Oct 4, 2021

AlphaFold Is The Most Important Achievement In AI —Ever

Posted by in categories: biological, chemistry, robotics/AI

It can be difficult to distinguish between substance and hype in the field of artificial intelligence. In order to stay grounded, it is important to step back from time to time and ask a simple question: what has AI actually accomplished or enabled that makes a difference in the real world?

This summer, DeepMind delivered the strongest answer yet to that question in the decades-long history of AI research: AlphaFold, a software platform that will revolutionize our understanding of biology.

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