Electron Donor

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindrome repeats (CRISPR) and Crispr-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is now a well-known, revolutionary method to engineer microbial cells.

The recognition of the phenomenon known as horizontal (or lateral) gene transfer (HGT/LGT) revolutionized our understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. Unlike the conventional vertical transmission of genes from parent to offspring, HGT involves the exchange of genetic material laterally, across species boundaries.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have produced the first atomic-level structure of an enzyme that selectively cuts carbon-hydrogen bonds—the first and most challenging step in turning simple hydrocarbons into more useful chemicals. As described in a paper just published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, the detailed atomic level "blueprint" suggests ways to…

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a type of DNA damage where both strands of DNA break at the same location. They can adversely affect cell growth and functioning. Currently, DSBs are detected by immunostaining techniques, which identify markers that accompany DNA damage, such as the protein γH2AX. However, these methods are tedious, and cannot be used to detect DSBs in real time in living specimens.

New material reduces pressures needed more than a hundredfold, but experts urge caution over structural questions and previously retracted research

A simple two-carbon compound may have been a crucial player in the evolution of metabolism before the advent of cells, according to a new study published October 4 in the open access journal PLOS Biology, by Nick Lane and colleagues of University College London, U.K. The finding potentially sheds light on the earliest stages of prebiotic biochemistry, and suggests how ATP came to be the universal energy carrier of…

Standard medical imaging readily detects most solid brain cancers, one third of which are gliomas. Unfortunately, two complex surgeries are often necessary. But now, researchers from Japan may have devised a way to perform the initial biopsy, lab tests, and subsequent tumor removal during one surgical procedure.

A new study uses an innovative approach to examine a shallow-water hydrothermal system and the production of microbes there in situ and near natural conditions as a model to assess the importance of hydrothermal fluid circulation on chemosynthesis.

In chemistry, the classification of substances into acids and bases is fundamental.

Microbes such as bacteria and yeast are increasingly being used to produce components of medicines, biofuels, and food. Indeed, baker's yeast, also known as brewer's yeast or Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is responsible for the fermentation process used in making beer or bread, but it is also used at scale to produce other molecules of value for industry.

Recently, carbon-based catalysts—especially nitrogen-doped nanocarbons—have emerged as sustainable, reliable alternatives to the metal catalysts traditionally used to support chemical reactions.

The aim of this special issue is to draw attention to possible microbially induced challenges in the storage of hydrogen in the subsurface. What influence can microbiological processes have on the storage of hydrogen? What consequences can occur, what products can arise (e.g., toxic or corrosive H2S), how can the risk be reduced, and how can we model, simulate in the laboratory, or predict the potential risks?The…

Organic light-emitting diodes are used in smart phones, tablets, and large TV screens. As they do not need any additional background illumination, they are energy-efficient. The can be produced at low costs by thin-film technology and also work on flexible carrier materials, thus enabling bendable displays and variable room illumination solutions.

The Haber-Bosch (HB) process is one of the most important industrial chemical reactions. It combines nitrogen and hydrogen gases in the presence of an iron-based catalyst at high temperatures and pressures to produce ammonia fertilizer which helps provide food for over five billion people.

Photosynthesis is the process plants, algae and some bacteria use to turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.

Professor Rebecca Abergel harnesses the power of radioactive metals to develop treatments for cancer and heavy metal contamination.

Multi-omics on a long-term, continuous bioreactor experiment identifies microbes able to respire nitric oxide, a toxic, ozone-depleting, greenhouse gas precursor.

Our body produces lots of enzymes that break down toxic substances. One class of such enzymes are the flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), which are present in all tetrapods. Humans have five different FMO genes, of which the first four display the same activity.

In an unprecedented feat, researchers from Japan have developed an organic, air-stable, highly conducting neutral molecular crystal with unique electronic properties.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are a new class of organic semiconductors, and have recently demonstrated great potential for solar fuel production. They are generally formed from the ordered π-π stacking of molecular layers, and usually possess periodic columnar π-arrays that can facilitate the interlayer charge transfer.